Stressed out Londoners can jump on a train at Liverpool Street and be in Lifehouse in just over an hour. Who needs glamorous overseas villa holidays when we have this on our doorstep? In Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex, a ten-minute drive from the pretty beach town of Frinton-on-sea, the Lifehouse opened in December 2010 to the tune of £30 million. The modern, simple buildings and 130 acres of grounds, including 12 acres of magnificent listed gardens, form an extensive holistic retreat.
I was greeted by an effervescent young trainer, Shelley who enthusiastically reeled off a list of activities from acupuncture and boot camp to Zumba. I did a very enjoyable Vinyasa session in the dedicated yoga and pilates room, with the radiant Jocelyn, who also advises guests about raw foods.
Lifehouse’s signature treatment, the Oriental Bathing Experience, is inspired by traditional bathhouses in the east. During a sensory two-hour session I was taken on a journey through Asian cultures. My therapist began by gently pouring milk bath laced with ginseng, green tea and gingko from a ladle made with coconut over my feet, explaining that this is both grounding and a sign of respect. After tapping my feet with a wooden stick as part of a traditional Thai ritual, she swaddled them in white nappy-like towels.
I walked on a stone circle breathing in Moroccan rose oil, which was wonderfully meditative, and was scrubbed down in a Japanese bathhouse. The experience ended with a Japanese tea ceremony and a blissful hot stone massage. After just two days I tripped back to Liverpool Street Station feeling as if I had been away for a week.
The full article appears in Yoga Magazine in July.
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