A Spa Day at Crowne Plaza Reading

*We were provided with this experience for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

At the start of April I was invited to the Crowne Plaza in Reading for a spa day with a friend. We reviewed the hotel as a family last summer and so we were familiar with the hotel, and had swam in the pool, but didn’t know anything else about the hotel’s health club and spa offering. We were excited for a day of pampering and relaxation.

Where is Crowne Plaza Reading?

Crowne Plaza Reading is one of two Crowne Plaza hotels in Reading – along with Crowne Plaza Reading East. It’s situated right next to the River Thames at Caversham bridge and is a beautiful location – whether for a break away or a spa day. It’s easily accessible from the local area or further afield and has plenty of parking on site too. You get free parking when visiting the hotel to use the Revive Health Club, Spa and Gym facilities.

A spa day at the Crowne Plaza Reading

For our spa day we could turn up at the hotel any time from 6:30am – or 6am on weekends. When we arrived at around 9am we were given robes, slippers, towels and a padlock to borrow for the lockers and then pointed in the direction of the facilities.

The changing rooms at the hotel are compact but functional. There are plenty of lockers, a changing cubicle, toilets, shower cubicles and places to dry your hair as well as a spinner to dry your swimming costume and complimentary toiletries in the showers.

Once we were changed we went straight to the pool! The Revive Health Club has a good size swimming pool, a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna as well as the gym. The pool has tables and chairs all along one side and two loungers tucked in a corner next to the jacuzzi which we happily spent the day lounging on.

Throughout the day we alternated between swimming in the pool, relaxing in the jacuzzi or popping in the steam room and sauna – as well as plenty of time just lounging, reading our books and catching up. It was lovely! Plus, we were able to buy hot drinks and bottled water at the hotel bar to drink at our loungers as long as we told them we needed reusable cups. Tea, a good book and a lounger = bliss!

Spa treatments at Crowne Plaza Reading

During our spa day at Crowne Plaza Reading we had spa treatments with their spa therapist Sarah. Sarah works from the hotel but is self employed so all treatment bookings go directly through her and The Orchid Room.

My friend Sarah treated herself to a massage which she said was one of the best massages she had ever had. And I had a microdermabrasion facial as part of our spa day package that was fantastic! I’d never ad one before and loved it. My skin has never felt so soft and smooth. It was a really relaxing experience – perfect for a spa day!

Both of our treatments lasted longer than they should have – the therapist did everything she needed to do rather than trying to squeeze it into the time slot which was much appreciated.

Over the course of our spa day we saw so many people who were at the hotel for different reasons. A young couple who had travelled from the Midlands for a baby-moon before their new baby came along, children and adults having private swimming lessons and older people taking part in their weekly aqua aerobics class.

The Crowne Plaza Reading is a real part of the community and ticks so many boxes for so many different people. It was lovely to see. We had such a nice time and found it to be a great place to relax, unwind and catch up.

Afternoon Tea at Crowne Plaza Reading

At the end of our spa day, once we were showered and dressed, we made our way to the hotel restaurant for afternoon tea. This is always such a treat and even more so when you’re looking out at the Thames, watching the world go by.

The afternoon tea is served on a three tier cake stand full of freshly made finger sandwiches, warm scones and sweet treats. It looked absolutely wonderful and we dug straight in!

We each had big mugs of tea with our afternoon tea and loved the selection of sandwich fillings and sweet treat variety – the brownie was one of the best we have ever tasted! It was a great mix of rich, decadent cakes and lighter options that are perfect for spring.

The afternoon tea was such a nice way to end our day and we were in no rush, the staff let us sit, chat and drink tea for as long as we wanted. It couldn’t have been a nicer experience.

Overall we had a lovely spa day. The Crowne Plaza Reading is well located and a great place for any type of trip – from our family break away to friends looking for a relaxing spa day.

You can find out more about Crowne Plaza Reading over on their website and for reference the address is: Caversham Bridge, Richfield Ave, Reading RG1 8BD