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From Times Online
April 19, 2006

Waterfall Spa, Leeds, West Yorkshire

All-female boutique day spa with an Eastern accent

Jayne Dowle

USP A new all-female boutique day spa in revitalised Leeds.

AMBIENCE Luxe is the word, with an Eastern accent. Cushion-strewn rooms are finished in deep, rich colours. A “Relaxation boudoir” has big beds behind bead curtains, and there is a hydrotherapy spa pool, tropicarium (sauna), and steam room.

EXPERIENCE Unusual treatments with names such “Aah That’s Better Leg Relief” veer between lush-style-gimmickry and holistic credibility. Staff are approachable with variable knowledge about treatments and products. The skilled aromatherapist who did my full-body, 60-minute Heavenly Essence Aromatherapy massage (£70) noticed that my fingers were puffy. She spent a good 20 minutes working on them with a customised blend of geranium, lavender and neroli oils and recommended follow-ups I could do myself. Unfortunately, even Norah Jones on the iPod couldn’t drown out the shrieking in the pool nearby. The Waterfall Spa is definitely intimate. I went home energised rather than chilled.

FOOD Restaurant rather than restrictive. Mains include chicken with mozzarella, with chocolate brownie and pears with ice cream for afters. Potato wedges and the chocolate fountain are not for the calorie conscious; expensive at £28 for two courses and a glass of champagne.

IN CROWD Unpretentious mix of birthday parties, mother-and-daughters, groups and women alone. Trinny and Susannah, Emmerdale and Coronation Street stars have been.

WALLET WATCH There’s an imaginative range of packages to suit all from office girls to glamorous grannies. Cheapest is the evening spa pass (6pm-10pm, use of all facilities, no treatments) for £45. Treatments start at £35 for A Little Facial, go up to £120 for Rasul Delux, which is a 30-minute coconut body polish, 45-minute Rasul treatment with mud, steam and water to relax and detoxify, and 30 minute massage. The Waterfall Spa accommodates 30, and can be booked for exclusive use from 10am-10pm, for £15,000. This includes 12 therapists, a three-course lunch with champagne, and unlimited treatments.

NEED TO KNOW Waterfall Spa, 3 Brewery Wharf, Dock Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire (0800 731 1995; www.waterfallspa.co.uk); open every day, 10am to 10pm.

I have spent manys a lazy day lounging around at Waterfall Spa and have never left feeling anything less than relaxed and fulfilled. The staff I have found to be warm and welcoming and the facilties have always been clean and well-presented - I must admit I have never gazed down at a bowl of roses while having a treatment and agree that sounds like a wonderful idea. Perhaps Waterfall Spa should consider reintroducing this?
I was so pleased to read that the Good Spa Guide had enjoyed my favourite haunt as much as I do, (showing the article to friends with a smug air of "oh, I've been going there for years..." ha!).

Christy, Sheffield, UK

Has Waterfall Spa had a facelift since these reviews were written? I've spent manys a lazy day lounging around the premises and have never been anything but relaxed and fulfilled at the end of the day. I have found the staff to be friendly, warm and welcoming and the facilities have always been clean and well-presented. I have never gazed down at a bowl of roses while having a massage, and agree that that idea sounds lovely so maybe the team at Waterfall should consider bringing that idea back?

Christy, Sheffield, UK

I went to Waterfall when it first opened and it was a very nice experience and for me worth the cost as all the small detail was there, whether it was nice fluffy dressing gound, the nice soap and cream in the changing rooms, the fact when you had a massage there was a sweet bowl of roses to look at when you placed your head through the hole in the bed. I went in October 2007 for my birthday and was very disapointed. We paid £150 for a day pass including lunch and a treatment. The nice fluffy dressing gound my friend put on looked tired and had a huge hole in it! The slippers were about size 3, so all day long my size 7 feet got crushed, The nice Molton Brown products in the changing rooms had been replaced with what felt like ASDA's own and the bowl of roses were no more. It had generally lost its magic sparkle which is a GREAT shame as this was a fantastic place when first opened. Stop cutting costs - get the sparkle back Waterfall!!

Anna, Manchester, UK

I visited this spa not long ago with my sister and was utterly disapointed. Firstly, the changing rooms were tiny, very untidy and had a very off putting smell about them. There were piles of used towels cluttering the floor and used cups everywhere. We were shown the relaxation boudoir which consisted of a few beds with various out-dated, crumpled magazines scattered on them. The main spa area sounded fantastic on the website but consited of a standard sauna and steam room and a jaccuzzi. The relaxation area housing the sunbeds looked like nothing more than an office reception area and there was this foul smell again of mould, sweat and general uncleanliness. The steam room consited of mosaic tiles that were smelly and had black grouting and the hot/cold sensation room was just a shower that you could put on hot or cold and again, very mouldy and smelly. We stayed less than an hour and paid £45 each for facilities than the public can use for free at my local University pool.

Lucy Stubbs, Leeds,

I went to Waterfall Spa last week and would recommend it to anyone. It was very relaxing and me and my friends spent the whole day just pampering ourselves. Every woman should have a day at the spa. I have been to Waterfall Spa before and had the Rasul treatment. Very,very good. Would definately go back.

Lisa, Leeds, Uk

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