The Clarice House chain of health spas operates facilities in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich and had been searching for some time for an opportunity to expand into Essex. Offering beauty treatments, exercise facilities and swimming pools Clarice House provides the opportunity for relaxation and an escape from the stresses of everyday life. The King’s Ford Park Hotel was originally an early nineteenth century mansion which had been converted to a hotel in the early ‘70’s. By 2004 the building had become very run-down and needed a complete refurbishment when acquired by our clients. The new facility comprises a new Gymnasium, Dance Studio, Swimming Pool and Therapy Pool together with a Steam Room, Sauna and Aromatherapy Suite. The interior of the existing mansion was remodelled to give level access throughout and now provides a series of beauty treatment rooms, hairdressing salon and restaurant. The extensive estate has been re-planted with new trees to compensate for those which were necessarily removed to make way for the new buildings. The sensitivity of the site was such that the new buildings needed to remain below the tree line so as to be relatively unobtrusive; nevertheless we believe that the interior of the Spa provides the ‘wow’ factor which our client demanded.