Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep Down to the Sea
"where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea,"
– the words of poet Percy French"
Forget smiling Irish eyes and sweet Molly Malone, Bushmills whiskey and Irish stew. Ireland is now staking its claim in the world of spa resorts if The Spa at Slieve Donard on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland is any indication.
The Spa is the crown jewel in the recent £15 million renovation of the venerable Slieve Donard, a massive red brick Victorian railroad hotel in Newcastle on the Irish Sea, about 30 miles south of Belfast, "where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea," in the words of poet Percy French. Built in 1898 by the Belfast and County Down Railway to bring vacationers to the newly booming resort town, the hotel was one of the grandest and most self-sufficient of its time, with its own power plant, laundry, vegetable gardens, bakery, even pigs.
After several additions and refurbishments over the years, the 178-room Slieve Donard, which sits on six waterfront acres, evokes the golden age of railway hotels and caters to similar vacationers who come to bathe in the sea, play golf at the challenging Royal County Down Golf Club next door, and hike the nearby Mourne Mountains. And, with the latest £15 million makeover, refresh and renew themselves at an elaborate spa, designed in conjunction with ESPA.
The Spa occupies two waterfront floors. The ground level Active Floor incorporates a 66-foot (20 meter) swimming pool with two swan-neck water massage jets for muscle relaxation, and a smaller Vitality Pool, filled with bubbling water jets. The adjacent Thermal Suite includes a Rock Sauna bathed in pink pinlites, the Amethyst Steam Room, filled with a purplish glow; and a rain shower with heated towel racks. All look out on the lovely coast, and make up what the Spa calls a Heat Experience.
A high tech fitness studio has a wide range of state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, all featuring integrated TV screens and audio channels. The Zen Studio offers a range of classes, including yoga, pilates, and Tai chi. For healthy eating, spa goers have the Horizon Juice Bar and the adjacent Lighthouse Lounge.
Upstairs are ten treatment rooms for the nine therapists. And a tranquil Relaxation Room with 10 beds you can operate electronically for comfortable lounging, and a choice of music, with earplugs for privacy.
The Relaxation Room is where I waited for Rachel, my therapist. She took me to a treatment room to discuss the Muscle Relaxing Massage treatment I had booked. Over herbed tea, which was laid out on a tray on the bed, Rachel asked me to smell two essential oils out of a possible six she had picked for me, and choose the one to be used throughout the entire treatment. One is a restorative oil, with sweet orange and myrrh; the other a fitness oil with West Indian bay leaves, cloves, rosemary, and peppermint. I loved the second one.
Then, flipping several light switches, she bathed the ceiling of the treatment room in several colors and asked my preference: orange? green? purple? What fun! Do I want to celebrate the Orange Order? Nope, too political. Purple? Definitely too royal. I choose green, for the Emerald Isle, of course.
The treatment started with a scalp massage, then, after oiling me with my chosen aromatic blend, Rachel soothed all my muscles, front and back, with long easy strokes. It was a lovely relaxing treatment, after which I returned to the Relaxation Room and tuned up the electric controls on my bed for just the right elevation of back and legs, and a half hour of perfect, well, relaxation. Next time I’ll arrive 45 minutes early for the Heat Experience and play in the Thermal Suite.
The Spa has an ambitious menu of treatments, many traditional and a few surprising, at least for an Irish spa. Two signature hot stone therapies, for instance, with an eastern spin, and several ayurvedic treatments, each 1 hour 50 minutes £140.
Holistic Back, Face And Scalp Massage With Hot Stones–An all-embracing treatment incorporating a full ESPA facial, with acupressure face and oriental head massage, a deep-cleansing back exfoliation followed by a hot stone back massage with aromatic oils.
Chakra Balancing With Hot Stones With a nod to ayurvedic and Chinese philosophies, volcanic hot stones are carefully placed on body chakras, the seven powerful energy centers, and at vital energy points on hands and feet for balance and grounding. The body is massaged with ESPA-blended aromatherapy oils. Gentle stretching helps release tension around neck and shoulders and, before an acupressure head massage.
For its ayurvedic offerings, the spa combines hot stone massage and body wraps, with dosha-specific treatments, utilizing the central concept of ayurvedic medicine that health relies on the balance of three "humours" or doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Do you know your primary dosha? Here’s a dosha tip sheet, and the kind of treatment you might expect: Pitta types are often over active and frequently suffer from sensitive skin; they benefit from cooling and calming treatments to cool and soothe the skin, with bhringaraj herbal oil and restorative plant extracts such as palmarosa and myrrh. Vata types may suffer from dry skin, anxiety, and cold dry weather; they need warmth, nourishment, hydration, comfort, and healing treatments using ancient Indian herbs such as brahmi and oshadi in addition to nourishing mud extracts. Kapha types often suffer from dull oily skin, cold damp weather, and tend to put on weight easily; they need treatments with detoxifying Indian herbs such as ashwaganda and algae extracts to clarify the skin, stimulate the circulation, and warm the body.
A consultation will establish your dosha, and formulate the massage, treatment wrap, and ritual to individual needs.
Here’s how it goes: First relax with hot tri-doshic tea during a foot-cleansing ritual, which is followed by a salt and oil body exfoliation to enhance circulation and cleanse the skin. Next, individually prepared warm oils blended with ayurvedic herbal concentrates are poured onto your body, and hot or cold stones used for your dosha-specific massage. Then, your body is covered in warm marine algae, mud, or traditional oshadi clay, and wrapped in warmed natural linens. As the herbs and oils work their magic on your body, a therapist gives you an oriental head massage, and stimulates special points on your face to renew and revitalize the skin.
The rest of the ESPA treatments will probably be more familiar to you.
Facial Treatments
Each facial includes an in-depth consultation, plus specialized cleansing techniques, gentle exfoliation, acupressure facial massage, and an intensive face mask.
ESPA Age Defyer Facial–1 Hour 20 Minutes, £95
ESPA Re-Hydrator–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Skin Brightener–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA De-Sensitiser Facial–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Oil Controller–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Firming Eye Lift–25 Minutes, £35
Body Treatments
Body therapies are holistic treatments that include different elements of massage, envelopment, and aromatherapy.
ESPA Stimulating Hip And Thigh Treatment–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Detoxifying Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Body Toning Massage–55 Minutes , £65
ESPA Muscle Relaxing Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Stress Relieving Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Immune Boosting Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Energising Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Jet Lag Eliminating Massage–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Aromatherapy Back, Neck And Head–40 Minutes, £50
Full Body Salt And Oil Scrub–25 Minutes, £35
Body Envelopments (Wraps)
These include skin brushing, body exfoliation, and a full body application of specific essential aromatherapy oils before applying algae, marine mud, or oshadi clay body wraps, as well as calming Oriental head massage.
ESPA Detoxifier–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Body Toner–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Skin Hydrator–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Muscle Relaxer–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Immune Booster–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Stress Reliever–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Energy Booster–55 Minutes, £65
ESPA Jet Lag Reviver–55 Minutes, £65
Mostly for Men
Golfing Recovery, 1 Hour 50 Minutes, £140–A deep back massage to ease muscle tension, a warming and hydrating Marine Mud wrap, and a holistic foot and nail treatment.
Celtic Recovery, 1 Hour 20 Minutes, £95–A tension-draining full body massage using your choice of ESPA-blended aromatherapy oils, and a deep cleansing facial.
The Irish Man, 55 Minutes, £65–A face and head treatment specifically for men, using hot towels and ESPA active aromatherapy ingredients, plus a deep scalp massage.
For more ambitious spa fun, you can check out a selection of half-day and full-day rituals on the website.
Who would have guessed that Northern Ireland would be blazing into the spa world with such a panoply of widely appealing therapies?
It’s the luck of the Irish.
The Spa at Slieve Donard, Downs Road, Newcastle, County Down, Tel: +44 (0)28 4372 6166, thespa@sdh.hastingshotels.com, www.hastingshotels.com.
Slieve Donard Resort & Spa, Tel:+ 44-(0) 28 4372 1066. www.hastingshotels.com Choice of 178 rooms with doubles £190-£250, suites £470: including full Irish breakfast. All hotel residents can use the facilities of the Active Floor on a complimentary basis during their stay.
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