One of the gorgeous countryside views from Simply Healing detox retreat in Sussex
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In short:?Simply Healing is a detox retreat centre in a sprawling 19th century Georgian mansion on the edge of the village of Rudgewick in rural Sussex and about an hour and 20 minutes from London. A genuinely supportive, nurturing atmosphere has been created by?the motherly founder, healer Vivien Kay,?and it specialises in personalised juice detox programmes, some of which focus specifically on weight loss and fertility enhancement. It?s smart but far from stiff or formal ? the kind of place where you can happily slob about in your pyjamas. Therapeutic and pampering treatments are of a high standard, and staff are kindly and caring.
Our experience: Queen of Retreats Ambassador Jini Reddy visited Simply Healing for a weekend detox. Here?s what she found:
?I arrived late on a Friday morning feeling subdued and off-kilter, thanks to an argument with a friend, but the minute I stepped through the door and spotted the statue of a Buddhist Thai priest, his hands together in welcoming prayer, I knew I?d come to the right place at the right time. There?s a?serene energy here, and that?s the thing about Simply Healing:?it may bill itself as a high-end detox retreat and it is all of those things, but the supportive, nurturing atmosphere created? by Vivien is its USP.?Vivien?s goal is to facilitate personal transformation or ?healing by stealth,? as she calls it. She?s a healer from birth, and an empathetic, slightly larger-than-life character, who has in the past grappled with her own health issues.
I came for the weekend to try out a taster of the five-day Essential Detox, and once? I?d dumped my bags in my room (?The Pink Room?) overlooking the vast gardens and woodland beyond it, I sashayed into the formal dining room for my first juice ? it?s where all the drinks are taken, communally around a large table. I?ve detoxed before so I wasn?t concerned about going without food; the routine is juice and psyllium husk, bentonite clay (not nearly as icky-tasting as it sounds) and cleansing herbs at intervals throughout the day plus a warming broth at night, interspersed with treatments, down time and walks if you have the energy.
The view from Jini?s bedroom window
I?m a bit shy but the other seven women here, most of whom had arrived a few days before me, were friendly and in the 30-50s bracket. Among them were a TV director, clinical psychologist,? interior designer, a climate change policy expert, and a few mums, including one who?d flown in from Greece! In other words, a pretty diverse bunch.
I sipped my freshly made juice (beetroot with carrot and celery and the less delicious but perfectly palatable clay and psyllium concoction) and then headed off for a guided walk with one of the staff members, Kate, through fields and country lanes. In the field opposite the house is a lovely pagan altar stone, said to date back centuries. We passed a meadow full of friendly horses too. One trotted up, blew hot air into my face and then softly nuzzled my cheek. Magical.
My first treatment was the Abdominal Sacral Massage, also known as a colon massage. I?d never heard of anything like it, but was told it helps to bring the organs within the abdominal area back into alignment, and improve a range of conditions from bloating to back pain, menstrual and ovulation problems. Florence, the French therapist, who is also a qualified naturopath and a sort of Encyclopaedia Brittanica of all things abdominal-organs related, was clearly a cut above professional. Her focus and healing touch were impressive.
She massaged and prodded ? weirdly soothing -? making a diagnosis as she went and the verdict wasn?t great: apparently, my pancreas is hard as a rock, thanks to a sugar addiction.? ?Now?s the time to stop it from turning into diabetes,? she said.? Given that two members of my family have died from heart disease, I valued the wake-up call. The 90 minute one-to-one nutritional consultation I had with her later was similarly detailed and useful.
I also loved young (local) therapist April?s Thai Foot Massage; she has a soothing voice and confident touch. For some serious TLC, try a healing session with Vivien. Mine involved a chat and hands-on healing. I felt heat emanating from her hands and I left feeling as though I?d been plugged into a socket!? The guests who tried therapist Aor Parson?s Thai Massage also raved about it.
Woozy-inducing therapies aside (the Thai Foot Massage, in particular was so good I dozed off), there was of course, the small matter of the colonic hydrotherapy.? I will never be a fan of this treatment, though the ensuing feeling of lightness is the pay-off and I felt I was in safe hands with therapist Carolyn.? Fortunately I only had it once! (You?ll get that particular joy twice on the 5 day weight-loss and juice detox and three times on the 7-day plan.)
The detox headaches and nausea kicked in pretty fast on day one and I felt rough. It soon passed though, thank God, and I felt really relaxed here, especially when I was lounging in the lovely curio-filled sitting room (from where?I smuggled a book up to my room to savour during my stay ? Rebecca Hind?s Sacred Journeys). The Saturday night meditation with Vivien in front of the blazing living room fireplace was a real tonic.?Though just a taster, the weekend helped quelled my sugar cravings ? no small thing ? and gave me the dietary re-boot I?d needed. I felt calmer too.? So I?d say mission accomplished.?
The warm and elegant living room at Simply Healing detox retreat in Sussex
More on the inside:?The d?cor is quirky, arty and colourful, rooms are spotless and stylish and equipped with in-room TV, DVD and CD player and WIFI. We?love the books, bewitching curios and candles in the reception and the big, light-filled living room where people hang out when not in their rooms or having treatments. Vivien is a keen traveller and has decorated the room with giant crystals from Madagasar,? Egyptian statues, sculptures, ceramic pots made by women from a village in the Peruvian Amazon, and candles galore. Enjoy the sink-into-them sofas and tinkle on a grand piano.?There?s also an airy conservatory overlooking the garden,?and?some eye-catching paintings scattered about the house including the Dorking-based artist Dorothy Carol Clayton.
The Blue bedroom at Simply Healing ? a good choice for friends and large enough to share for those on a budget
More on the bedrooms:?Each of the nine bedrooms is named after a colour ? the idea was conceived as an aid to an early housekeeper who could never remember where she?d been! Jini?s pad, the Pink Room, was spacious, cosy and stylish with a double bed, matching coffee coloured silk duvet and pillows, pure cotton sheets and cappuccino curtains. Sun streamed in and the views over the garden were deeply restful.?We ticked off all the mod cons : Widescreen TV,? DVD and CD player, radio, radio, kettle. The bathroom was spotless and had a big, curvily shaped bath. The d?cor in each room differs a bit ? the Gold room, for example, originally Vivien?s son?s room, has a poster of an opera singer on?one of the walls.
The Gold Bedroom at Simply Healing in Sussex
More on the outside:?Alliblaster House, a sprawling 19th century Georgian mansion, was originally built by an Argentine beef baron and the feel is very ?country pile?. It?s reached via a tree-lined drive and set in nine acres of gardens, which offer sweeping views of the Sussex Downs in the front and woodlands in the back. One or two roe deer come here every year to breed, though on occasion large herds have passed through. Buzzards and herons can be seen flying overhead and a barn owl is often spotted. In the front there are lovely park-type benches and some loungers and chairs to sit on. Flowerbeds are dotted around the house and the walks in the surrounding countryside are a must.
Retreat credentials
The detox programmes: The most popular offer is a 5 day Essential Juice Detox Plan which includes 2 Colonic Hydrotherapy sessions, an Abdominal Sacral (Colon) Massage, Detox Foot Treatment, Thai Foot Massage and Full-body Salt Scrub, a Lymphatic Massage, one-to-one nutritional consultation and Indian Head Massage.?You can add on additional treatment ?bundles? or individual ones from a dizzyingly wide range. This plan includes daily juices, broth and psyllium husk, bentonite clay and cleansing herbs.?In addition, the centre offers a Weekend Juice Detox Plan, 5 and 7 day inch and weight-loss juice detox plans, and a Fertility-enhancement Detox aimed at couples.
The treatment room at Simply Healing detox retreat in Sussex
The extra treatments: We?highly rate a healing session with Vivien (?100) and?Florence?s Abdominal Sacral Massage. Her 90-minute nutritional consultation may seem pricey at ?145, but the follow-up, a five-page written summary that is emailed to you, plus 2 email consultations, make it decent value.
The products: All the products in the detox treatment packages are paraben-free and therapists use a range called Biodroga (which hails from the German spa town of Baden-Baden). With regards to the facials, at present the Medic Skin, Green Tea Facial and Natural Lift Facial are paraben-free. Products used in the other facials contain, we?re told, very low amounts of parabens, around 0.1 per cent.
Exercise & other activities: If you?re a fan of gym-type equipment there are Reviver Plus Toning Plates, meant to aid weight loss and toning, as well as a curious device called a Chi Exerciser. You lie down and the machine rocks your body from side-to-side, and it?s said to aide the release of toxins.?The walks in the surrounding countryside are of course glorious.?There are also weekly meditation sessions, led by Kate or Vivien, and Florence gives nutritional sessions and talks.
A statue at Simply Healing, typical of the warm and intriguing decor
Food and drink:?The fruit and vegetables juices are freshly made and each is served in a pretty, differently shaped glass to create more of a ritual. One of our favourites was the white nectarine, apricot, plum and fig juice.? Food sources are traceable; produce comes from Secrets, a local farm shop in Milford, and local farmers markets as well as Lee House Farm in Billingshurst, and Kingisher Watercress Farm in Abinger. Drinks include herbal teas and hot water with lemon.
A typical array of detox juices for lunch at Simply Healing in Sussex
Fellow guests: Career driven 30-50 somethings, lots of mums, men and women who are recovering from serious illness or are generally run-down, those who hate to fly, City types in need of an M.O.T.,? celebrities and, we are told, members of the Royal family (not just this one ? Ed). If you?re a hardcore yoga-devotee or a fan of rustic and no-frills retreats, this may not be for you.
What?s queenly:??Staff are caring and there is a close-knit family feeling here. Vivien?s patience, unobtrusive attentiveness and kindness stood out.
What?s lowly:?The in-room toiletries on our visit contained parabens, a cause for concern on a detox break. We were told this was a blip owing to the housekeeper?s absence and that the Damana Organic Bath Line (certified by Ecocert and paraben-free) is what?s normally in place.
Need to know: Simply Healing will be closed over the Easter holidays in 2013.?The retreat centre is in Sussex on the outskirts of the village of Rudgewick and about 25 minutes from Horsham.?Simply Healing charge ?20 for the round-trip journey from Horsham station (compared to single cab fare of ?27) and round-trip pick ups from Heathrow/Gatwick are ?75.
Sample costs: From ?495 per person for a two night detox in a shared room to ?1895 per person for a 6 night/7 day detox in a room alone. The?two night Weekend Juice Detox Plan includes shared accommodation in a twin or king-size ensuite room, colonic hydrotherapy, deluxe detox foot treatment, full body salt scrub, all juices, broth, herbal supplements and teas, use of DVDs and CDs, power plate, chi exerciser, guided walks and optional meditation and nutritional talk. The?7-day Simply Healing Inch and Weight-loss Juice detox plan includes ensuite accommodation with a King-size or Double bed. Treatments include 3 Colonic Hydrotherapy sessions, a colon massage, detox fitness wrap, aroma algae wrap, full body salt scrub, hypnotherapy, holistic massage, thai foot massage, a one-to-one initial consultation, as well as guided walks, meditation and nutrition talk and all juices and drinks.
Interested??Ask us a question about this retreat or book.?You can also find out more at ?www.simplyhealingcentre.com?- if you contact them via their own site, please tell Simply Healing ?that you heard about them on www.queenofretreats.com ? thank you.
? Queen of Retreats
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