The Spa at The Shelbourne

A luxury spa situated on Stephen’s Green just a short walk from all the shops and restaurants Dublin has to offer. Sounds like heaven right? Well, it’s pretty close!
The Shelbourne Spa is not actually in the hotel, but three doors down to the right. I’ve never noticed it before as it blends in as one if the big Victorian style houses but it’s really easy to find. The spa is actually upstairs but you have full use of the leisure club facilities when using the spa and these are on the ground floor.
In terms of décor, it is every bit as elegant as the hotel, with big chandeliers and plush furniture. When you check in you are brought to change into your robe and slippers before being led to the relaxation room which looks over Stephen’s Green, which I loved. If I’m honest, I’ve been in better relaxation rooms, this one was very bright and probably would have been relaxing if it wasn’t for a group of really loud talkers. This wasn’t the staff’s fault but tainted the experience a little for me.
In terms of refreshments there was a selection of teas, some small nibbles and water. Also, after your treatment you get a tasting plate of fruit, juice and sorbet. I opted for the ‘Tropical’ which consisted of pineapple juice, kiwi and coconut sorbet and it was delicious.
The highlight for me was the treatment though. I received a gift of the «Celebratory Spa Package» which consisted of an Elemis facial and a hot– stone back massage. Both of these were excellent, the therapist was lovely and spoke me through the products she used afterwards. The one criticism I would have would be that it’s quite expensive at € 129 for the package which only lasted an hour. I would have expected it to last a little longer at this price.
With the excellent staff, treatments and location I would definitely go back, but I think I’d be waiting for a special occasion!

There’s nothing I love more than a good spa treatment but this one fell short for me — I couldn’t decide between 2 and 3 stars.
The good:
— Friendly front reception.
— Quiet facility with a beautiful relaxation lounge.
— Many options to choose for a massage or facial.
— The massage therapist (Ruth) was very good at swedish massage.
Why I gave 3 stars:
— The women’s changing room is shared with the locker rooms for the workout facility and pool with a television turned on to the local news. Not exactly what I was looking for to get in a relaxed mood.
— You’ll need to know in advance to bring a swimsuit as that’s pretty much the only way you’ll be able to enjoy the dry and steam saunas as they’re also shared with the workout facility and pool in a public area.
— The communication wasn’t entirely clear that I was supposed to wait in the relaxation room for my service to start. I was told I could either make use of the sauna or wait for the appointment to start in the relaxation room (which I misunderstood to be one and the same as the reception area). I waited in the sauna, not wanting to be sitting in a public reception in my spa robe, but no one ever came to find me there. As a result, my appointment started 10 minutes late — when I finally wandered upstairs to figure out what was going on.
— The facial was underwhelming. They have some kind of electronic machine they use to help exfoliate and treat the skin with an electrical current. There were no extractions. It felt like I had at least 15 different kinds of highly scented creams rubbed into my face with a current running over it periodically. When the facial was done, I still had congestion (blackheads, whiteheads). My face was very moisturized, but I could’ve done that at home. I would skip the facials at this spa if you’re a results-​oriented individual. If you simply love the feeling of lotions being rubbed on your face, then this will be a perfect facial for you.
All in all, I think the marriage of the spa facility and the health club facility made the overall experience feel a bit disconnected and less relaxing than I would’ve liked for the price-​point.

I was in desperate need of a pamper session, and so decided to treat myself to a spa treatment. I was unsure of where to begin, and so sent a friend of mine a text to ask for some tips on where to go to get a good facial in Dublin. She wasn’t sure so I took a chance and googled spas in the Dublin area, and The Spa at the Shelbourne popped up. I have passed the entrance several times (not the same entrance as the hotel, but a few doors down toward Merrion Row), so I decided to go off the trusted name of the Shelbourne, figuring I can’t go wrong and rang them to make an appointment.
Loves:
— The Relaxation Room: you wait here for your therapist to greet you — there are chaises, water, tea, and snacks, magazines, and a lovely view over St Stephens Green
— Post-​Treatment Beverage: after the treatment, they leave you to your own devices and provide you with a selection of fruit juices, accompanied by fruit and sorbet. It’s a great way to end the service!
— Facilities: the facilities are great, and you have the option to also use them if you go in for a treatment. Everything is very lush and feels every bit the spa experience
Why I only gave 4 stars instead of 5:
— distance between the changing locker room and spa reception. I didn’t love that I had to walk upstairs and take an elevator to the reception in just a robe, passing other guests of the hotel and the health club
— my only other reason was for the actual treatment, I’m used to my therapist doing a bit of a massage as they put the different masks and creams on my face and head. I would’ve liked my therapist at this spa to do a bit more pressure when applying the creams, particularly around the temples and t-​zone. Otherwise, it was an excellent experience and very relaxing.
I’d be willing to add another star, however, for the really good-​looking man in the relaxation room who had just finished his service when I walked in! :) Really excited to go back and thinking of stretching my budget just a little to splurge on a massage too!

So the spa at the Shelbourne Hotel has either just recently opened or recently undergone major renovations — the relaxation lounge overlooks St. Stephen’s Green and there is also a state-​of-​the-​art fitness centre and pool (which blew me away, considering the hotel was built in1824. The treatment rooms reminded me very much of the ones at the Viceroy Snowmass Spa and are well equipped and comfortable.
What I loved was they actually assigned a locker to each guest and slipped in a placecard on to the front of the locker with each guests’ name on it, so you knew exactly where you were going. Then inside the locker, they places a welcome letter — I thought it was a really lovely touch in a luxury location.
I had the «Pañpuri Inner Peace Relaxing Massage»…which was exactly that. The therapist was very well versed in her craft. Post-​massage includes fresh-​squeezed juice of your choice, sorbet and fruit. Which was also a very nice touch.
Looking forward to heading back to Dublin soon to try another service soon!