BAMFORD WELLNESS SPA, UK

Wellness is a way of life

Euopean Spa visits the newly refurbished Bamford Wellness Spa to experience a wealth of holistic wellness programming and spa escapes in the heart of the Cotswolds

REPORT BY SARAH CAMILLERI

The brainchild of entrepreneur and philanthropist Lady Carole Bamford, OBE, British wellness brand Bamford is a company on the rise. Going beyond spa to offer a curated collection of ‘conscious living’ products, including natural body and skincare, clothing and homeware, Bamford currently operates four luxury spas, two in the UK and two in the US, as well as five stores around the world. This year saw the successful relaunch of it’s refurbished flagship, the serene Bamford Wellness Spa, located at the famous Daylesford Farm in Gloucestershire.

Lady Carole Bamford, OBE

To understand Lady Bamford’s commitment to wellness, you need to look back to the 1980s when her love of the land and a desire to protect its nature for future generations led her to fully convert her Cotswold dairy farm to organic status. Today, the pioneering Daylesford Organic business is one of the UK’s leading organic farming brands, reporting a record £43.1m (€50.4m) in sales during lockdown thanks to some agile online retailing and soaring demand for its produce.

Drawing on the success Daylesford Organics, sister brand Bamford is driven by its founder’s vision to take customers beyond healthy eating and to make wellness a way of life. The newly relaunched Bamford Wellness Spa, which plays such an integral role in the whole Daylesford Farm experience, clearly signals that wellness living is set to boom and Bamford intends to meet demand and lead in the ‘wellness living’ market.

The KLAFS-supplied wellness pool

A place and time for one’s self

Elegantly refurbished and beautifully understated, Bamford Wellness Spa has been doubled in size, offering guests 1,550sqm of space in which to escape and relax. Housed sympathetically in the farm’s original agricultural buildings, natural materials are paired with objets d’art to give the spa’s soft, white interiors a serene ambience, accented by the brand’s iconic green palette and its founder’s love of heart motifs. From the moment you enter, every detail, material and scent envelopes you in the Bamford ethos, while the four elements of fire, water, earth and air anchor the experience firmly in nature.

A welcoming, double-height reception area, flooded with natural light, houses the attractive wellness café, The Orchard Bar, where guests can enjoy fresh juices and a daily menu with a focus on nutritious seasonal dishes devised by chef Dominique Park. This social hub also features a well-stocked retail area replete with Bamford products and a fascinating array of selfcare and healthy living books for guests to browse and enjoy.

Holistic heat in the KLAFS-supplied sauna

For Lady Bamford, the flagship spa is a culmination of her own commitment to wellness as a way of life. “I have practised yoga and meditation since I was young, and they continue to help me nurture my own wellbeing every day,” she explains. “When you practise yoga or meditate, you’re creating your own space, a place and a time for yourself. I wanted this to be a part of our approach to guests’ health and wellbeing.

“We all live such fast-paced, often high-stress lives, and rarely take the time just to ‘be’ and sit with ourselves, to reconnect with our minds. Many of us are very careful about how we nourish our bodies through our food, so why do we not value our minds in the same way? Yoga and meditation concentrate my mind, but above all they ground me and they look after my spirit.”

Bamford Wellness Spa takes inspiration from western and eastern traditions to offer a wide spectrum of wellness programming

Embark on a nurturing journey

Beyond reception, the spa’s unisex changing rooms offer private changing for guests and this area also provides access to the centre of the spa, which has been enhanced with a bijou wet spa zone, offering a herbal steam room, a crystal sauna and a wellness pool supplied by KLAFS.

The spa’s 12 treatment rooms are set across two floors along with several beautiful spaces for wellness classes. Completing the guest journey, a tranquil, light-filled relaxation room, where guests can take tea and enjoy the fireplace, overlooks the farm’s orchard. Outside, yoga, Pilates sound healing and specialist wellness classes can be enjoyed in the Bamford Wellness Tipi, or in the privacy of the Crystal Healing Hut.

Dedicated therapists provide treatment expertise

The vision to offer guests a fully holistic experience in the spa takes its influences from eastern and western practices. “The extended space has allowed us to create a unique wellness destination that is unlike any other in the UK,” explains Lady Bamford. “The breadth of treatments and traditions offers the very best healing therapies from around the world, many of which I discovered in India years ago.

“It’s also a unique space, not simply because of its situation at the heart of an organic farm, but because the natural materials we’ve used to furnish the building recall our innate connection to nature and reflect Bamford’s philosophy that we need to slow our bodies and minds, and live in harmony with our surroundings to enable that healing process.”

Nature is evoked in the design of a relaxation room overlooking the farm’s orchard

A sustainable approach to wellbeing

Louise Riby, Bamford’s director of business development, says the business is seeing a significant rise in demand for spa days and specialist wellness classes. However, the primary reason for booking right now is simply people’s desire to make time to escape and slow down the pace of life.

“The extension of the Bamford Wellness Spa always had one vision in mind: to make it a true destination,” says Riby. “Guests are now able to enjoy a full day in the spa by going from a class to a treatment, having lunch at the new Orchard Bar and enjoying relaxation time in the Spring and Lavender Room.

The retail area is stocked with a range of Bamford’s lifestyle and skincare products

“Part of being organic is about being kind to your body and our spa is rooted in the same belief, that we need to nurture ourselves and each other. At the core of the Bamford philosophy is a desire to reflect and combine the best of modern and ancient therapies, allowing you to slow your mind and reconnect with nature and your own sense of wellbeing.”

Echoing Bamford’s focus on the natural world, sustainability has been a key aspect of the recent redevelopment work, including heating, lighting and creating a healthy air flow within the barn’s original structures. “In keeping with Bamford’s pledge to have minimal impact on the environment, the site uses renewable energy and a biomass boiler to heat the building,” explains Riby. “Design decisions have also been led by this aim with the use of triple glazing and recycled fittings.”

Treatments are performed exclusively using Bamford products

On the menu

All Bamford treatments are developed to heal the body holistically, combining the best techniques and ancient traditions from around the world, including shiatsu and abdominal massage, assisted stretching, hot and cold jade stones, crystal healing and reflexology.

“Our treatments are not only designed to relax and soothe, they perform a range of functions, drawing toxins out of the body, unblocking energy channels to relieve accumulated stress, or even improving gut health,” explains Riby.

Space to stretch out and become centered in the spa’s yoga studio

“Our facials are particularly beneficial for urban living: from detoxifying and purifying congested skin to reversing the signs of ageing, which are exacerbated by exposure to pollution,” continues Riby. “But each of them also works on a deeper level to impact positively on your overall wellbeing, whether it’s through healing jade stones in pressure-point facial massage or the addition of our cleansing mineral footbath, which you experience as your facial mask is absorbed.”

Wellness mastery

Behind every good spa is an excellent team, and Bamford’s has a wealth experience and specialism in several key wellness modalities. Led by director of spa and wellness Hugh Murphy and spa manager Maridelle Tan, a host of dedicated therapists and notable wellness practitioners have bought their skills from as far away as India to create a whole spectrum of wellness programming from breathwork through to movement and meditation.

The Orchard Bar provides dishes from a nutritious seasonal menu

The spa offers a comprehensive collection of daily classes, weekly retreats and wellness workshops. Many types of yoga are taught by resident wellness masters Vettri Selvan and Cristina Chandika Ma, as well as Pilates for all levels with Vikrant Koli, supported by a selection of local experts. Guests can also tap into healing sessions with lunar expert and astrologist Ruth Anne Adams.

Exclusive wellness memberships

As well as successfully reopening the flagship spa, behind the scenes the Bamford team has broken ground this summer on an exciting new development: a stand-alone state-of-the art wellness centre that is set to serve an exclusive membership looking for the very latest preventative health regimes and expertise.

The spa is adorned with heart motifs

“In 2022 we are adding to our offering with the opening of a new Wellness Club,” confirms managing director Lilly Newell, who joined the Bamford team this year from her previous role as chief executive of The Birley Clubs.

“At Bamford we are constantly evolving and looking for ways to build on our authority and expertise in offering a fully holistic wellbeing experience,” she states. “Our mission continues to keep improving on our spa offering by bringing in the best new practitioners, treatments and experiences for our guests.”

Guests can watch ingredients being prepared in The Orchard Bar

Commanding significant investment, this new concept signals an exciting new chapter for the brand. “We have seen an increased desire in guests to look after their health and wellbeing since the pandemic began,” explains Newell. “Our spa allows guests to focus on this through a holistic approach to wellbeing but we wanted to add another dimension with the club. We aim to deliver an exceptional wellness experience through enhanced physical analysis and a tailored approach to each individual. This 360-degree offering will ensure our members leave with a sense of improved wellbeing.”

SPA STATISTICS

Owner: Lady Carole Bamford, OBE Managing director: Lilly Newell Director of spa and wellness: Hugh Murphy Director of business development: Louise Riby Spa manager: Maridelle Tan Spa team: 40 Architect: Crawford and Gray Spa size: 1,550sqm Treatment rooms: 12 Wet experiences/sauna: Hydro pool, sauna and steam rooms by KLAFS Treatment couches: Gharieni Fitness facilities: Yoga and Pilates studios Outdoors: Bamford Wellness Tipi, Crystal Healing Hut Treatments: Exclusively Bamford Nails: Kure Bazaar Light therapy: Dermalux Spa portfolio: UK: Bamford Wellness Spa Cotswolds; Berkeley Hotel London; Belmond Royal Scotsman Scotland. USA: 1 Hotel South Beach, Miami; I Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, New York. Bamford stores: UK: Bamford Barn Cotswolds, Bamford Mayfair, Bamford Bicester Village. Global: Bamford Korea, Seoul; Bamford Japan, Tokyo

www.bamford.com/uk