Pictured above: Lucy and Martin Goodwin
A Nottingham couple are set to achieve a long-held ambition by
opening a luxury boutique day spa in the grounds of an East
Midlands country house.
Lucy and Martin Goodwin, who run the Beauty Temple, in Queen
Street, are just weeks away from launching their new venture, the
Owl House Day Spa, which is based at Langley Priory, near
Diseworth, in north-west Leicestershire.
Langley Priory is an 800-year-old, privately-owned home which
also hosts a limited number of small, intimate wedding ceremonies
every year. The spa is housed in a converted barn and stable block
close by and gets its name from the locals - a colony of owls, who
perch on the building's roof at night.
Like Langley, the spa aims to offer an exclusive service, with
visitors invited to enjoy a range of full body treatments,
including massages, pedicures, scrubs and mud rasuls.
It is also the first day spa in the region to offer a rose
hydrating cocoon - a treatment consisting of an exfoliating scrub
followed by a massage and a nourishing wrap of rose oil, rich gels
and cream, all enjoyed while lying on a couch sprinkled with rose
petals.
The spa, which also offers luxury shaves for men, has eight
treatment rooms, sunken foot baths, a hot tub and a herbal infusion
steam chamber, complete with heated seats. It will use high quality
beauty products from leading names including Elemis, the
Aromatherapy Associates and Bare Escentuals.
Fresh herbs grown on site will be used in some of the
exfoliating treatments, while guests will also be served deluxe
picnic lunches, washed down with champagne and accompanied by
hand-made chocolates.
Lucy and Martin opened the Beauty Temple five years ago and have
established it as a successful business which offers treatments
such as pedicures, manicures and facials in a Far East setting,
complete with Buddha statues and relaxing music.
It was the couple's first venture together after Lucy out-grew
her first business, an Essensuals outlet based in Long Row,
Nottingham. The couple will continue to operate the Beauty Temple
as well as the spa, which will employ eight staff and is set to
open on July 1.
Lucy, who is decorating the spa in a fashionable "shabby chic"
style, said: "There is still a huge amount of work to be done, but
with just weeks to go, the excitement in the run up to our opening
days is building and we can't wait to welcome our first
customers.
"It has always been our dream to run our own boutique spa,
because it will allow us to expand the range of treatments we offer
in order to pamper customers from the tops of their heads to the
tips of their toes.
"There is nothing like it anywhere else in the East Midlands,
but what makes it special is its location at Langley Priory. It's
easy to get to, but it's hidden away in a hollow, so when you're
there you feel miles away from anywhere."
Lucy and Martin, who have invested around £70,000 in the
day spa, stumbled across the building while enjoying a drive in the
country with their son, Alfie, one Sunday afternoon last year. They
were already looking for a venue for their spa, but knew they'd
found it when they decided to explore the Langley estate and
discovered that the building was available to let.
They later met the estate's owners, Tim and Teri-Lee Wagstaff,
who were impressed by their plans and invited them to set up shop.
The spa has also developed special packages for wedding couples
ahead of their ceremonies at Langley Priory and elsewhere.
Teri-Lee said: "We are increasingly busy with weddings this year
following our own investment in the house, so the Owl House Spa
adds an exciting element to our growing operation at Langley
Priory.
"We are very happy to welcome Lucy and Martin to the estate.
Their plans for the spa are extremely impressive and we look
forward to it being a complete success."