By Adam Robb, Town and Country
Following the call of a bagpiper who beckoned us from the lobby of the Balmoral hotel, we marched onto Princes Street then down the steps of Waverley station, boarding the chain of Pullman cars that form the Belmond's Royal Scotsman for a three-day chug, looping through the Scottish Highlands, up to Glen Nevis, and back to Edinburgh.
[post_ads]And while it's unsurprising the operator of the next generation Orient-Express draws an international cast of curious characters on all its excursions, the common denominator between the midwestern billionaire's biographer, the Turkish antiquities dealer, and the Uzbekistan wrestling coach whose children required no less than three nannies, was no more than the pursuit of pampered tranquility in peaty air.
So as we swapped names in the viewing car on our roll up to Loch Lomond, and traded teacups for snifters as summer faded with the sunset, our attention was commanded not by a Belgian detective, but a pair of immaculate English rose-cheeked clinicians eager to book us into the locomotive's newest extension, a Bamford Haybarn spa car, the first rolling oasis from the holistic wellness maven Lady Carole Bamford: two scenic treatment rooms, bookending two downy tartan sleeper suites, where we could ascend Ben Nevis on our stomach, as masseuses descended on the terrain of our tissue. Here's what the full experience entailed.
Following the call of a bagpiper who beckoned us from the lobby of the Balmoral hotel, we marched onto Princes Street then down the steps of Waverley station, boarding the chain of Pullman cars that form the Belmond's Royal Scotsman for a three-day chug, looping through the Scottish Highlands, up to Glen Nevis, and back to Edinburgh.
[post_ads]And while it's unsurprising the operator of the next generation Orient-Express draws an international cast of curious characters on all its excursions, the common denominator between the midwestern billionaire's biographer, the Turkish antiquities dealer, and the Uzbekistan wrestling coach whose children required no less than three nannies, was no more than the pursuit of pampered tranquility in peaty air.
So as we swapped names in the viewing car on our roll up to Loch Lomond, and traded teacups for snifters as summer faded with the sunset, our attention was commanded not by a Belgian detective, but a pair of immaculate English rose-cheeked clinicians eager to book us into the locomotive's newest extension, a Bamford Haybarn spa car, the first rolling oasis from the holistic wellness maven Lady Carole Bamford: two scenic treatment rooms, bookending two downy tartan sleeper suites, where we could ascend Ben Nevis on our stomach, as masseuses descended on the terrain of our tissue. Here's what the full experience entailed.
The train has a view to remember.
Panoramic windows dominate the length of every train car, including the treatment rooms, prompting passing commuters on a parallel track to occasionally succumb to jealousy or disbelief when they witness a full-body jet-lag massage in motion.
The staff is always ready and waiting.
Following an afternoon spent on the Isle of Bute, where we toured the house and gardens of Mount Stuart, a prestigious 19th-century estate home to one of the country's largest collections of family portraiture, we realized we could use some touching up of our own, and committed to a bespoke facial. And while the treatment rooms lack a stately fireplace, our treatment begins with a fragrant blessing of Palo Santo wood embers.
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There are amenities everywhere.
Passing from the treatment room to the dining room, guests encounter a glass case doubling as a boutique which offers the full spectrum of products from Kure Bazaar, including full-sized bottles of the Bamford toiletries restocked daily in every stateroom's shower.
You can bring the experience home.
Products for sale included everything we needed to rehydrate, from lip balm to Life Elixir, after sweeping winds took their toll on us as we ascended Glen Nevis to Steall Waterfall.
Massages include deft touches.
A masseuse prepares the massage bed for a signature treatment which combines Shiatsu, Meridian, and Swedish techniques.
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The treatment rooms are especially welcoming.
Airy treatment rooms outfitted in white marble and sustainable wood from Scotland and the Cotswolds offer ample space to exhale.
There are aromatics for every mood.
Before a deep-tissue massage, we received a brief education in the brand's aromatic oils as scents conceived for energy, focus, and relaxation are waved beneath our nose.
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The experience was one to remember.
In the hours leading up to our final evening's formal dinner, the Bamford technicians performed manicures and pedicures in tandem throughout the afternoon. My own nails were buffed to a shine that matched my companion's jewels, which were kept doubly secure locked in a safe by our train host, a retired British naval officer.
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