South Lodge hotel sits within 92 acres of beautiful countryside in West Sussex. And to herald the first week of spring, it held its inaugural one-day wellness retreat formulated to allow the world-weary to recharge themselves by ‘forest bathing’ in nature. I know, because I was one of the lucky participants – and I’m now a forest bathing convert.
Proven to help combat anxiety, depression and tension, forest bathing, aka the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, invites you to switch off from the everyday and switch on your senses. My small group’s session was led by expert Helena Skoog, who first led us through a session of the ancient art of qigong – including body posture, breathing exercises and shaking movements to release any trauma that may have been bottled up inside us for years – before diving into a healthy, Mediterranean-inspired hotel lunch.
Back in the woods, with twigs cracking under foot and colourful shoots of spring all around, I found myself receptive not only to the sounds and textures of the woodland but willingly accepting Helen’s invitation to enter the forest through a ‘portal’. Her enthusiasm for nature is so contagious, you can’t but help let the magical feeling of nature wash over you.
As we lay on mats on the forest floor, she invited us to touch it, smell it and even taste it to really connect, as birdsong surrounded us. It was so completely relaxing, that at one point I might have even enjoyed a little mediative snooze – woken only by the gentle sound of a horse’s hooves thumping the soil nearby, its rider possibly oblivious to this group of nearby bodies.
It was time for more conventional bathing in the spa’s beautiful, naturally heated outdoor wild swimming pool. The spa also has a botanical sauna, a marble-lined salt steam room, 14 nature-themed treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art fitness centre, too. I woke up the next day feeling utterly zen-like and totally reset.
Forest bathing at South Lodge is a breath of fresh air on so many levels. I’d love to come back and experience what the other seasons have to offer – though maybe not in winter…
The next Nature Immersion Spa Experience dates include Saturday 15 June for summer 2024, and Saturday 19 October for autumn.
Lysanne Currie is editor in chief of Meet the Leader. She also writes for Robb Report, Diplomat, Guardian, Influence, Tempus and Investor
