To want a lounger when on a spa day

[1CantPickAName]

I am currently at a Bannatyne spa and there are only 8 poolside loungers, all taken, I went to reception to ask where am I supposed to sit if I’m here all day? The reply was “sorry, that’s all the loungers we have”? I am so annoyed, I just want to spend my day relaxing which includes reading a book or newspaper uninterrupted by my kids. There is a relaxation room with heated beds but it’s not bright enough to read in here and the beds get really warm after a while.
I’m here with 3 friends who don’t seem to mind. I haven’t told them how annoyed I am as I don’t want to put a downer on their day. If I was here alone I would have asked for a full refund and left immediately. As it is, I’m waiting in the relaxation lounge until my treatments in 45 minutes. I’m here until at least 4.30 as my friends’ treatments are this afternoon. Surely somewhere to sit is a basic requirement when at a spa. Obviously it is not a ‘day’ spa as advertised!

Also, I went to the cafe for a sandwich. Really awkward as I was the only one there in a robe. I waited 20 minutes for a blt which was two dry slices of bread, no butter, 2 bits of bacon, some iceberg lettuce and 2 cherry tomatoes cut in half, not even sliced!

What a waste of a day off!

Are the loungers taken up with people or towels?

I am an unashamed towel-mover

(Yeah, I am not British )

And when challenged, I smile and apologise and move someone else's towel

No spa stress!

@Babysleeeeeeep it was in Bristol (not envy)

8 Loungers? Good grief. That’s not a spa day, it’s a gym and swimming pool with some treatments. The whole point is vegging around in the warmth, wearing your robe and eating cake.

Even Champneys has more loungers than that.

Can't comment about loungers, but surely you wouldn't have wanted butter with bacon?! Sounds greasily sick-making to me

I have stayed in a number of hotels that do spa days, and all have had a small number of loungers. It has always seemed pretty poor set ups tbh. Fine as a hotel facility, but no way would I want to spend the day in them.

Yeah, Bannatynes is very much a 'Groupon' type spa. Mind you I was at very famous 5 * hotel recently and had a treatment. The spa areas were overrun with groups of friends on spa days so no room for solo guests to have a bed or seat anywhere. I didn't really want to hang about there anyway but paying hundreds of quid a night and not being able to use spa facilities is a piss take.

YANBU at all.

To be fair to Bannatyne’s they were not really built as spas. They are usually urban gyms with the spa bit added for a bit of extra income for DB.

Well to be fair to paying guests, if Bannatynes can’t fulfil spa requirements then they should stick to being urban gyms.

I think it does depend how much you paid. I always thought bannatynes was just a nice gym with a few extra luxuries. It isn't really in the same price bracket at nirvana or centre parcs, unless I'm mistaken, so they're not comparable.

This is exactly what puts me off doing this sort of thing - I’ve never really understood what you’re supposed to do all day and hate the idea of eating etc in a robe! Now if I knew for sure I’d have a nice comfy place to sit and read with drinks etc served to my side, then yes I’d be up for that, but wandering around clutching a coffee and hoping for somewhere to perch sounds shit frankly.

But there is no really point paying spa prices, if it is really just a swimming pool. Yes these places do not charge expensive spa day prices, but they charge way more than a day pass to a swimming pool with a sauna and steam room.
Total rip off.

Might be a first-world problem but when you've paid for a spa day, it's annoying! I had the impression that Bannatyne was a second -rate/cheap spa though - aren't they on Groupon all the time?

It's also crap saying they have a bar when they don't!

Go and sit dripping with your mags at the reception seating and tell them you're there cos there's no loungers. They'll love that!

Off topic a bit but I get the impression that Groupon deals are always a bit shitty.

There is a very significant difference between a proper full spa and a gym/pool complex or hotel that does 'spa days'. At the latter, they seem to think that sticking a few plastic loungers at the side of a swimming pool, having a jacuzzi and offering massages or manicures makes them a spa. It does not.

To me its only worth going to a proper spa, unless you can get it very very cheap, ie a tenner, and just plan to go for an hour or two.

I've been to a few hotel spas and none of them have been worth more than that, so now I just go once or twice a year to a proper spa, where about £60 or so will get you a full day, including lunch, and is a totally different experience.

Somewhere like:

thewoodlandspa.com/

www.ruddingpark.co.uk/spa/

www.aquasana.co.uk/

Sorry you aren't enjoying your day OP.

I've just had a quick look on groupon. A bannatyne spa day is £29 where I live.

It's not a spa though, its a gym masquerading as a spa. You get what you pay for in this instance.

Bannatynes are crap anyway- overpriced treatments and my local one (I was a member for years as a child and only 1 as an adult!) is always having issues with the saunas/steam room/jacuzzi etc. It's not worth the ridiculous monthly price to me.

Massive corporation that don't actually care about quality or their customers. Hard to get hold of on the phone too!

Also all the members hate the spa people that come for the day 😂😂
They used to drive me nuts taking up loungers/standing in the pool talking.
We called them the dressing gown people, and yes you look ridiculous in one in the cafe.

Go to a proper spa/upmarket hotel and you'll get a much better experience.

I don't think Banantynes is good for a spa day, as other posters have said it is not a proper spa place so not great for relaxing. I hated the lack of decent food too, since having a nice meal is normally part of the appeal.

The treatments themselves were good, but it's definitely not a place where you want to spend hours.

Groupon are bastards. I used to work for a company that did a product that was very ‘groupony’ (Think go karting, paintballing kind of thing). About 4 times they advertised a session at our venue for a third of the price we charged without consulting us. Then put our number as the booking number and we got a torrent of abuse from people claiming they’d been missold as we wouldn’t accept them. Groupon thought that because they’d sold 1,000+ of these vouchers we’d be really pleased and accept it and pay them a commission! We had to take legal action in the end as we got loads of bad tripadvisor reviews saying we were scammers when we’d done nothing wrong. My poor boss’s hair turned grey and we nearly went bankrupt.

@MeowthThatsRight That's so awful! Glad you took legal action.
God why are some customers such shit heads? Just ring up, accept the explanation + apology and get your money back.

No need to ruin a company/business because of it.

I did a Bannatyne spa day last year with my DD, never again! It was shit and a complete waste of money. Staff were rude, pool was being used for some class or other and the afternoon tea was dry and horrible, felt completely ripped off and we left after about two hours.

Nickynacky I repeat, Bannatyne’s are gyms with a pool. They used to be members only clubs, then DB sought to extract more money by offering these ‘Spa’ days on the cheap.
It is not a Spa, and you will be sharing the facilities with club members.
If you want a Spa day experience, go to a proper spa, and pay the proper price.
DB has a place called Charlton House. Now that’s a Spa, but it will be priced accordingly.

green Did you mean to be so rude? I’m well aware what Bannatynes are as I was a member for ten years.

It is greed on the part of the owners.