Clover Spa - The new high-quality naturist venue in the West Midlands

Martin Warrillow enjoys a warm welcome on a cold afternoon at an exciting new naturist venue in the West Midlands.

In a previous life, I used to work on the sports desk of a well-known daily newspaper in Birmingham. It was an evening job, meaning I started my shift at 3pm and travelled the 20 miles home on near-deserted roads, watching out for bored policemen carrying speed cameras and breathalyser testers, at around 12.30am the following morning.

I did that journey five nights a week for the best part of 17 years so that it became second nature, the surroundings flashing by as I made my way home. I wonder what I would have thought had I known that now, just over two years after I stopped making that daily trek, one of the smartest, best quality indoor naturist venues in the country would lie a matter of 100 yards off my regular route?

Clover Spa, which opened just before Christmas 2010, sits on the border of Erdington and Wylde Green in the northern suburbs of Birmingham.
The brainchild of Tim Higgs, a long-time farmer and hotel owner from Warwickshire, Clover Spa pushes the boundaries of these kinds of venues. Appealing to both overnight guests and day visitors, it is already attracting positive comments from naturists all over the country for its classy ambience and welcoming atmosphere.

On the January weekend when my wife and I paid a visit, couples from the north, south and west of the UK had stopped overnight and we met one man from Glasgow who was on a three-day stay. He loves Clover Spa so much he plans to return for another weekend in the autumn.

When you pull up in the driveway, this seems to be just another suburban hotel, the likes of which can be found in cities all over the country. But once through the reception area (the only place where nudity is not allowed), you walk into a smartly appointed changing area with shelves full of crisp white towels, dressing gowns and flip-flops...yes, you don’t even need to bring your own towels.

Once guests have undressed, it’s into the hotel itself and a spa area with spotless showers, steam room, sauna, plunge pool and heated beds; yes, the beds and the floor are warmed to just the right temperature. How many other venues have thought of that?

The sauna was nicely hot but not overwhelming – it was only on my third visit that I realised I needed to remove the chain I wear around my neck, for fear of scalding myself!

From there, it’s on to the bistro area with a satellite television on the wall, a central bar from where food and drink is served by friendly and welcoming staff, with smartly appointed chairs and tables where guests can relax.

We chose not to eat, having a meal waiting for us at home, but we spoke to guests who had sampled the food and ‘Twelve out of Ten‘ seemed to be the verdict.

Just off the bistro area is the room where beauty treatments including facials, manicures, massages, reflexology and healing therapies are on offer at reasonable prices.

Upstairs, Clover Spa has seven bedrooms and the ones we saw were more than a match for those in any top-quality textile hotel.

Clearly, a huge amount of thought and effort has gone into this venue, an impression confirmed by a chat with Tim. A naturist since experiencing saunas in Finland, while on holiday as a teenager, “a good many years ago!” Tim was a farmer in Warwickshire before moving into the hotel business 18 years ago. He managed the building in which Clover Spa is now housed, as well as a sister hotel next door, for well over a decade before deciding that ‘it was now or never’ to fulfil his dream of launching this kind of venue. Building began in the summer of 2009, the ‘old‘ hotel closed at Easter 2010 and Clover Spa opened just before Christmas, shortly after some of its staff had visited BN’s Alton Towers weekend where Clover Spa acted as main sponsor and put on a display in the exhibition centre.

Since then, reaction has been nothing but positive. “We’ve had people come from all over the country and some really good comments,” said Tim. “We hope to be able to appeal to more than just established naturists, because this kind of thing can be a very good introduction for those just thinking of getting into naturism.”

Pleasingly, the neighbours in what is one of Birmingham’s smarter middle-class suburbs have also been friendly. “When we were first thinking of doing it and went around the neighbours, some people did jump to the wrong conclusion but that quickly died away,” said Tim. “We made it clear that we maintain high standards, we have fences all around the property and in the summer, when the trees are in full bloom, no-one will be able to see into the garden. The hot tub can’t be seen anyway.”

Ah, the hot tub. Mrs W and I visited Clover Spa on possibly the most miserable January Sunday you could wish for. It was cold, cloudy, rain was in the air – stepping out of the gloriously warm spa area into the wintry gloom didn’t appeal. And then, just as we were about to go back into the changing room and get dressed to go home at the end of the afternoon, we decided that it did appeal. We’re glad we did. With a water temperature of 37 degrees, it kept those parts below the water line beautifully warm while raindrops fell on our arms and shoulders – a wonderfully British naturist experience. The tub is big enough for seven or eight people and it was easy to imagine it full of happy smiling guests at 7pm on a warm summer’s evening. We already have made a resolution to go back and experience it then.

In my opinion, Clover Spa is one of the most innovative, interesting naturist venues to open in a long time. It deserves to succeed and the reactions of those who have already been seem to agree with me. If you haven’t tried it yet, I recommend you do – and don’t let distance put you off!

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