Ashrams and retreats are one thing; a spa visit is something else entirely. Lucia Cockcroft searches for a different kind of tranquility at Ragdale Hall.
In the last few years, I have been lucky enough to spend time on yoga and meditation retreats as well as an unrelentingly intensive month on an ashram.
I came away from all these experiences feeling, in some small way, changed, at least for a few days...
Each time, my yoga or meditation practice had deepened, but there was something else too - a strengthened core awareness, perhaps.
Also, a feeling of stillness that comes from focusing on one's inner landscape rather than that scattered feeling that comes from a constant barrage of external distractions.
So it was interesting to shift a gear and head for a new (to me) and different kind of retreat in the form of Ragdale Hall, nestled deep in the Leicestershire countryside.
A different kind of retreat
Visions of Thelma and Louise escaping their nests to flee across America, free at last, flashed through my mind as my Mum and I cut through the gently rolling Midlands landscape.
Fortunately, our end destination was happier: Ragdale is as impressive as its website would have you believe.
Once an old hunting lodge, the building, which sits in the heart of empty countryside, now runs as an 86-bedroom hotel and spa.
Unsurprisingly, January is a busy time; when we arrived, thongs of people were queuing to register their arrival.
It was evident that casual dress in the form of white bathrobes (which are provided) is de rigeur; ladies (and a few men) float around in them all day, swapping formality for day-long comfort that extends to meal times.
All this is something of a culture shock at first - where were the yoga mats, incense and notices about dawn wake-up calls? It all felt strangely middle class and miles away from the veggie, hippy environment I was familiar with.
It didn't take long to get into the swing of things. As soon as we had settled into our comfortable twin room, and donned the robe uniform, we began to feel like part of the Ragdale club - ladies of leisure who have nothing to do but amble down to the pool and spa area and sink into a slower rhythm.
Getting to grips with the thermal spa
Ragdale's brand new, multi-million pound thermal spa development is the hotel's latest trump card.
In a packed spa market - now estimated to be worth £1bn - the hotel claims the feature is "the most contemporary and pampering experience in the UK".
Bolted onto the end of the house and reached through the existing swimming pool, the new spa is made up of individually-themed 'experience' rooms, built in a circular shape around a central water feature. Curved, body-hugging chairs invite you to survey the scene.
One of these is a cave-like Candle Pool, heated to a constant 34 degrees celsius and lit by a series of flickering candles. The idea is to relax in a small, carved-out 'pod' and relax to the sound of the background music.
So far, so relaxing - though the overall affect was marred by a feeling of slight claustrophobia and the sound of chattering voices in a nearby pod, coming from two ladies who had overlooked, or ignored, the 'silence' sign on the way in.
We had better luck in the Thought Zone, a circular chill-out room heated to a dry 60 degrees and furnished with a mosaic seating area and central bench on which to rest weary legs.
All the while, blurred pictures of a beach and sea-scene were projected onto the ceiling, accompanied by Zen-like music.
The Thought Room is meant as a reflective space in which to relax, rest and think creative thoughts. I'm not sure I can claim total success; though the heat and music were relaxing, the constant coming and going of fellow spa-goers was a distraction.
We dipped in out of other zones - including the Volcanic Salt Bath and Scented Room - but the Waterfall Pool was a firm favourite with both of us.
It was a pitch black January evening by the time we sank into the steaming, gulley-like pool that begins life inside and gently winds its way outside. "Is that the real moon", my mum asked, pointing to the sky, her sense of reality now firmly blurred.
When, an hour into the experience, we emerged from the Thermal Spa, the substantial swimming pool seemed almost ridiculously normal. Where were the volcanic rock salts; the flickering candles?
Sensation versus tranquility
There's no denying Ragdale has created a memorable experience in the form of its thermal spa - you could easily spend a couple of hours dipping in and out of the various rooms, wallowing in the different sensations.
But as impressive as it all was, I did find myself questioning how effective such sensory overload really is in its quest to calm body and mind.
The sometimes-constant chatter in the various rooms suggested that chit-chat and gossip was one of the main aims of many spa-goers.
This disregard for other guests even extended to the so-called Retreat Room, a tucked-away lounge in the corner of the house allegedly reserved for absolute silence.
"Some ladies even object to the sound of magazine pages being flipped", we were warned on our introductory tour of the house.
Alas, there was no such reverential quiet when we went along - a huddle of three ladies sat gossiping about their home lives. All fine and good over dinner - but surely not in a place reserved specifically for being quiet?
I thoroughly enjoyed the spa experience - the laid-back atmosphere, wonderful old lounge areas and sheer, pampering indulgence of it all (the all-over-body massage left me floating).
But in some slightly perverse way I am far more drawn to retreat life, with its early starts, yoga immersion and focus on inner equilibrium that's set apart from the stimuli of the external world.
Overnight stays start at Ragdale start at £110 per person, per night -
