Champneys Reviews 

former employer review of Champneys Henlow….
Champneys Henlow; the place where one of the spa managers, Charlotte Richards, calls guests the C word on a regular basis & constantly gossips about guests in a shocking manner.
Most Spa therapists often discuss private, personal matters in the staff room about guests; conversations you as clients believed and trusted to be confidential - meanwhile these staff room catch-ups are being completely AUDIBLE to the guests in the waiting area directly outside of the staff room.
Managers are just as bad as most staff, they all gossip, and yes, although some will say in all work environments people will gossip, but the vulgar, unacceptable, unprofessional language I have heard from most but not all staff at Champneys Henlow is none like I’ve ever heard before. I’m deeply ashamed to say I ever worked there. I never participated in any of this disgusting behaviour because it doesn’t align with my morals or values and I consider my working ethic to be at a much higher standard.
Hence my reason for leaving.
I actually have respect and empathy towards my clients and that’s the reputation I would like to maintain, something I feel wouldn’t be possible had I stayed here much longer.
I am glad to say I’m now in a much kinder environment where staff and guests are respected equally. A place where staff are listened to and heard. A place where I don’t feel like I’m lowering my standards to match others.

Here at Champneys Henlow, We work with no reward, we are set unreachable, unrealistic incentives that are made to be so impossible to achieve it doesn’t even feel like it was worth it; so nobody bothers. All therapists lost their passion due to this companies obsession with money. They work us (on a low pay) until we are physically ill just so they earn a few extra pennies. Everywhere except the spa looks like it’s about to collapse; it’s dated, mouldy, and lacking life because nobody at this company cares; and it shows.

Now, about the food, It seems it’s not only guests getting food poisoning here, but staff also, with the staff canteen frequently providing food a whole WEEK past its USE BY DATE.
Therapists often had to pause mid-treatment to go and be ill, but always had to return to not only finish the treatment but extend it, because we were not allowed to be ill, god forbid if you as a guest have a bad experience here and decide to complain, you’ll just be called a “C U Next Tuesday” by Charlotte Richards.
How sweet x

At Champneys we are treated like a number not a human, while we spend weeks learning different treatments to have a nice variety in our day and broaden our capabilities; unfortunately, the least favourite staff members get a day full of back to back massage, while the favourite staff members (usually the apprentices) get all the nice treatments and are always put first on the list for training dates. Most treatments now are apprentice only, where the fully qualified staff are not allowed to learn the new treatments… why? Who knows. I gave up asking after the 4th time.
(Just before leaving Champneys it seemed all fully qualified staff were dropping like flies, disappearing without a word and instantly being replaced by more apprentices) - which just goes to show, never put your life on the line for a job that will find your replacement by the following week.
If you’re unwell, stay home and rest
If you’re in a rush, still drive at your usual pace.
Just don’t think about a job that doesn’t think about you.

They offer 1 to 1 meetings here to supposedly listen to your opinions, help you with any of your concerns and try to meet your requests. However it’s a complete waste of time, they don’t listen, they don’t even consider what you’re asking for. You may as well talk to a brick wall.
After years of meetings, years of persistence, years of the ‘team’ all requesting the same things, we all got completely ignored, and overtime we felt a lot less valued and extremely unappreciated. I think the spa therapists are a very large asset / attribute to this company and I really believe Champneys should think long and hard about showing their therapists more respect, care and consideration.
As for the Managers / general staff, a bit of advice to conclude this review: LISTEN, learn, respect, take note, improve, better yourselves if not for you then for others. And if you can’t do any of that, Be useful some place else that isn’t working in a business where you’re meant to IMPROVE one’s mental health, rather than losing all your staff and your customers all while further tarnishing your reputation.
-final note- since leaving I am not up to date with all current employees, however, I have no doubt the same behaviour still persists.

We visited Forest Mere on Saturday 14th February for the day. Luckily we had booked through Vitality so got a significant discount
The facilities are dated, tired and underwhelming. For instance the steam room is tiny and can only seat 4 people - if you leant back again the wall one person is directly over the steam vent and another would lean on the emergency button and the door doesnt close properly.
The sauna is larger but has 2 doors and an area of wall with no seating so it can seat 8. With the number of guests it was full most of the time and the doors dont shut properly either.
There is nowhere near enough seating and if you get a seat around the pool you have to move your legs to the side every time someone walks past as it is quite narrow.
There was a mix up with our booking and the gym 1-1 and classes hadnt been booked but we had paid for it. They werent able to sort it on the day we had to contact them on a working day. Trying to get hold of them is impossible in total i was on hold for over 1.5 hours over 3 separate calls. I sent 2 emails; the first one on 16/02 and then a chaser. They replied on 21/02. When i finally did get hold of someone on the phone - on the central number - i said about no reply to emails and how long i was on hold. They just said they were busy
So the experience is not as advertised

My daughter and I have been going to Champneys Springs for years and we've loved every single visit. The staff are outstanding, the food is amazing, and the facilities are superb. From the moment we step through the doors, we start to unwind and relax. We can't recommend this venue highly enough and are looking forward to our next visit very much.

I had a very nice one night at Henlow. I met some lovely members of staff. Tegan on reception is always welcoming and goes out of her way to make my stay pleasant. Siobhan in housekeeping is amazingly helpful and always so friendly. In the spa, Lina gave me an amazing massage.

Doesn't appear to be possible to rate zero stars, but if I could I would. You can find a plethora of phone numbers onn the website, but you can never get to speak to anyone about anything, including bookings. They must be losing a fortune by having phone lines with nobody other than recorded messages with adverts, but nobody to accept bookings. I have spent over an hour trying most of their phone numbers, without speaking to a single person. Suddenly a chat window popped up on the website!! I filled in my details as requested, but alas, nobody is on the receiving end. Mind numbing way to run a business.

Deeply Upsetting Experience – Twice Burned

I am extremely disappointed to be writing this review, but after two almost identical experiences at Champneys College Salon in Tring, I feel compelled to warn others.

I had several aesthetic treatments booked at Champneys College at 11:30am. I arranged and paid for childcare, took the morning off work, and drove to the college — only to arrive and be told that my appointments had been cancelled because the practitioner was ill.

I received no phone call. No email. No prior warning whatsoever.

When I spoke to Emma (who I later understood is a tutor, not the manager), she explained they had “attempted” to contact me. However, the telephone number on their system was incorrect and the email address listed did not even resemble my name — it began with a completely different initial. It’s deeply concerning that such basic client information is recorded so carelessly. At no point did anyone think to check previous correspondence to verify the correct contact details, despite me having been a returning client for years.

What makes this worse is that this is the second time this has happened to me. On the previous occasion, my son was still a baby. I had also arranged childcare and arrived to discover my treatments had been cancelled without notice. I raised a formal complaint at that time, believing it would prompt proper investigation and procedural changes. Clearly, it did not.

Following this most recent incident, I received a belated email from the manager Lucy, containing what can only be described as a non-apology apology. Responsibility was attributed to “main Champneys group booking system,” and, astonishingly, I was counter-accused of being “verbally aggressive.” The manager was not present during my conversation, and I spoke honestly and directly — yes — but there was absolutely nothing in my language or tone that could reasonably be defined (in any Oxford Dictionary sense) as verbally aggressive.

That accusation was deeply triggering and felt like an attempt to deflect blame and undermine my credibility. It left me feeling gaslit rather than heard. Instead of accountability, I experienced defensiveness and counter-accusation.

Illness happens — of course it does. What is not acceptable is repeated administrative incompetence, failure of communication, and then shifting blame onto a paying customer who has simply expressed justified frustration after wasting time, money, and emotional energy.

As a working mother who carefully organises childcare and work commitments, this was not a minor inconvenience. It was upsetting, costly, and completely avoidable.

Sadly, I cannot recommend Champneys College based on these repeated experiences. I left feeling not only inconvenienced, but dismissed and unfairly characterised — which is perhaps the most upsetting part of all.

I sincerely hope improvements are made so that other clients do not experience the same distress.

Ashford East Well Manor - I received a voucher for this spa, but I wish the sender had gone elsewhere. After a frustrating booking process, when booking in the Spa a few weeks ago we provided a up to date contact number . we arrived today only to find out our session was cancelled because of staff illness. We are reasonable people and understand calling out sick, but receiving zero communication before we drove all the way there is unacceptable.

A member of staff was very helpful with trying to rebook and the manager just stepped in showed no empathy and was quite short with us. Poor Management. It’s a shame because we were really looking forward to it, but the lack of basic customer service makes it not worth the effort.

Very disappointing stay. I booked an overnight spa experience expecting relaxation and quality, but the entire visit felt far from luxurious.

When checking in, after handing over my credit card, I was simply pointed in a direction with little explanation or tour of the facilities. Staff were consistently disengaged and unwelcoming, often ignoring guests while focused on their computers.

Customer service was a major issue throughout. At times it appeared to be a clear understaffing problem, while in other situations the staff simply seemed to lack any sense of how to interact with guests. I stood at the spa reception desk for nearly a minute without being acknowledged. The massage I had booked as an extra treatment was mediocre, and the overall interaction felt cold and transactional rather than professional or relaxing.

The treatments were basic and lacked even the most standard attention to detail. For example, my hair was not tied back during a facial — something that has never happened before. The treatment tables were uncomfortable and clearly outdated. The lighting was not conducive to a spa experience.

My room was in poor condition: dusty furniture, tired décor, visible patch repairs, and rust behind the faucets. It felt neglected, not premium. I complained and asked for housekeeping to return and they did but the cleanliness was still below par.

Spa facilities were small, overcrowded, and noticeably lacking in cleanliness. Some relaxation room furniture even had ripped fabric.

The restaurant was nice but again the experience felt cold and impersonal.

Overall, this was not a relaxing or high-quality spa experience. And while the grounds are beautiful, this is nowhere near the standard of a 4 star hotel. It was not worth the price by a long shot. I would not return or recommend.

We arrived and were promptly checked in. Asked what size flip flops were required, given robes and flip flops, one pair too small as no medium size available.
The welcome coffee and tea were only warm.
Pool was cool as was the jacuzzi, the hydro pool was a more acceptable temperature.
The female sauna and steam room were lovely.
Lunch was tepid, not hot but a good selection.
After lunch the hydro pool was much cooler as was the temperature in the building as a whole.
We left early due to not being warm, not conducive to a relaxing day.

I am a member at Champneys Henlow and have been having PT sessions with Jamiela to build up the strength in my left shoulder/arm after a previous operation.
Jamiela has done an amazing job, I have gone from my right side being a great deal stronger than my left to both sides now being even. I cannot praise her ability as a PT enough. My outcome couldn’t have been any better

I visited Champneys Tring recently and was very disappointed. For a “luxury” spa costing £176 per person, the experience fell far below expectations.

Cleanliness was poor, including dirty floors and black mould on the ceilings in the day guest shower room.

Service throughout the day was substandard: no drinks offered at lunch, extremely slow café service, no clean tables or plates in the breakfast room (I had to clear my own), and no explanation of facilities on arrival. Lunch seating was next to a curtain concealing a pile of napkins and a dirty side table, which felt unprofessional.

The spa facilities also appeared tired and poorly maintained, with cracked tiles, peeling paint, and visible rust in the sauna area.
I raised these concerns with Champneys customer services. They offered money off a future visit, which I felt was unacceptable, and have not responded further.

Overall, this was poor value for money and I would not recommend Champneys Tring.

Forest Mere is dirty, shabby and expensive. There are so many better places to stay. We paid £1075 per night for a suite which is fine if the room is worth it. Our room was in desperate need of a refurb, it slightly smelled and the beds were lumpy and sheets scratchy.

The restaurant is understaffed and has zero ambience. The tables have a fake candles and the room is really brightly lit. Food is ok.

The spa is really overcrowded and while the amenities are ok, it’s nothing special.

When you book a manicure you assume there will be a selection of colours to choose from. There was no dark red or plum(the most poplar colours they said) in gel or ordinary polish as they were busy at Christmas and new stock had not arrived.
May I suggest to the manager at Eastwell manager that they pop to the shop to buy the most popular colours to deliver the service your customers are paying £70 for. If you want sparkly, blue brown or cream you will be fine. Otherwise take your own polish. I won’t be going back

Honestly has truly diabolical stay at Champneys, Henlow. Our hotel room smelt of sewage and blocked drains. When we complained they laughed and said it was the sheep in the field nearby. But the smell was not coming from the fields, we heard others complain and later on they had put two diffusers on the floor of the hallway that did nothing. The pool was dirty and crowded. There were no loungers to relax on - which felt really odd for a relaxing spa weekend. The hot tub was so cold, again we heard others complaining about it. In the end, we took our stuff from next to the pool and headed back to our room. We later tried to book a fitness class but we waited at the reception of the sports centre for an hour and no one came. We asked a few staff members for help who looked at us blankly. The food was terrible. We ordered white wine and were brought red. The I questioned it she awkwardly laughed and said, is it ok to just keep that though? we felt uncomfortable and shocked by the rudeness so kept our mouths shut and drank it. The food was horrific. The vegetable soup, came in a cup, was luck warm and tasted like it had bee diluted from a powder. On my return I tried to contact staff to complain and I was constantly told they would ring me back. After 8 calls to back, I still couldn't talk to the manager. I also complained via email and never got my money back. The biggest waist of money and a really bleak weekend feeling unwelcome, and absolutely not relaxed.

I had a really lovely relaxing break with friends. Felt pampered from the moment we arrived. A special thankyou to Roderick, who greeted us and efficiently booked us in, taking care of our luggage whilst we headed for lunch. The lunches and dinners were great, full of flavour and never rushed. Thank you to Peter in the resturant and his staff, lovely service from Rose. Bedrooms were clean and serviced daily, a comfortable bed too. I had an amazing massage from Isla, the best I have had. Its good to have Clarins and Elemis areas. The young Clarins lady spent time helping me choose my products. Thankyou. I enjoy yoga and went to 3 great classes, a special thank you to Alaxandera for the beautiful meditation. I was sorry to leave but will be back soon. Thankyou.

I have a voucher to use and we're looking at an overnight stay. I have some questions, so wanted to talk to someone. I've made 4 calls to reservations and waited up to 20mins, with no answer. I have sent them a message on Messenger app; no response. I have emailed their reservations email address twice; no response. I have emailed their 'champneysonline' email address 3 times and no response. I cannot believe the lack of service and professionalism from a company that is selling 'services'. Once we've used this voucher, we will NEVER go to a Champneys again.......

Stopped at the old hall buxton 25 Jan 2026.
Booked a double king-size bed for our anniversary and ended up with 2 single beds pushed together with a gap the size of the grand canyon with 2 single duvets. This room has never seen a king-size bed in it.

All of the staff at Henlow are great and its the small little personal touches that really make a difference....Briche never forgets to give me a dressing gown as she remembers how much I love them!! Thankyou for being you Briche...💕💕

Our overnight stay at Henlow Grange has been super! Returning after 14 years break, we have enjoyed the facilities, and especially the food! All the staff were so lovely, but particularly Jackie, who looked after us at breakfast and all the staff in the coffee lounge. We really want to leave and most definitely will be back 🤩

Enjoyable two night stay at Champneys Tring. I was abit worried because of the reviews but it was a wonderful experience. Staff very polite and customer orientated. Food outstanding and lots of variety with generous portions. Large range of treatments and goods to purchase and vast choice of fitness classes every day. Tried Reformer Pilates for the first time. Large room leading onto to extensive grounds which we would have loved to explore if it wasnt for the constant rain. Louise in Terrace Cafe a joy as well as restaurant staff. Highly recommend. Only downside was my husband went for the Cryroytherapy which they advertise on the website (and in the rooms) but they don't provide and haven't for a while so a big disappointment for him and misleading. Also be aware that there is no bar. Alcohol is only wine with dinner. No beer and only way to get a drink is to drive to high street!!