A Review of the Rena Spa at the Midland Manchester

I do love a good spa day and find that since having kids, they are more precious than ever before (the spa day, not the kids)! We are lucky here in Manchester, that there are some amazing spas in the local area and recently I got to enjoy the new Rena Spa at the Midland.

I’ve enjoyed a spa day at The Midland hotel before, but the spa has been taken over and utilises a new range of products and treatments and I was lucky enough to be invited to try them out…

{This was a press-trip, with no obligation to cover. I only tell you about things I genuinely enjoy and think you might too!}

Rena Spa at the Midland

I visited the Rena Spa last month, with two friends (fellow mamas and girl bosses Gemma Wade aka YouSayTomato and Katie aka Come Down to the Woods), for a much needed and long overdue catch-up! We were all burnt out after a busy December and manic Christmas season, so a late January, mid-week spa day and a glass of champers was just what the doctor ordered.

The Rena Spa at the Midland is located in the basement of the Midland Hotel in Manchester city centre and is really easy to get to (and accessible to hotel guests too). Being a busy working mum juggling the school runs, a mid-week spa day from 10am – 4pm was the perfect solution for me (I went straight from the school drop-off). We were booked in for the Indulgence Spa Day which is priced at £99pp from Monday to Thursday and at £119pp from Friday to Sunday. This includes a 50 minute treatment of your choice, a glass of Champagne, a light lunch or afternoon tea and a £10 voucher to spend on spa products – so a pretty decent price for a day of ultimate relaxation.

The Rena Spa

In the basement of the impressive Victorian building – which, by the way, was built by the Midland Railway to serve Manchester Central railway station, its northern terminus for its rail services to London St Pancras (thanks for the trivia Gemma!) – you enter a calming oasis with dimmed lighting and soft music playing – a true escape from everyday life.

The spa has 4 distinct areas:

Pool, hot tub, sauna, steam-room
The relaxation suite
The treatment rooms
The dining area

It’s not huge, but it is perfectly formed and my favourite area by far is the relaxation room. I mean look at it…

What you can’t see in this photo, is the hidden beds you can curl up in to read a book (or better still, enjoy a post-massage nap like I did) and the hidden rooms to shut yourself away in for a moment of peace. Delightful!

The Treatments

Since the spa at the Midland hotel has been taken over by Rena, the treatments have had an update too!

We offer a range of solution-led body treatments and massages, designed to ensure you experience the best physical and emotional therapeutic benefits. Choose from over 10 different types of treatments from luxurious massages to express manicures.

The products used are Caudalie, which, I must admit, I hadn’t heard of prior to my visit to the Rena Spa. Caudalie uses patented grape and grapevine ingredients with the latest skincare techniques to create some seriously luxurious treatments (included in your spa day package). I opted for the Caudalie City Lifestyle…

This gorgeous body treatment incorporates one of the most popular scrubs from our Vinothérapie® Spas. The Caudalie signature sculpting massage follows, using the contouring concentrate, which stimulates the systems of the body and encourages natural elimination of toxins. An ideal treatment for relieving tension, invigorating your mind & body and as part of a slimming programme. Your skin will be left feeling clean, refined and perfectly smooth.

And honestly, it was divine! I asked for specific attention to be paid to my back and shoulders, so the treatment was tailored just perfectly for me. After a good scrub and exfoliation, I stepped into a shower to rinse off, before being massaged with the most glorious oil (fellow spa guests commented at how lovely I smelled when I wafted past them!).

Gemma had the same treatment as me and Katie, opted for the Caudalie Time out facial which she said, and I quote: “was the best facial I’ve ever had!”. She’s got such a way with words that one.

Needless to say, we all left our treatments feeling refreshed, relaxed and indulged. The girls went to relax in the hanging pods (seen in the photo above) and I took the opportunity to curl up in one of these…dreamy…

review of the rena spa at the midland manchester beds hollygoeslightly

The Best way to enjoy the Rena Spa at The Midland

Just to give you an idea of the timings of our day and how it worked for us at the spa…

10am: arrival and changed into robes for a catch-up and relax

11am: treatments

12noon: chill in the relaxation suite

1pm: champagne afternoon tea

2pm: laze around in the pool and hot-tub area

4pm: gathered our limp, relaxed bodies and headed off out for a night on the Manchester tiles.

Utter perfection!

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The Rena Spa at the Midland – final thoughts

Honestly? I couldn’t recommend the spa days at the Midland enough – they’re the ideal romantic break for a couple, girly mid-week trip or treat with your mum (ooh…Mother’s Day idea…!). And you know what? I’d happily treat myself to a “me-day” and go alone too.

The Rena Spa at the Midland Manchester really is a fantastic escape in the city centre, easy to get to if you’re travelling into the city and you’ll have no idea what is going on in the outside world whilst you’re enjoying your relaxing day. Bliss. I think the Indulgence Spa Day is very competitively priced, considering you get a luxurious 50 minute treatment and meal with champagne included. And if you make a full day of it like we did, you’ll maximise the indulgence.

The spa itself never felt busy or overcrowded and at one point, we had the pool area to ourselves for a good half an hour or more. The robes and slippers are soft and luxurious and the food is great quality and the Champagne, actually Champagne (which Gemma was pleased about…she’s a bit posh you know!).

The final treat? Having £10 to spend on the Caudalie products, which were surprisingly well priced any way. I treated myself to two of the products used in my massage – the exfoliator and the body oil, both easy and quick to use as I do not have any spare time to luxuriate of an evening! And I’m loving them…not quite the same as being in the Rena Spa itself, but if I close my eyes and drift off, I almost could be…