| The Old Course Hotel, St. Andrews, Scotland |
When most people think of St. Andrews, they think of golf. When most people come to The Old Course Hotel, they hope for a chance to play on The Old Course, the Home of Golf, where the game was first played around 1400 AD. I say a "chance" because, through a complicated (at least for me) relationship with local players, tour operators, and a lottery system and the fact that members of the Royals and Ancient Golf Club can walk on any time, it is entirely possible that your chance to play on this public course won't come up. I am told, however, that guests staying four days usually get to play on The Old Course at least once. Not that that's the only course - there are four additional 18-hole links courses, one 9-hole course, and The Duke's Course, the largest inland golf course in the UK. Hotel guests enjoy guaranteed tee times and reduced greens fees at The Duke's Course. And buggies (golf carts) are allowed on this course.
Although some may disagree, golf is not the only thing to do in St. Andrews.
-
There's historic St. Andrews itself. I highly recommend taking a guided walking tour
to learn about the violent religious struggles that occurred here;
- You can walk along the North Sea and see the beach where "Chariots
of Fire" was filmed;
- You can see the old sea baths;
- You might get a glimpse of Prince William, who attends St. Andrews
University (at least he did during the time of my visit);
- There are nearby fishing villages. It is reported you can get the best
fish and chips anywhere at the Anstruther Fish Bar;
- And, of course, there is the always the spa...
The Spa at The Old Course Hotel
The Spa at The Old Course Hotel was built in 1995 and is located in the first floor corridor connecting the lobby to the golf shop. It currently has six treatment rooms and separate men's and women's locker rooms, each with sauna, steam rooms, and showers. There's also a gymnasium with fitness and cardiovascular equipment, a 15-meter pool, whirlpool and a poolside bar serving beverages and light snacks during the day. At the age of seven years, the spa has outgrown its current configuration. I saw the spa in its "before" state. It was about to start renovations that will turn it into a world-class health retreat and a reason unto itself to visit St. Andrews.
Spa Refurbishment Plans
The Spa at The Old Course Hotel has plans to update its existing spa facilities in time for the 2005 British Open. The refurbishment will take place in three stages:
Stage One: Beginning August 2002, The Old Course Hotel will create 12 new treatment rooms on the first floor of the hotel. Half of these rooms will directly overlook the famous Old Course and they will all have natural daylight. The new treatment rooms will also be large enough to provide treatments for couples and all will include shower rooms. One of these rooms will become a relaxation room for spa guests to use prior and following treatments, and one will become a space for alternative therapies such as Reiki and Thai massage. The remaining 10 will house treatments from La Prairie, Clarins and Comfort Zone.
JANUARY 2003 UPDATE: The new suite of treatment rooms has now opened on the first floor of the hotel, directly above the current Spa. The majority of these new rooms overlook the famous Old Course and are all bathed in natural daylight pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rooms are large enough to provide treatments for couples and all include spacious private shower and changing facilities.
Stage Two: Beginning January 2003, the ground floor will be remodeled to include a combined resistance and cardio fitness area, new retail space and a new reception area. This stage will include the introduction of a fitness studio to provide guests with a variety of daily activities such as morning and afternoon stretch, yoga, pilates, boxfit, fitball and spinning. When weather permits, classes will be held outdoors. For example, the hotel will offer tai chi on the West Sands beach (where Chariots of Fire was filmed) or fitness walks along the Old Course on Sundays, when it is closed to golfers.
Stage Three: Beginning late 2003, three to four unisex wet rooms will be added around the pool area, as well as an indoor/outdoor street-style spa cafe that will offer healthy options suitable for today's lifestyle.
By the end of 2003, the Spa at the Old Course Hotel will become a holistic wellness spa retreat and will include consultations such as nutrition and supplements, lifestyle counseling, neuro-linguistic programming, hypnotherapy and other determined complimentary therapies, such as cranial sacral therapy. New General Manager Jonathan Stapleton, formerly general manager at Champneys Health Resort & Spa in Tring, England, notes “The spa will become a destination within a destination, ideally suited to meeting the needs of the international spa-goer and providing spa packages which ensure a longer stay in St. Andrews. By providing such a world-class health retreat, we can demonstrate that St. Andrews isn’t just for golfers!”
My Spa Experience
I checked in at the spa reception desk and was escorted to the locker room. Oddly, a coin is required to operate the locks. If you don't have one (and I didn't), the reception desk will give you one. This was done because people had been walking off with the keys. However, it's not a feature I would expect at a first-class facility. Unfortunately, plans call for coin-operated locks on lockers in the new facility.
As soon as I had changed, my esthetician, Mary Jane, came to get me for a La Prairie Cellular Renewal Treatment. It was the first time I had a facial using La Prairie products. There were so many steps, I can't remember most of them. All La Prairie facials at The Spa at the Old Course include:
1.
a back massage and consultation.
2.eye cleansing
3.initial mask and hand exfoliation
4.eye massage
5.facial and de'collette massage
6.second mask application
7.hand and forearm massage
8.eye and lip care
9.protective face care
I later had another La Prairie facial in New York City. I now use La Prairie products every day. I've never had another product leave my skin as soft and moist as La Prairie. Needless to say, I thought the facial at The Spa at the Old Course Hotel was terrific.
Because of the limitations of the current facility, there is really no place to relax after a spa treatment. You can stay in the locker room or go out by the pool, but neither is really ideal for that purpose. Fortunately, a relaxation room for spa guests to use prior and following treatments is planned for the renovation.
The refurbishment promises to turn the spa into "an experience, not just a facility." I look forward to seeing the spa in its "after" state some day.
Spa for Golfers
E'SPA's Golfer's Tonic will blend the best of both worlds - golf and spa. "Tee off with a relaxing back massage to ease muscle tension and follow with a luxury foot treatment which includes exfoliation, deep massage and an envelopment marine mud on the back and paraffin wax on the feet to relieve the aches and pains of feet that may be feeling below par."
OBTW
Children: A
new play room will be ready by the end of 2002. Parents will be able to leave
their children for up to four hours.
Pets: Pets are allowed in the hotel's room. The hotel provides pet beds,
walkers, etc.
More information
The Old Course
Hotel in St. Andrews is a member of Connoisseurs Scotland, an
elite collection of Scotland's finest properties and travel experiences.
Featuring a small number of luxury hotels, each with a quality and character of
its own, set in unique locations throughout Scotland. In addition to the hotels
there is the Royal Scotsman, an exclusive train which revives the romance and
elegance of times past. There is also a ship, The Hebridean Princess, that can
transport guests to a hidden Scotland in total luxury.
 Gorse, a thorny plant that grows wild, is used in one of the original Bach Flower Remedies, according to About's guide to Holistic Healing, Phylameana lila Desy. It is a restorative remedy that helps lift dark and depressive personalities into a brighter and lighter experience. Good for anyone at times when they feel life is weighing them down. Positive Qualities include optimism, hope, perseverance, endurance, and illumination. Bell Heather, another plant found in abundance in Scotland, is another original Bach Flower Remedy. This flower remedy is beneficial to those who are consumed with self interests, self indulgence, or overly concerned with one's own problems. It helps one to move away from their unbalanced inward focus. It offers a better perspective, so that a person can learn to use their own suffering as a resource well that can be drawn from to offer compassion and caring to others. Positive qualities include, selflessness, self-discipline, inner calm, and compassion for others. Other species native to Scotland used in Bach Flower Remedy production include apple, broom, daisy, elder, harebell, hazel, navelwort, lady's mantle, mallow, ragged robin, Scots pine, Scottish primrose, sea pink, sea rocket, silverweed, snowdrop, spotted orchid, stonecrop, thistle, valerian, watercress, wild pansy and willowherb.1 Additionally, some plant species used in aromatherapy are native to Scotland e.g. yarrow, wild celery, mugwort, borage, juniper, corn mint, and valerian.1 With all the current interest in creating spa treatments using indigenous plants, resources and traditions, it is surprising that these plants have not found their way into the spa treatment menus in Scotland. 1"FLORA CELTICA: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SCOTTISH PLANTS," Chapter 3 Medicinal and aromatic plants by William Milliken and Sam Bridgewater, Edinburgh Development Consultants, and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |
Photos copyright 2002, Julie
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