IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DROMOLAND CASTLE
The Castle Spa at Dromoland, Co Clare is working exclusively with three top brands – Dr Barbara Sturm, OSKIA and Seabody to provide guests with the very best in bespoke treatments …
If you haven’t yet been, the new Castle Spa at Dromoland Castle is the sum of many parts. It combines an enchanting setting, stunning state-of-the-art facilities, soothing treatments and a sense of luxury – a place where visitors are guaranteed the very best service and skincare brands.
This attention to detail is in keeping with one of Dromoland Castle’s former chatelaines, Lady Ethel Inchiquin, who had exquisite taste and whose portrait hangs near the staircase in the Castle. The Castle Spa honours her legacy.
The colour scheme, for instance, was inspired by the Lady Ethel blush pink rose that has been growing in the Castle’s walled garden since the early 1900s, while the pretty new kimono robes by Irish designer Deborah Veale (which visitors wear for treatments) are inspired by a floral print gown once worn by Lady Ethel.
No doubt she would approve of The Castle Spa and its ethos. It is first and foremost a sanctuary for guests within the castle walls, a place to get away, relax, recharge, and renew. It houses six treatment rooms including a twin suite which is ideal for friends or couples. Other facilities include a special Quartz Treatment Room. Designed for solo use, it’s an atmospheric space where treatments are carried out on a special amber and quartz bed which cocoons the body and helps relieve muscle tension. Recommended is a Quartz Hot Poultice, which uses jasmine and mint essential oils, or an Amber and Quartz Crystal Sound Bath for further relaxation.
As for the treatment menu, it focuses on anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and skin protection delivered by a trio of top brands including Dr Barbara Sturm, Seabody and OSKIA, coincidentally all created by women.
The German brand Dr Barbara Sturm is a gift for mature skin. “Protect your skin and it will protect you back” is Dr Sturm’s mantra; her client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood. Everyone from Kim Kardashian and the Hadid sisters, to Irina Shayk, Rachel Zoe, Nicky Hilton, Huda Kattan and Hilary Duff are loyal disciples of her pioneering “vampire facial” and MC1 cream. Sturm’s so good, in fact, that skincare aficionado Victoria Beckham regularly takes to Instagram to wax lyrical about the German scientist’s molecular cosmetics skincare line; she even took her daughter Harper for a “baby facial” at Sturm’s clinic while visiting Dusseldorf.
Irish brand Seabody, created by the Tralee-based scientist Dr Helena McMahon, is a combination of nature and science, harnessing the healing power of seaweed harvested from the Wild Atlantic Way. Try the Dromoland Seabody Signature treatment which combines a deep back massage to ease stress, with a touch facial. Linking body and breath this treatment offers also offers a soothing gua sha massage to optimise the skin’s health and radiance.
The nutritional skincare brand Oskia, created by Georgie Cleeve, is based around MSM a joint supplement that also boosts collagen production, promotes circulation and enhances radiance for a younger looking complexion. The lush velvet textures of these luxurious products have a host of benefits for the face and body, improving tone and texture on a cellular level. They are highly effective on even the most tired complexions.
After any treatment in the Spa, guests can relax in The Whisper Room, where eight relaxation beds (with massage) await. Poetry anthologies, colouring books and pencils, individual music sets and headphones are further aids to mindfulness. A must-try is to listen to the special guided meditation inspired by the walled garden at Dromoland Estate – the perfect finale to any visit.
Need to Know: To find out more about the spa packages at The Castle Spa visit www.dromoland.ie.