The evolution of Cowshed, from Babington House and beyond
An old cowshed in rural Somerset might seem an unlikely place for a luxury spa, but over 25 years ago it became an integral part of the now iconic Babington House, the first Soho House club to open outside of London.
Rewind to 1998: “I wanted to build a relaxed home-from-home space in the countryside for our members; something different to the traditional country house hotel experience,” says Nick Jones – founder of Soho House & Co, a private members club group as renowned as it is sprawling. “I wanted guests to have a full English breakfast at four o’clock in the afternoon if they wanted it, and offer a menu where ingredients came from our own walled garden. Cowshed was a natural extension of all this – members wanted to relax when they got to Babington, so a spa made sense and we created Cowshed taking inspiration and ingredients from the grounds around the House.”
A retreat within a retreat, the spa became a wellbeing extension of the clubs’ signature sociable hospitality for guests. Think, a pedicure accompanied by a coffee and paper, or a facial followed by fizz with friends: here there was never any doubt that self-care and hedonism could happily coexist.
Today there are 14 global Cowshed spas, including the six in the UK (the others being a standalone in Primrose Hill, London, and those located within the capital's Shoreditch House and The Ned, Oxfordshire's Soho Farmhouse, and Cornwall's St Moritz Hotel). They’re such a hit, Jones feels, given they reflect the values of the Houses cohesively. “We designed Cowshed spas to be a warm, relaxing, comforting space – nothing that was overly-clinical or taking itself too seriously. Our team members and therapists play a hugely important part in this; they are extremely knowledgeable and friendly, able to quickly figure out what a guest wants from their spa experience, and of course giving them a fantastic treatment.” But those who aren't in the House club, or paying to stay at the properties, aren't excluded from Cowshed: today the spas are open to both members and non-members for treatments.
When it comes to the treatments, they aren’t prescriptive, Cat Wigmore, the company's head of health and wellness tells me. “Our treatments are truly unique to each guest,” the therapists determining what you need from your treatment and providing a bespoke service accordingly. “Relaxation is key, whether that’s through detoxification techniques and a herbal tea, or a pedicure and foot massage with a glass of cold champagne or a brownie – whatever way you can expect to leave feeling zen.”
It's the latter treatment that Wigmore herself would first opt for off-duty. “There is something about an Ultimate Cowshed Pedicure which feels like pure luxury,” she shares – and having had a few myself over my time as a beauty journalist, I wholeheartedly concur. “I challenge anyone to walk into a Cowshed Spa, and not be wowed by our manicure and pedicure space,” she says noting how the super-sized armchairs are instantly synonymous with the brand, “and sitting in them feels like you’re sinking into a Cowshed cuddle”. Beyond this, with expert attention to detail, therapists “remove every trace of dry skin, transform tired feet and nourish your skin” – so you walk away with real results, too.
The discernible Cowshed products are central to the spa’s success, too. When Cowshed was born at Babington, the bathroom and spa products on the market weren’t what Jones wanted to offer members, so they experimented with their own. “Our therapists would concoct masks and balms and a local perfumer helped us develop the range into what it is today,” he explains. “While Cowshed is now stocked in all of our Houses and Spas, we have always stayed true to our Babington roots and used nature’s finest ingredients to create a product that puts emphasis on how you feel.” A fragrant feat of a line-up, the good-vibe products centre on essential oils intended to deliver therapeutic benefits – ones that guests wanted to take home. “Demand soon spread beyond members and so the natural next step was to make Cowshed available to buy in our spas, on cowshed.com and with select retailers, making it accessible to more people. We are delighted that over 25 years on there is still just as much love for Cowshed as there was when we started.”
Once cheekier, the brand (as is true of the spa) “has grown up with our members,” Jones admits. “When we launched Cowshed, our range had a playful twist, with names like Wild Cow, Knackered Cow, Moody Cow and so on – no matter how you were feeling, Cowshed would have something to help pep you up. But behind the playful names, we’ve always taken what we produce very seriously: a commitment to natural, uplifting ingredients, recyclable packaging and non-eco-toxic products.” A brand refresh in 2019, tweaking product identity, “gave us an opportunity to be more simplistic in how we talk about our moods using more modern names such as Sleep, Active, Indulge, Replenish and Relax”. All convey the benefits their ingredients provide, he explains, remaining true to the brand's claim of being the original mood-boosting bodycare – a category that's booming, with the market accounting for $31.26B of the $181.20B skincare industry in 2023, and search terms such as 'body skincare routine' growing by 1,025 per cent last year.
Currently, the Cowshed Shelfie Set is the House's most coveted collection on sale, allowing for a slice of some Babington county calm wherever you are. Take the home-from-home ethos literally, I say.
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