Champneys
Encyclopedia
Destination spa
A destination spa is a short term residential/lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters...
group in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Champneys Health Resorts Group own four spa resorts and has become one of the largest destination spa operators in the world. The companies are owned by mother and son, Dorothy and Stephen Purdew.
History
Dorothy Purdew set up a slimming club business and opened her first club on 25 June 1970 at Frimleys, Northampton. It was a success and led to over 70 clubs opening throughout the South East. In September 1981 Dorothy and her husband Robert purchased Henlow Grange and one of their sons Stephen joined the company. Following the death of Robert Purdew, Stephen took over management of the group.In 1990 they purchased Springs Health Farm in Leicestershire, followed by another health farm at Forest Mere in 1995. The Hotel de la Paix, a ski hotel in Champéry
Champéry
Champéry is a municipality in the district of Monthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Champéry is first mentioned in 1286 as Champery...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, was purchased in 1996. In 2002, Henlow Grange suffered a fire but was renovated. The last purchase was Champneys Tring, which with the Champneys name, led to the re-branding of all the resorts. The Champneys name originated from Ralph de Champneys who owned the Tring mansion in 1307. It was opened as the UK’s first health farm in 1925 by naturopath Stanley Lieff, who pioneered the concept of holistic health
Holistic health
Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine...
and naturopathy.
In 2004, Champneys launched a range of spa products called the Champneys Collection, and in 2006 Champneys opened a high street spa in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
. "Champneys Day Spas" have now opened in eight other locations: Enfield
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Tunbridge Wells, St. Albans, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and Bath.
Champneys International College of Health & Beauty
Resorts
The chain has four resorts in the United Kingdom:- Champneys Henlow, HenlowHenlowHenlow is a village and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England.RAF Henlow, is located nearby, but is in fact nearer to the village of Stondon...
, Bedfordshire - Champneys Forest Mere, LiphookLiphookLiphook is a large village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.1 miles west of Haslemere, on the A3 road, and lies on the Hampshire/West Sussex border.Liphook has its own railway station, on the Portsmouth Direct Line....
, Hampshire - Champneys Springs, Ashby-de-la-ZouchAshby-de-la-ZouchAshby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
, Leicestershire - Champneys Tring, WiggintonWigginton, HertfordshireWigginton is a large village and civil parish running north-south and perched at on the edge of the Chiltern Hills in the county of Hertfordshire and aside the border with Buckinghamshire...
, Hertfordshire