I Thought ‘New Age’ Spa Therapies Were a Marketing Gimmick Until I Visited Heckfield Place

As a traveling beauty writer, my inbox is constantly filled with out-of-the-box innovations in wellness, grooming and total health. Hypnotic ear seeding, sweat lodge chanting and silent disco sound baths are just a few of the invites I receive monthly. Don’t get me wrong, I understand new-age spa therapies – services that look to calm the central nervous system and clarify energy through touch, sound and movement — appeal to a specific customer, I just didn’t think I belonged in that core demographic. Before my recent trip to England, I saw new-age spa therapies as a plea to differentiate in a saturated beauty world with no real benefit. But now, thanks to The Bothy at Heckfield Place, I am happy to say I was wrong.

The Bothy, a 2023 spa opening at Heckfield Place, a 250-year old luxury hotel in Hampshire, England (nestled just an hour outside of central London), showed me that these immersive spa therapies can offer deeper transformations (both physical and spiritual) than the classic massage or facial.  

The Wellness Experiences

At Heckfield, they believe that nature and wellness are interconnected and that in order to be well, you need to be taken care of in every way. The food you consume, the quality of your sleep and specialized spa treatments should be tailored to individual body, personality and emotional needs. 

“The Bothy was designed with this idea of accepting and living by the natural cycles of the seasons,” Bothy director Reka Seres-Erdei tells me. The spa welcomes guests to embrace slow time and reconnect with nature’s pace while discovering the healing power of the great outdoors. You notice this right when you walk through the spa where you are instructed to leave your phone in a locker as the sound of birds on the estate ground you into the space. 

The Bothy has six treatment rooms, two fitness studios, a movement studio, outdoor hydrotherapy, steam room and sauna with views of the estates farm. Therapies include: iridology, forest bathing, sauna medicine, wild swimming and woodlands movement. 

During my four-night stay, I opted to do the Wildsmith Time treatment, forest bathing and wild swimming. Utilizing English-made Wildsmith Skin products — crafted with ethically sourced, sustainable ingredients — the Wildsmith Time is a bespoke treatment entirely customized to my needs (sore knees, jetlag, and tech neck) to reconnect and balance with essential oil blends. The massage was so relaxing and peaceful that I fell asleep towards the end before exploring the rest of the facilities. Luxurious and peaceful, the spa is only open to hotel guests (and friends of Heckfield — an annual, local program they offer), so even at full capacity (52), it barely feels like anyone else is there — deeply playing into the tranquility of the overall experience. 

Outside of the Bothy, services are even more impressive— my favorite among them, forest bathing (which originated in Japan and is said to boost immunity and reverse stress). We were led through the expansive forests that surround the estate, instructed to reconnect with ourselves and nature throughout the dreamy landscape. I had a great time learning from Benjamin, their in-house mindfulness teacher, as he gushed about the different trees (the redwoods and sequoias were my favorites) and how to tap into a meditative posture through guided meditation. 

As a regular cold plunger (I often do ice baths and cold plunges after long marathon-training runs for improved recovery) I was really looking forward to wild swimming, the estates’ version of a cold plunge. Located on the lower lake, you are encouraged to spend as much time as you can in the under 40° Fahrenheit space. Meant to improve circulation and anxiety, I had the pleasure of looking out to the surrounding calm nature during my 12 minutes inside the lake. 

After each experience, and several weeks later, I noticed how much it helped improve my energy, cultivate clearer thoughts and overall make me feel lighter — all the hero benefits of new-age therapies. Multiple spa therapists at Heckfield explained how negativity, stress and trauma can all show up in the skin and in our total health. If we do not look for ways to cut through and release those factors, it can not only affect our skin health, but our mood and energy too. 

‍The Farm-to-Table Eats

In everything they do, Heckfiled believes in allowing time to slow and being present in the moment. The same approach is applied to their on-site restaurants: Marle, Hearth and Moon Bar. With a green Michelin star and led by culinary director Skye Gyngell, Marle takes on a seasonal concept, altering the menu based on the availability of what the farm can offer. Centered on an open fire, Hearth partners with local vendor Fern Verrow and focuses on dishes like wood-fire pizza, stuffed peppers and confit duck leg. My favorite among the offerings was Moon Bar, an intimate cocktail lounge with passionate bartenders ready to create the most unique beverages. 

The Estate

Heckfield is home to six different types of room arrangements, offering a variety of options for singles, partners and larger groups. I had the pleasure of staying in one of the master rooms, complete with a living room and a terrace that led to the garden. Down to the wool blankets and tea station, the cottage-like room had so much English charm. I enjoyed spending time in my room reading, relaxing in the big soaking tub and goal setting in the tranquil peace on the terrace. 

The Bothy and Heckfield really is the perfect serene and quiet retreat, designed to reconnect, realign and be present in the moment. Although I spent most of my time alone, reflecting on my thoughts and the past months, I can imagine the space would be just as magical with a partner, friends or family.