8 Great Spas In The UK
BEST FOR COUPLES
Pennyhill Park, Surrey
What To Expect: This award-winning spa is surrounded by 123 acres of private, picturesque Surrey countryside. After a £1.2m refurbishment a few years ago, the spa now has impressive facilities, including indoor and outdoor pools, experience showers, a tepidarium, hot tubs, an ice cave, herbal sauna, laconium, aromatic schnapps steam room, relaxation lounge and a ballroom pool with underwater music. Guests can also use giant treatment beds and a two-person rasul chamber – something you won’t find elsewhere in the UK.
What To Book: With an extensive treatment list to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Highlights include the Aromasoul Body Ritual – an aromatherapy massage and a deep exfoliation to relieve tired skin; the Infused Body Wrap – a smoothing and hydrating body wrap to improve circulation that will leave your skin feeling silky soft; and the ‘face lift’ facial to treat fine lines and tighten the skin, without any micro injections.
Price: Treatments start from £30; spa days start from £110pp.
Visit Exclusive.co.uk
Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire
What To Expect: The original spa retreat, Ragdale Hall is a favourite for good reason. The country house hotel in the Leicestershire countryside is known for its well-priced treatments and excellent facilities. Among the impressive range of facilities, there’s a rooftop infinity pool, indoor and outdoor pool, volcanic salt bath, steam room and fitness studio and gym. Guests can also relax in caves filled with aromatherapy oils and use two tennis courts in the grounds.
What To Book: There are over 100 treatments to choose from, but we recommend 20 minutes of aqua massage where you float on a bed which simulates wave patterns. The Elemis Biotec Facial is also worth booking – wrinkles are targeted with microcurrent pulses followed by massage and sculpting to improve skin tone an elasticity.
Price: Treatments start from £25; spa days start from £109.
Visit RagdaleHall.co.uk
BEST WITH FRIENDS
Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa, Warwickshire
What To Expect: If you’re after a relaxing weekend with friends, Billesley Manor offers guests a 360° approach to wellness, where guests can take part in outdoor activities and book in for treatments. The hotel recently partnered with ESPA to create a new range of wellness therapies, from facials to hot stone massages, all of which take place in simple yet stylish treatment rooms. There’s also a 12m indoor pool, a sauna and steam room and a gym. During the summer months, guests can take part in aqua aerobics classes and Pilates in the landscaped gardens.
What To Book: A 25-minute personalised ESPA facial will help restore tired and dull skin, while the deep cleansing facial can target specific skincare concerns, like fine lines and a dull complexion. For something a little different, the Nourishing Lower Leg & Foot Treatment includes a lower leg and foot exfoliation, massage, heated booties and an OPI nail treatment.
Price: Treatments start from £40; spa days start from £65pp.
Visit BillesleyManor.com
The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village, Lancashire
What To Expect: Ribby Hall Village won Spa of the Year at The Good Spa Awards earlier this year, so you can expect to be in good hands. Set in the Lancashire countryside, not far from Preston, the spa revolves around a stunning glass structure overlooking a garden with an outdoor hot tub and sauna area. Elsewhere, there’s a hydrotherapy pool with varying heat experiences, a herbal sauna, steam room, saunarium, tepidarium and a Balinese salt inhalation room. There’s even a mud chamber for full-body wraps. Guests can choose from treatments using Elemis or Neom products, before dining in the Orangery Restaurant or enjoying afternoon tea at the Champagne Bar.
What To Book: The Gold Ritual helps renew and regenerate skin cells – ideal for mature skin. The 90-minute treatment includes a welcome ritual with a foot soak, a gentle body exfoliation and wrap, and a scalp and back massage. A deep hot stone massage is also worth the splurge.
Price: Treatments start from £90; spa days start from £160pp.
Visit RibbyHall.co.uk
TOBY MITCHELL
No.15 By GuestHouse, Bath
What To Expect: Bath has no shortage of excellent hotels and B&Bs, but No.15 by GuestHouse is one of our favourites. Its spa is located in the basement with neutral colours and a Copper Room for couples or friends who want to relax together in its round copper bath with magnesium that alleviate aches and pains. Ideal for a restorative afternoon, therapists use luxury eco-friendly products that contain natural ingredients for those with sensitive skin.
What To Book: Start the day with an hour in the Copper Room followed by a Lessen Your Stress treatment which includes a targeted massage and a facial using organic products.
Price: Treatments start from £105.
Visit GuestHouseHotels.co.uk
BEST FOR A SOLO BREAK
King’s Head Hotel, Gloucestershire
What To Expect: For a cosy weekend away, book a spa day at King’s Head in the Cotswolds. Located in the hotel’s underground vaults, the spa is spread across a main relaxation area and a few treatment rooms with exposed brickwork. You won’t find a huge range of facilities, but the cosy setting offers one of the most relaxaing atmospheres on this list. Guests can use two hot tubs an infrared sauna, steam room and shower, before enjoying a treatment in one of the subterranean rooms.
What To Book: All treatments use Elemis products, including a 75-minute full-body massage with a mini facial which costs a reasonable £95.
Price: Treatments start from £30; spa days start from £100pp.
Visit KingsHead-Hotel.co.uk
The Spa at Lucknam Park, Wiltshire
What To Expect: Located just outside Bath in picturesque Wiltshire, Lucknam Park is surrounded by 500 acres of listed parkland and is home to an equestrian centre with 35 horses. Set within the hotel’s walled gardens, the spa underwent an extensive renovation earlier this summer and has partnered with 111Skin and Bath-based Natural Spa Factory. The new spa menu includes a variety of treatments including the Celestial Black Diamond Non-Surgical Face Lift – an intensive facial using science-led formulas – and the Cryo Cellulite Treatment, a unique contouring treatment that utilises cryotherapy and 111SKIN products to gently alleviate stubborn cellulite. Guests can also relax in the Japanese Salt Room (perfect for detoxing), a 20m pool with a glass ceiling, and a studio for yoga, Pilates and guided meditation.
What To Book: We love the sound of the new 111SKIN Rose Gold Radiance Facial which involves a smoothing wand and special rose quartz crystals to target fine lines and leave skin feeling fresh and revitalised. For total relaxation, treat yourself to the Molecular Hydration Face, Body & Scalp Treatment designed to deeply moisturise the body, face and scalp.
Price: Treatments start from £130; spa days start from £170pp.
Visit LucknamPark.co.uk
Alexander House Hotel, Sussex
What To Expect: We defy you not to feel pampered in the award-winning Alexander House Hotel, nestled in rolling countryside just an hour outside of London. With an extensive treatment list that goes beyond standard offerings, this is a spa to be taken seriously – guests can relax in the hydrotherapy pool, outdoor saunas, private hot tubs and steam rooms. Plus, the hotel has opted for a more decadent approach to spa dining – think bottomless afternoon tea and a three AA Rosette restaurant.
What To Book: Expect a range of massages and Oskia facials, plus full-body treatments tailored to individual needs. During a Utopia Bamboo Massage, you’ll be massaged with warmed bamboo sticks to break down tension and reduce stress – something a little different from a standard massage.
Price: Treatments start from £105; spa days (available for half and full days) start from £150pp.
Visit AlexanderHotels.co.uk
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