The English hotel with one of the UK's poshest spas… but it's only for dogs
The hotel also offers much for pups' owners to enjoy
PAWFECT GETAWAY The English hotel with one of the UK's poshest spas… but it's only for dogs
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
NESTLED in Somerset's Mendip hills, boutique hotel Charlton House is home to one of the UK's poshest spas.
But its clients aren't blushing brides and well-coiffed country folk – the spa is for DOGS, and my four-legged companion Harry was about to have the time of his life.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Charlton House is a grade II-listed mansion with grand fountains and lush lawns
2
Top dog groomer Kelly Davis with The Sun's Julie and her dog Harry
Credit: Marc Giddings
The Montigo Resorts Somerset hotel in Somerset also offers much for pups' owners to enjoy – a grade II-listed mansion with grand fountains and lush lawns.
The real star of the show, though, is Kelly Davis, a former hairdresser who was crowned best dog groomer in the country and owns KD Pet Spa.
She shot to fame after winning BBC competition Pooch Perfect in 2022 – presented by Gavin & Stacey star Sheridan Smith – and now has a few celebrity clients although can't say who.
Dogs can tell 'doggy' people straightaway, and Kelly instantly won over my two-year-old black-and-white mixed breed.
Inside, her lavender-scented spa is a little different to those I've seen before. There's two small treatment tables, a huge sink area for shampooing, and a counter featuring an array of fancy pet products.
While Harry snuggled on a cushion, I answered questions about his allergies, and likes and dislikes, then it was time for his . . . blueberry facial.
The treatment involves a mask made from fresh blueberries, coconut oil and a little water, which is 'full of antioxidants'.
Kelly explains: 'It calms the skin, relieves any itchiness and brightens and whitens the coat.'
Harry probably would have eaten it, if he hadn't been so mesmerised by the motion of Kelly's fingers, gently smoothing the mixture on to his face.
The solution was left on for ten minutes, while Harry relaxed to classical music.
Take a look inside this luxurious dog hotel in New York
After it was washed off, Harry had a deshedding treatment, to remove hair from his undercoat.
The price varies, depending on the type of coat, but for 22kg Harry, who has short, straight hair, it would cost around £70.
For those not in the know, the treatment is more than just a brush. The tool used is part comb and part razor, getting all the loose hair out and leaving Harry looking a few pounds lighter.
But the key to Kelly's success is not her treatments. It is the way she bonds with pets.
She says: 'There must be trust. We deal with their teeth, bottoms, paws and all over, so it's quite intimate, which can't be done if the dog doesn't trust me. I treat them how I'd like to be treated myself.'
Elsewhere in the hotel, guests can take advantage of the human spa which features eight treatment rooms and a thermal area, as well as restaurants, including dog-friendly joints, serving Asian grub, steaks and all-day brunch.
Kelly adds: 'Owners know their dog is being well treated and they come back feeling relaxed. They can drop in and out if they want to check on their pet.'
The hotel has 28 dog-friendly rooms, too.
You'd be barking mad not to check it out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Statesman
an hour ago
- New Statesman
A new era for the New Statesman
Welcome to a new era of the New Statesman. I hope it will be much like the last, updated for our new age. 'We do not propose… to ignore the tradition long associated with English weekly reviews,' wrote the first editor of this journal, Clifford Sharp, in the Leader of the very first issue in 1913: 'But our critical standpoint will be fresh.' As then, so now. There is something a little daunting about assuming a role once held by the likes of Sharp, Kingsley Martin, Paul Johnson and, of course, Jason Cowley. In fact, rather like Keir Starmer – the subject of this week's cover story – before the general election, I feel as though I have been handed some beautiful Ming vase which I must protect until I pass it on to the next trustee in years to come, dusted off and – I hope – newly polished. An editor can dream. For much of the last few months, I have been absorbing myself in the magazine's history and picking the brains of those who know it best. A special thank you must go to Tom Gatti, the magazine's outgoing acting editor. The result is before you: an issue I hope is true to all that has made the magazine great, but fresh all the same. We have made no drastic alterations. All the great writers you have come to love are there: Kate Mossman, Nicholas Lezard, Andrew Marr, Hannah Barnes. The changes are gentle and true to the title's history. How could I do otherwise? This is the magazine of Virginia Woolf and Martin Amis, not to mention Mehdi Hasan, Stephen Bush, Patrick Maguire and Helen Lewis. We were founded as a weekly review of politics and literature, and remain so. Only now we cover more. The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a change to the strapline: the New Statesman, reviewing politics and culture since 1913. We are a magazine of writers, but one that must look good too, as you can see from this week's extraordinary front cover put together by our head of design, Erica Weathers. Here is the Prime Minister as few have seen him, thanks to the wizardry of photographer Phil Sharp, and our creative editor, Gerry Brakus. Starmer himself is the central focus of this issue, a man of far deeper emotions than I had expected. My profile of this most normal, and abnormal, of prime ministers is here. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Elsewhere, we have an expanded Commons Confidential and a refreshed culture section, now called The New Society – a nod to the magazine of the same name that was absorbed into the New Statesman in 1988. We have a few new additions: a sketch, written this week by the magazine's new deputy editor, Will Lloyd, a new column from Lamorna Ash and, to close the magazine, a piece 'From the Archives'. This week it features a ferocious polemic by Paul Johnson from 1977, castigating the government of Jim Callaghan one year into his premiership. Elsewhere, the talented Nicholas Harris finds himself overwhelmed by nostalgia as he chats to Geoff Dyer about a lost England. Sondos Sabra details the everyday horror of life in Gaza with a dispatch of piercing tenderness. James Marriott offers a eulogy to English literature, which he believes is fading from our culture. To round off the edition we have a hopeful dispatch from Syria by David Miliband, columns from Finn McRedmond and Rachel Cunliffe, and a Diary taking us behind the scenes of Donald Trump's America from His Majesty's most loyal ambassador, Peter Mandelson. Over the coming weeks and months there will be much more to come, but the essence of the magazine will never change. 'We shall deal with all political, social, religious and intellectual questions; but in doing so we shall be bound by no ties of party, class or creed,' declared the Leader over a century ago. A spirit of detachment was required, it argued. 'The cultivation of such a spirit and its deliberate application to matters of current controversy is the task which the New Statesman has set for itself.' It is the task to which I happily recommit the magazine 112 years later. [See also: What Keir Starmer can't say] Related
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Most hated city in Europe' where Brits love to go on holiday
Benidorm is one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations, welcoming some 800,000 British tourists a year - but that doesn't mean it's not also one of the most controversial Benidorm has been branded 'The worst place on Earth' by some, despite the resort town attracting roughly 800,000 British holidaymakers annually. Indeed, for certain travellers, its unenviable title stems precisely because of the influx of Brits each year. This Spanish seaside city, famous for its "strip" crammed with bars and nightclubs, revels in a reputation of limitless revelry where drunken antics and indecent exposure are as typical of the vacation experience as sunshine and sandy shores. YouTuber Ben Morris set off to Benidorm investigating whether its infamous notoriety is merited, pointing out that many attribute the resort's issues primarily to one thing: "Brits abroad." Ben observes that English is far more common than Spanish even in the scenic Old Town, stating: "Lots of people refer to Benidorm as 'Mini Britain,' with the British greatly surpassing the local population." He was taken aback by the sheer number of people thronging the streets, saying: "I knew that this was a popular holiday destination but I was really thrown off by how busy it actually was." However genteel Benidorm seems by day, the night transforms it completely, reports the Express. As darkness falls, encounters with illicit drug peddlers and, curiously, condom vendors become routine, targeting inebriated tourists to splurge their holiday funds. "I just couldn't get over how different the energy was at night-time," Ben said. "It was like feeding time at the zoo with Brits drinking and partying all down the streets." The bustling Calle Gerona is tailored for a certain type of holidaymaker. "It's just crazy walking down the strip; it's pub after pub after sports bar after pub," Ben remarked. One infamous destination in Benidorm, Sticky Vicky's, notorious for its peculiar adult performance involving unexpected objects and a woman's nether regions, remains open even after its founder passed away in 2023. Taking the limelight is María Gadea Aragüés, Vicky's own daughter, who began mastering the unconventional family talent at the tender age of 13. Ben could only stomach roughly 10 minutes of the show before he had to make a swift exit. Yet, for those seeking a break from the brash strip's neon embrace, a short ride away lies the tranquil Altea. "It's a completely different vibe to Benidorm," Ben observes, suggesting it as a serene escape when the risqué antics of Sticky Vicky's become overwhelming.
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scots MP reveals celebrity A-listers he taught golf at world famous hotel
EXCLUSIVE: Brian Leishman taught footballers, singers and movie stars during his time at Gleneagles. A Scottish MP has revealed a list of celebrities A-listers who he coached at golf at a world-famous Scottish hotel. Labour's Brian Leishman taught footballers, singers and movie stars during his time at Gleneagles. The Alloa and Grangemouth MP gave lessons to Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, global pop sensation Shakira and Grease star John Travolta. He also taught Paisley actor Gerard Butler, Scotland football legend Gary Caldwell, English chef Heston Blumenthal and 66 Miss World contestants. But he said his work as an MP was "harder" than teaching A-listers how to swing clubs. Leishman said Shakira - best known for her 2006 number one 'Hips Don't Lie' - showed talent. He said: "Shakira was very athletic. From being a complete rank and file beginner, she took to it brilliantly. She had a lesson every day for about six or seven days and she could strike it really well." But Welsh footballer Giggs struggled: " I'm never going to [say who was the worst celeb I taught]. It's a sliding scale from being very good to not being so good. " I'll never ever say a golfer's the worst, but Ryan Giggs should stick to football." Leishman added that the Machester United legend was not as good as former Celtic centre-back Caldwell - who scored the only goal of Scotland's famous 2006 victory over France. Gerard Butler, star of historical action film 300, and American actor Travolta both received one-off lessons in the driving range at the hotel. Leishman was a professional golfer before being elected as an MP in July last year. He said he loved his job at the Perthshire resort: "I was there from November 2007 to January 2012. "I was a teaching pro so I would do individual lessons, group lessons. Playing rounds on the golf course, which is an absolute treat. Getting to play the course three or four times a week - it was brilliant. I loved it." Leishman said the celebrities "were absolutely brilliant, honestly. Really, really pleasant. "The kind of unwritten rule was that you don't ask about their professional lives. They're there to rest and relax." Leishman said his current job was more difficult: "Being an MP is much more important. It's much harder but it's also much more rewarding as well. " I've basically got about 72,000 bosses now in my constituency that I'm answerable to. " I've been a golf pro for 23 years, I've been an MP for now 11 months. This is the best job I've ever had. What a responsibility it is, what a privilege it is." But he refused to pick one celebrity he would love to teach: "Heroes are for kids. You should never meet your heroes or you'll be disappointed."
