Spring 2010 - Shipshape Magazine Bristol

feature
Saved from developers
and transformed into an
urbane urban oasis, Clifton’s
Lido is making waves for
Bristol’s sybarites
urban retreat
Down an unassuming side street in Clifton, far
from the madding crowds (and maddening
students), you’ll find a little piece of holistic
heaven. Indeed, if your idea of luxury is enjoying
lazy laps in an alfresco pool followed by a lazy
brunch in a fancy restaurant, you probably
already have Clifton’s Lido on speed dial.
Since opening just over a year ago, the Lido has
fast become the go-to destination for Bristolians
looking for a piece of poolside pampering. But
dig a little deeper and you’ll find a history that’s
as colourful as those cubicle curtains.
The Lido originally opened its doors in 1850,
charging one shilling for entry (including two
towels), and remained in business for the next
100 years. Sometime in the 1930s it became
the first electrically heated pool in the UK, but
by 1990 the Lido had lost its lustre and closed
after allegedly springing a leak.
After enduring over a decade of uncertainty,
along came Bristol’s Glassboat Company
(the team behind the Glassboat and Spyglass
restaurants) who took this dilapidated 19th
century building and, with the help of local
campaigners, saved it from developers,
transforming it into a stylish oasis. Out went
Words Rebecca Ewing
this pic: the low-chlorine,
heated infinity pool. Inset:
delicious treats on offer in the
restaurant and bar
the decaying pool (and with it the plans to turn
the site into flats) and in came tranquil colours,
candy-stripe curtains, a first-class cafe and
restaurant, and a deeply indulgent spa.
The Lido finally reopened for business
in November 2008 – some 18 years after it
last closed its doors – marking a satisfying
and successful end to two years’ painstaking
restoration work bringing this grade II listed
building back to life.
The hard work has paid off: the Lido was
awarded a four-bubble rating from the Good
Spa Guide (the UK’s top independent spa
guide), won the Best Small Renewable Energy
Scheme in the South West England Green
Energy Awards and even made an appearance
on BBC’s The One Show. You, on the other
hand, get to enjoy the low-chlorine, heated
infinity pool, sauna and steam room, restaurant
and poolside bar, and the Lido Spa, which
offers a range of classic, holistic and seasonal
treatments for both sexes (see panel).
Spend a day at the Lido, say the owners,
and you’ll feel as though you’ve been on a
luxury weekend break. Shipshape, for one,
can’t wait to test that theory out.
LIDO swIm & DIne Offer turn tO page 19
super spa
top 5 treatments
the perfect Hawaiian ritual 120 minutes
of pure indulgence. enjoy a black sand
scrub with white ginger before the
Hawaiian lomi lomi massage works out
all the knots ... Kundalini Back massage
Your beautician will blend essential oils
and the ancient techniques of massage
and chakra healing to help balance
your nervous system ... Bio-energising
Body wrap feeling drained? this scrub
followed by a full body wrap helps
revitalise the skin and draw toxins from
the body ... rainforest rejuvenation
facial restorative facial that uses extracts
from the amazonian rainforest to help
remove toxins and encourage natural cell
regeneration ... Lido Classic full Body
massage Keep it simple with this classic
one-hour massage
Lido Restaurant, Spa & Pool, Oakfield
Place, Bristol, BS8 2BJ.
0117 933 9530, spa@lidobristol.com,
lidobristol.com
Shipshape seventeen