Seaham Hall Luxury Hotel and Spa - ishga Treatments and Vegan Dining at Ozone

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For as long as I have been living in the North East there's just one luxury hotel and spa that I have been desperate to visit. Seaham Hall has featured at the top of my North East "must visit" list ever since I first stepped off the train from London and began my new life in Newcastle. Longtime readers may even remember that it featured on the 40 Before 40 Bucket List that I wrote over two years ago so I am absolutely thrilled to finally be able to share with you my first ever visit to Seaham Hall Luxury Hotel and Spa. Of course for my first visit I had to do it in style and my visit involved not just an evening of relaxing in the Serenity Spa but also a taster of the ishga treatments and a vegan dining experience at Ozone.

If, like me, you are yet to visit Seaham Hall you will find the luxury hotel on the Durham Heritage Coast which is one of the most beautiful and best kept secrets in the North East.  The stretch of coastline in Seaham is picture perfect and with miles of stunning scenery to explore, Seaham Hall is the ideal base for a weekend away.

Seaham Hall is a Georgian Country House that offers a luxury experience set in 37 acres of landscaped gardens. With two dining rooms offering formal and informal dining and individually styled luxury suites it's no surprise I have been hinting to my husband for the longest time to arrange me a "surprise" romantic break there

... unfortunately I am still waiting!

Welcome to The Serenity Spa

Influenced by Far Eastern healing and wellness rituals, the Serenity Spa is different to any other spa I have visited in the North East with their space being uniquely landscaped and designed to nurture the body, mind and soul. The inspiration behind the Spa can be seen in the most beautiful interiors of the Spa (I particularly loved the elephant which has become somewhat of an iconic part of Serenity Spa)

After a pretty hectic week I was so excited to have an indulgent evening of relaxation at Seaham Hall and as soon as I walked through the doors I felt at ease immediately, the Serenity Spa is such a relaxing haven as soon as you enter. I was welcomed into reception with a glass of delicious fresh Watermelon and Elderflower to enjoy whilst I filled in my information card. This was followed by a tour of the facilities on offer at the Serenity Spa, a personal touch that was very welcoming for a first time visitor.

If you're looking for a full spa experience, Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall really does have a great varied offering with a lot of different facilities to keep you busy for your whole visit, it is definitely one of the largest spas I've visited in the area. There are plenty of options to suit every spa goer, so whether you like to gossip with your girlfriends, enjoy a romantic dip with your other half or just want to clear your mind and escape the day's worries you will find a perfect space to suit your needs at Serenity Spa.

I'm definitely a spa goer that likes to be kept busy, not one for sitting still for too long I love to move between rooms and experiences and there were plenty at Seaham Hall to keep me occupied. I enjoyed switching between the Salt Sauna, Indian Steam Room, Asian Herbal Sanarium and Jacuzzi before cooling down in the Plunge Pools and Ice Fountain.

The real feature of the Serenity Spa has to be the impressive 20 metre pool complete with massage stations. It catches your eye as soon as you walk into the space and I really appreciated how large it was. Despite the spa being pretty busy during our visit there was also plenty of room in the pool which was especially appealing to me as I'm not overly confident in water and much prefer to float about without a lot of people surrounding me.

My favourite part of the Serenity Spa had to be the Zen Garden, overlooking the gardens of Seaham Hall, the outside space is so tranquil with plenty of relaxation beds and the most beautiful infinity hydrotherapy pool. Unfortunately during our visit it was a little wet so there was no lounging about in the sunshine this time, but I will definitely be making full use of the garden next visit.

As I was visiting with my friend and we had plenty of gossip to catch up on we spent a lot of our time switching between the infinity pool and outdoor hot tubs - the perfect spots to relax and chat. I've said it many times before but I definitely have my very best conversations in a hot tub, there's something about relaxing in the lovely warm water that makes you want to chat about life, love and everything in between.

Ishga at Seaham Hall - Organic Seaweed Treatments

There are plenty of treatments and therapies to choose from at Serenity Spa and I was thrilled to be trying out one of Seaham Hall's brand partners, ishga, the Organic Seaweed Skincare lovingly created in Scotland. Developed in the remote outer Hebrides ishga's products are created using high quality pure Scottish seasweet combined with natural spring water. The Hebrides has some of the cleanest waters in the world and the hand harvested seaweed is used to produce the skincare range. Containing natural anti-oxidants that have anti-ageing properties, it's no surprise that the ishga face serum has been nicknamed "botox in a bottle'

There are five ishga treatments available at Seaham Hall Serenity Spa starting from only £55.00 for a ishga Seaweed bath (imagine bathing in freshly hand harvested seaweed and mineral sea salts - bliss).

I was treated to two taster ishga treatments starting with a ishga massage - a medium pressure massage designed to invigorate with a focus on removing tension to energise the body. Using Seaweed Body Oil, the massage helps to regenerate, firm and tone the skin. Although I definitely understand that seaweed is a natural source of vitamins and minerals, I have to admit before my treatment I did have images of being slathered in a thick muddy substance smelling of seawater, but the reality was anything but. The seaweed used in the ishga products has gone through a  process to strip out any nasty smells without losing any of the benefits.

The Seaweed Body Oil is combined with lemongrass, junpier and rose geranium and it smells absolutely heavenly. The body oil is perfect for moisturising dry skin and stimulates health, self repair and revitalisation. So many people had told me that the massages at Seaham Hall are amazing and I have to say I completely agree. Mine was the perfect combination of relaxing whilst still removing all of the tension in my neck and shoulders.

My second treatment was a taster of the ishga Facial, designed to revitalise and repair. The combination of organic ishga products included rich seaweed, natural healing spring water and cucumber extract and left my skin feeling so nourished. I have always suffered from eczema and very dry patches and my skin absolutely loved the ishga products.

After my treatments I was taken to the relaxation room where I could chill out for a while with some magazines and enjoy some peace and quiet on one of the loungers. I loved that there were some refreshments to help yourself to and a little sorbet was personally delivered to my lounger - living the dream!

Get a FREE Treatment 

If all of that sounds rather lovely, I have a very special promotion for readers of my blog - Seaham Hall are offering you a FREE treatment!

Enjoy a free rejuvenating ishga facial when you book a 60 minute ishga massage by stating "New Girl in Toon". This 90 minute, powerfully detoxing ishga seaweed spa ritual includes an invigorating but equally relaxing massage, using seaweed body oil that regnerates, firms and tones the skin, while helping to eliminate toxins.  The mini facial treatment is designed to revitalise and repair skin through use of products rich in seaweed, which is high in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and natural antioxidants.

To book and claim your free facial call Seaham Hall's Serenity Spa on 0191 640 8705

Vegan Dining at Ozone

Ozone is a relaxed and informal restaurant within the Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall where spa goers can comfortably enjoy eating in their dressing gowns. Serving up Pan-Asian cuisine in a variety of fun and exciting dishes, there is plenty on offer including Asian Afternoon Tea, Sharing Platters, Coffee Cake or, of course, a full dining experience.

Recently Ozone have been developing their vegan offering, working hard to create vegan dishes that are fresh, exciting and don't compromise on taste. With more and more people embracing a vegan lifestyle it's great to see a restaurant want to serve something really tasty as part of their vegan offering.

The perfect light meal after an evening in the spa, I decided to eat Vegan for the night and try out some of their dishes, starting with a delicious Asian Style Tomato Bruschetta, followed swiftly by my highlight of the meal, the Onion and Beetroot Bhaji served with Cucumber and Mint Raita. They looked stunning with the beautiful purple of the beetroot spilling out of the Bhaji and they tasted absolutely heavenly. I know that as soon as I return I will be ordering this dish again and that's when you know that a Vegan dish is excellent - it also appeals to people who aren't following a Vegan diet.

I was a little dubious about the next dish - Grilled Miso Marinated Tofu served with Onion and Cucumber Salad, Japanese Soy and Rice Vinegar Dressing. I've never tried Tofu before but have to say it's never appealed to me. I have always feared that it may be a little bland with a funny texture (and I know I'm not alone in thinking that) Of course, as with any feared food, it takes a masterful chef to create something wonderful to change stubborn minds, and the Grilled Miso Marinated Tofu at Ozone was truly delicious. Perfectly marinated and prepared, I honestly couldn't get enough of it, I couldn't believe I was sitting there happily eating my way through a plate of Tofu!

I finished my Vegan dining experience at Ozone with a deliciously fresh Lemon Sorbet served with Grilled Orange and Chilli Syrup. Whilst I'm usually all about the stodgy desserts this was a really perfect way to end our meal, it was light and fruity and packed with flavour.

Dining at Ozone after a Serenity Spa experience was the perfect way to end my first ever visit to Seaham Hall.  My meal was delicious and left me feeling satisfied without that awful heavy feeling that I usually get after eating out, it's the best type of food to enjoy after an afternoon in the spa.

I am over the moon that I finally got to enjoy a little taste of what Seaham Hall has to offer, and I can't wait to one day indulge in a visit to the main part of the hotel for an overnight stay and luxurious break, now that I've managed to grab a couple of brochures I plan to leave them on our coffee table as a hint ... wish me luck!

What you need to know:

The Serenity Spa is open Mondays to Fridays 6:30 am to 10:00 pm, Saturdays 7:00 am to 10:00 pm and Sundays 8:00 am to 10:00 pm

There are a range of great spa offers available here with prices starting from £50.00 for the Serenity Sunrise Spa which includes 4.5 hours spa access with fluffy robes, towels and slippers, pastries and hot drink on arrival, use of the gym and entry to a fitness class

To discover the full range of ishga treatments at Seaham Hall see here 

Dine at Ozone Monday to Sunday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm

Find Seaham Hall at:

Lord Byrons Walk
Seaham
SR7 7AG

0191 516 1400

seaham-hall.co.uk/

I was treated to a complimentary spa and dining experience at Seaham Hall in exchange for this honest review.