Lifehouse is a contemporary Spa & Hotel, located in Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex. Only an hour and 20 minutes drive from London and a 10 minute drive from the sandy beaches of the quaint little English town of Frinton-on-Sea, this holistic spa offers a life enriching spa experience.

The spa is set in 130 acres of grounds and 12 acres of historic listed gardens, formerly Thorpe Hall and home to Lord and Lady Byng, friends of King George V and Queen Mary. After a £30 million pound investment and the restoration of grounds the doors were opened to guests in December 2010.

Lifehouse includes 89 guestrooms all boasting beautiful views of either the gardens or courtyard, 35 treatment rooms,  gym, exercise studio, swimming pool, sauna & steam room, thermal spa area with salt-inhalation room, relaxation area, manicure and pedicure stations, and our exclusive Oriental Bathing Experience

Lifehouse’s signature treatment is The Oriental Bathing Experience, lasting 2 hours and involves traditional massage techniques for the feet and ankles, bathing pools and a relaxing full body exfoliation and back and shoulder massage.

Enjoy mouth watering evening and lunchtime dining in the Water Lilies Restaurant, where they also serve delicious cooked breakfasts. Pre- dinner drinks can be taken in the Orchid Bar or relax in the Strawberry Tree Juice Bar where light snacks and smoothies can be enjoyed. Enjoyment, health and wellbeing are the mantra for the Lifehouse spa. They have dedicated experts specialising in fitness, life coaching, nutrition and holistic therapies and prove that they have set a new benchmark for spa destinations throughout the UK.

For the more energetic, there are plenty of exercise classes to join in with throughout the day, bikes on standby to explore the fabulous grounds, Nordic walking and lots more of outdoor activities.

In its first year Lifehouse Spa & Hotel was voted Winner of Best Large Hotel by the Essex Tourism Awards 2011.  More recently Lifehouse was named Runner Up for Best UK Spa Retreat at the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Awards 2012, as well as Wahanda Community Best Destination Spa in Essex February 2012. It is an accredited Visit England 4 Star Hotel with a Visit England Silver Award, a Visit England Breakfast Award and 4 Good Spa Guide Bubbles.

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What does it look like?

Lifehouse Spa is set deep in the beautiful Essex countryside of Thorpe-le-Soken , approx 1 and a half hours drive from London and five minutes drive from the quaint little town of Frinton-on-Sea. We drove up a long winding driveway to the entrance of this white painted modernist building which is set in 130 acres of beautiful grounds. We parked the car in the complimentary car park and walked down the gravel drive to the entrance.

What happens when you get there?

The Reception area is ultra modern and we were greeted by a team of friendly happy faces who could not do enough for us. You are seated at a desk to be personally checked in and go through your booking. We were then shown to our bedrooms.

What do the bed rooms look like?

Our bedroom can only be described as having a Scandinavian feel to it – from the clean crisp sheets to the wooden beds, everything is spotlessly clean, minimal, bright and shiny. The en suite shower and bathroom offers complimentary toiletries and state of the art digital water temperature controls. Our room in The Willows had fabulous breathtaking views over the lake and grounds.

What was the food like?

We ate a three course dinner in Water Lilies Restaurant, where we were looked after very well by our attentive waitress. It was delicious and not surprisingly the Head Chef, Paul Boorman, was voted Essex’s Chef of the Year! Their starter of liver pate wrapped in beetroot is absolutely mouth watering and all courses are beautifully presented. After my dessert of champagne jelly we retired to the comfortable Orchid Bar for a relaxing nightcap. Breakfast is taken here the next morning and is plentiful and varied ranging from warm croissants, fruit, cereals and the full English Breakfast. Guests are able to come straight from treatments throughout the day and dine here still wearing their dressing robes. There is also a coffee/ snack bar here called the Strawberry Room which offers to die for smoothies!

What were the Spa Facilities like?

This is no ordinary spa hotel – this is a wellness centre and treatments are holistic, all encompassing and not just designed to ease your stresses of the body but also of the mind. Once you find your way to The Hub, the spa treatment booking area, you are given a buzzer each so that you can wander off whilst waiting for your treatments. The Spa facilities include a large swimming pool, great hydrotherapy pool ,sauna, steam room, salt room, ice plunge pool, foot baths. These facilities are outstanding! Looked amazing when lit up at night.

What were the treatments like?

The treatment rooms were welcoming and ambient. They played gentle spa music and were very relaxing.
From the minute I walked into the spa treatment room until the second I walked out I have never felt so at ease and relaxed. The spa therapist was very knowledgeable and gave me advice on skin care. She started by treating me to an all over body exfoliation. I then showered off in the comfort of the spa room and then this treatment was followed by a full body massage. This is probably one of the best massages that I have ever had. I walked out floating on air! My friend decided to try the Lifehouse signature treatment which is a 2 hour spa experience not to be missed. This begins with a Thai foot ritual to open Sen energy lines, a luxurious soak in the Oriental baths, a full body exfoliation leaving your skin amazingly soft, a warm oil and hot stone massage using essential oils. After these amazingly relaxing treatments you are led to your very own private sleep pods where you can drift off into a heavenly slumber. All in all this is a place not to be missed. It is only just one and a half hour's drive away from London and it is a perfect place to escape to. I can’t wait for a return visit!

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