Sequoia Spa at The Grove: Only Full Days Get the Garden

Booking the Sequoia Spa at The Grove is one of those decisions where the package you choose matters more than the spa itself. The facilities are genuinely good. What catches people out is that the three main day options do not give you the same access, and the difference between them is not a treatment or a lunch: it is whether you get through the gate into the Walled Garden at all.

This is a straight run through what you actually get at each level, plus the practical details The Grove buries in its own small print.

Where it is and getting in

The Grove sits at Chandler’s Cross on the edge of Watford, postcode WD3 4TG. Do not put that in your satnav. The hotel’s own advice is to navigate to WD17 3NL instead, then follow the signs for Sequoia Parking on arrival and take the steps down to spa reception. Getting this wrong means a slow crawl round a very large estate.

The spa is open 6am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and 7.30am to 8pm at weekends and on bank holidays. Last entry is half an hour before closing, and you are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before your treatment. Turn up late and the treatment is shortened rather than extended, which is standard but worth planning around if you are driving out from London on a Friday.

The three day packages, and what each actually includes

Full spa day. A treatment, use of the spa facilities, lunch at Sequoia Kitchen, and, in season, access to the outdoor pool and Ralph’s Beach in the Walled Garden. This is the only booking that opens the Walled Garden to a non-resident.

Spa Experience. Facilities plus a treatment, available Monday to Friday from 9am to 9pm, with treatments starting at 10.00, 11.30, 13.30, 15.00, 16.30 or 18.00. No lunch and, importantly, no outdoor pool or beach. You can add food separately.

Mini Spa Day. A half day running 9am to 2pm, Monday to Saturday, with facilities, a treatment at 10.00 and brunch at 11.30.

There is a fourth thing people book by accident, and it is the one to avoid: a treatment-only booking does not include the spa facilities, the changing rooms or even the shower areas. If you want the pool and the thermal rooms, you have to book a package that says so.

Inside: what the facilities are

The centrepiece is a 22-metre indoor pool lined in black mosaic, kept at a uniform depth of around 1.2 metres. That makes it a lounging and floating pool rather than a serious lane pool, so if you were planning a proper swim, adjust expectations. Alongside it sit a jacuzzi, a sauna, a steam room, experience showers, a ladies-only wellness pool and a tranquillity room for post-treatment collapsing, plus separate relaxation rooms.

The Grove lists 18 treatment rooms, with therapists working from the Bamford and Natura Bissé ranges. The house treatment is the Sequoia Signature Massage, which blends Swedish, Shiatsu and Thai techniques rather than sticking to one tradition. If you are not sure what to ask for, our guide to spa massages covers the differences.

There is also a full fitness studio with Technogym equipment, Peloton bikes and a class timetable, which is more than most day spas bother with.

The Spa Terrace: ice baths and the outdoor sauna

The newer addition is the outdoor Spa Terrace, with an outdoor sauna seating up to six and ice baths offered at either 5°C or 10°C. The ice baths need booking in advance, you pick your temperature when you reserve, and the spa’s own guidance is a maximum of three minutes, head above water, with a shower first.

One caveat to check before you build a day around it: The Grove’s ice baths page frames both the ice baths and the outdoor sauna as facilities for hotel residents and spa members. If cold-water immersion is the reason you are going, confirm your specific day package includes terrace access at the point of booking rather than assuming.

The Walled Garden and Ralph’s Beach: seasonal, and access-controlled

Ralph’s Beach is the part that makes The Grove different from every other country-house spa within reach of London: a heated outdoor pool at 1.35 metres deep, a genuine sand beach, daybeds, and a bar serving drinks from 10am to 6pm with food from 11am to 5pm.

Two things govern whether you see it.

First, the season. The Grove’s own page states the outdoor pool and beach are open until 13 September, with weekday hours of 10am to 6pm and 9am to 6pm at weekends and in school holidays. Outside that window the Walled Garden is not part of the offer, so a full spa day booked in November is a different, and indoor, proposition. The hotel also reserves the right to close the outdoor pool at short notice for weather or private hire.

Second, access. Ralph’s Beach is limited to hotel residents, full spa day guests and Walled Garden members. A Spa Experience booking does not get you in.

Children, phones and the other rules

Under-16s cannot use the spa facilities at all unless they are hotel residents or the children of a spa member. Where that applies, children aged 12 and over may use the indoor pool between 3pm and 5pm daily, accompanied by an adult. There is a separate pool, Anouska’s, aimed at younger swimmers, with children of 12 and under needing an adult with them.

Mobile phones and cameras are not allowed anywhere in the spa. Towels, robes and slippers are provided; swimwear is the thing to remember to pack. If you are new to this, our notes on what to wear to a spa day cover the rest.

Is it worth it?

For a treatment plus a long afternoon indoors, plenty of places do the same job closer to home, and our Hertfordshire-adjacent roundups cover the alternatives. What The Grove has that they do not is the Walled Garden, and that is precisely the bit gated behind the full spa day and the summer season. Book the full day between roughly May and mid-September and it is a distinctive, sunny, slightly surreal day out. Book a Spa Experience in February and you are paying country-house prices for a very nice indoor pool.

If you are considering staying over instead, an overnight puts the terrace, the ice baths and the morning gym slot within reach without the package rules; see our overnight spa breaks roundup for how that compares.

Frequently asked questions

Does a spa day at the Sequoia Spa include the Walled Garden? Only a full spa day does. The Grove includes complimentary access to the outdoor pool and Ralph’s Beach with full spa days, and Ralph’s Beach is otherwise restricted to hotel residents and Walled Garden members. Spa Experience and treatment-only bookings do not include it.

What are the Sequoia Spa opening hours? 6am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and 7.30am to 8pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing, and you should arrive at least 15 minutes before a treatment.

When does the outdoor pool at The Grove close for the season? The Grove’s Ralph’s Beach page gives 13 September as the last day of the outdoor pool and beach season, with hours of 10am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 6pm at weekends and in school holidays. The hotel can also close it at short notice for bad weather or private hire, so check before travelling.

Can children use the Sequoia Spa? Not on a day visit. Under-16s are excluded from the facilities unless they are hotel residents or the children of a spa member, and even then the indoor pool is limited to ages 12 and over between 3pm and 5pm, with an adult present.

What postcode should I use to drive to The Grove? The address postcode is WD3 4TG, but The Grove advises using WD17 3NL for satnav. Once on site, follow the signs for Sequoia Parking, then take the steps down to spa reception.

Do I get spa access if I only book a treatment? No. A treatment-only booking excludes the spa facilities, the changing rooms and the shower areas. If you want the pool, sauna and steam room, book a Spa Experience, a Mini Spa Day or a full spa day.

Are the ice baths included in a spa day? Book them in advance and confirm with the spa. The ice baths at 5°C and 10°C and the outdoor sauna on the Spa Terrace are described by The Grove as being for hotel residents and spa members, so day guests should check that their package includes terrace access rather than turning up expecting it.