Travelers in the know often flock to Beaverbrook, a posh English country house hotel nestled in the Surrey Hills just outside of London. The historical 470-acre estate, once home to Lord Beaverbrook, offers a pastoral respite from city life, with everything from countryside walks and golf to an expansive spa. It's this spa, set in a former coach house, that is Beaverbrook's crown jewel — particularly as its treatments incorporate elements from the hotel's local environment, rather than drawing inspiration from global wellness trends. 

"It didn't make sense to bring an Asian concept spa or Zen spa or a Vedic spa to this beautiful area," explains René van Eyssen, director of Beaverbrook's Coach House Spa. "We needed to embrace nature and everything they had at the estate, and to bring something authentic to the U.K. Our ethos is that everything we do has to embrace the authenticity of this land, of its rhythm, and of nature's ebb and flow. And one of the oldest traditions of this land comes from the Druids."

In ancient Britain and other Celtic societies, Druids were members of a priestly and intellectual class, usually spiritual leaders, legal authorities, teachers, and advisors

Beaverbrook Coach House Spa

Van Eyssen looked to the history of Druid practice, which emphasized a connection to nature, as well as their contemporary practices. She was especially interested in their approach to the seasons, the solstices, and the equinoxes, all of which have been incorporated into the Coach House Spa's special events with visiting masters and their regularly offered treatments.

"There are 12 different ceremonies I do throughout the year that make us be one with nature and honor the land and hail the coming seasons," she says. She adds that they brought in a naturopath to advise them on herbal remedies and that high-ranking Druids in the U.K. helped them design these ceremonies.

Another way the spa encourages guests to reconnect with nature is its recently added Meadow Hut. The chic shepherd's hut was custom-built for the spa and installed in a nearby field overlooking the rolling hills, with decor in pale, pastoral tones and a small wood-burning stove in the corner. It acts as a respite away from Beaverbrook's main respite. The experience is offered as a spa day that includes a 90-minute vibrational sound healing and bodywork ritual in the hut — an encounter that is both thoughtful and intense. It involves the practitioner playing crystal bowls and small gongs both around your body, but also literally on top of it. The idea is that the vibrations activate your parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in a sense of calm. 

Beaverbrook Coach House Spa

When I was invited in for the treatment, I found the isolated location of the hut to be particularly relaxing, with only trees and sky in view out the windows, although the surroundings dissipate as you are immersed into the treatment. I found it almost trance-like, particularly as she played the bowls around my head. The length of the experience allows you to properly settle in and then unwind once it's over, and the slow journey back to the main building is a great way to reflect on it afterward. 

"It's completely enveloped in nature," van Eyssen says of the treatment and the space itself. "Our senior therapists use sounds to align [your energy] on a vibrational level before they do meridian work [to restore energy flow] and bodywork. It's quite a transformational 90 minutes. The countryside is very gentle. It's always green. And even though people complain about the rain, it's cleansing and purifying. And it's such ancient land." 

The Coach House Spa offers memberships, but hotel guests and day-trippers can also take advantage of its treatments and facilities. The Meadow Hut Spa Day, which includes lunch and use of the spa's facilities, is particularly popular, and there are also seasonally themed spa days, couples experiences, and specialized treatments from guest therapists. Van Eyssen says massages are the spa's most-booked treatment because people "crave touch." She encourages her staff not to make any treatment identical. Instead, each is tailored to the guest in that particular moment.

Beaverbrook Coach House Spa

"We have a saying: no two treatments are the same," she says. "Even for the same person, because every day when you come in you have different needs. That's the difference between someone following a generic protocol and somebody treating you. We're blessed with having the freedom to bring flow and creativity to treatments. Because creativity brings in the healing — that's where healing lies.

There are, of course, some traditional offerings in the Coach House Spa. Guests can use the indoor and outdoor pools, take advantage of the gym, or enjoy the steam room. Massages, manicures, and facials are at the ready for those who want them. But you can also partake in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, mindfulness sessions, and naturopathy treatments with in-house naturopath Camilla dos Santos. There are full moon celebrations every month, as well as on the fall and spring equinox. It's all about allowing you to rediscover your connection to the earth — in very luxurious circumstances. 

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