Relax in the Spa at Fishmore Hall, Ludlow

Imagine perfect peace and relaxation in the idyllic Shropshire countryside. You can experience the reality of this at Fishmore Hall in Ludlow!

Imagine reclining in a hot tub, a chilled glass of prosecco in your hand as you gaze out over the Shropshire hills.

Or snuggling up under a blanket in a cosy little hidey-hole with a steaming hot chocolate at your side. Or perhaps you’d prefer a relaxing full body massage with heated Lava Shells®?

All of these and more are on offer at the luxury spa at Fishmore Hall, a boutique hotel in the heart of the Shropshire countryside. So I was very happy to take up their invitation to spend an afternoon at the Fishmore Hall Spa, followed by Sunday Lunch in the 3 AA Rosette Forelles restaurant.

Read on to find out more about this gorgeous Shropshire spa.

How to Find Fishmore Hall

Fishmore Hall is located in rural Shropshire just outside the town of Ludlow. It’s a boutique hotel with 15 individually styled rooms and suites, a 3 AA Rosette restaurant and a luxury spa.

The hotel is easy to reach by car, and it takes about 1.5 hours to drive there from Birmingham. This makes it a perfect location for a day trip from Birmingham, or alternatively you could tag on a short break here after spending a few days in the city.

Trains arrive at Ludlow train station from both Shrewsbury and Hereford. Travelling to Ludlow by train from Birmingham takes around 2 hours with a change at Hereford, and you will need to take a taxi from the station to Fishmore Hall itself.

My journey from my home in Newport took around an hour by car, winding through country roads past Ironbridge and down to the south of the county.

Fishmore Hall Spa

Although this wasn’t my first visit to Fishmore Hall, its tranquil location still amazes me.

The hotel and spa are surrounded by countryside, and there’s very little noise apart from birdsong and the lowing of the cows in the field next door.

I headed straight to the spa when I arrived at Fishmore Hall, to book in and get ready for the spa experience.

The SpaShell at Fishmore Hall opened in 2016, and I was fortunate to visit the spa just after it opened. It’s an unusual concept, as the SpaShell is constructed off-site and then lifted into position by crane. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking that must have been to watch!

The spa offers a range of ELEMIS treatments, BIOTEC facial treatments and Jessica manicures and pedicures. But it’s also a wonderful place to just sit back, unwind and relax.

The welcoming reception area is drenched in natural light, and sets the tone for the rest of your visit.

After I had signed in and completed the health questionnaire for my treatment, I headed through to get changed. Fishmore Hall spa has two individual changing rooms with showers, and lockers are provided for your personal belongings.

Towels, slippers and robes are provided, and I was pleased to see that the robes are a generous size.

There’s nothing less relaxing than spending your spa time desperately trying to keep your robe pulled around you!

The Spa Facilities

Once you’ve changed into your robes and slippers, you go through to the main area of the spa.

This is decorated in muted natural tones, and there is plenty of comfy seating for you to relax in. Large windows look out onto the patio area and flood the room with natural light.

You can help yourself to chilled water, or  order drinks and light refreshments to enjoy in the spa.

Underfloor heating makes the room feel very cosy, and there are even snuggly blankets provided if you feel like cocooning yourself in this calm environment.

The spa has a steam room and sauna available for you to use during your visit.

The steam room has an electronic panel which allows you to control the lighting, music and even set off a rain shower.

I love a good sauna, and this one was comfortably hot. As with the steam room, the sauna has an electronic panel to allow you to alter the music.

Outside on the Patio

There’s more to explore outside on the patio at Fishmore Hall, including the Cedar wellness hot tub.

I made a bee-line for the tub as soon as I’d finished taking the photos for this post.

I just love relaxing in a hot tub, and this one comes with the added bonus of a wonderful view out over the fields.

And even on a cloudy day, it felt marvellously relaxing to sit in the tub surrounded by nature.

All that was missing was that glass of prosecco I mentioned. But I had decided that it probably wasn’t such a good idea before my massage.

There’s also a heated snug where you can cosy up on a cooler day. Or you can lie back and relax in the hammock – I can just imagine drifting off to sleep in there on a summer’s day.

And if you want to freshen up, there’s an outdoor monsoon shower to refresh and revitalise you.

Spa Treatments at Fishmore Hall

As well as using the spa facilities, you can also choose from an excellent range of treatments at Fishmore Hall.

These include ELEMIS scrubs and wraps to revitalise your skin, a range of facial treatments, and massages to leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.

Specific facial treatments for men are available, to cater for the different demands of men’s skin. And there are also treatments specially designed for use during pregnancy.

Lava Shell® Thermal Massage

After relaxing in the steam room and sauna, I took a quick shower and then made my way into one of the spa’s four treatment rooms for my Lava Shell® Thermal Relax massage. My therapist, Abbie, ran through a few last health checks and explained what would happen during the massage.

She asked if there was any part of my body where I tend to hold tension. And it didn’t come as any surprise to her when I said that it tends to be in my shoulders.

That’s the price you pay for spending too long sitting in front of a PC all day!

Abbie left me alone to get ready for the massage. And as I lay down on the heated massage table, I could already feel tension easing out of my shoulders.

I’d never had a Lava Shell® massage before, and wasn’t totally sure what to expect before my visit.

The massage uses self-heating Lava Shells®, a patented, natural, biodegradable heat technology which provide a continuous and seamless body massage. The unique shape and angles of the Lava Shells® delivers deeply therapeutic relief exactly where you need it.

First of all, the massage started off on my feet, hands, arms and the front of my legs. Then I turned over onto my front so that Abbie could continue the massage on the back of my body.

The heat from the Lava Shells®, combined with the warmth of the massage table, and the gentle music and lighting, made this an intensely relaxing massage.

In fact, I may even have dozed off for a few minutes towards the end!

After 55 minutes of heavenly massage, Abbie left me alone to relax and gently reawaken. She told me to drink plenty of water, and to leave the oils on the skin for as long as possible. I was glad that I’d showered before my massage as that meant the massage oils could continue to soak into my skin for the rest of the day.

Relaxation in the Shropshire Countryside

I wandered out to the patio, glass of water in hand, to find that the sun was shining and it just felt like a perfect afternoon.

The afternoon continued with Sunday Lunch in the Forelles restaurant. But to be honest, I’d have been happy to stay in the relaxing cocoon of the Fishmore Hall spa for longer.

I know I’ll definitely be going back again soon!

Special Offers at Fishmore Hall

If you’d like to relax in the beautiful Shropshire countryside, you can book your own visit on the Fishmore Hall website.

There is a variety of spa packages available, including full day, overnight stays, and even a mid-week Early Bird offer. And you can also book a treatment on its own, or in conjunction with use of the spa facilities.

You can see the full range on the Spa Packages page.

The Details

Fishmore Hall
Fishmore Rd
Ludlow
SY8 3DP

www.fishmorehall.co.uk
Tel: 01584 875148

Thank you to Fishmore Hall for inviting me to experience their wonderful spa and restaurant