The UK’s Top Destination Spas For All Budgets
The UK’s Top Destination Spas For All Budgets

The UK’s Top Destination Spas For All Budgets

If you’ve reached the end of the year and are feeling a little burned out, a spa break could the answer. The good news is, the choice has never been so good. With plenty of beautiful swimming pools, stylish interiors and results-driven treatments on offer, these are the UK destinations worth having on your radar.
By Tor West
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Images: @SCARLETHOTEL; @RAGDALEHALLSPA
Dormy House
Dormy House

For A Long Weekend:

Schloss Roxburghe

The Vibe: A home away from home, Schloss Roxburghe is a five-star haven. Set in the Scottish borders, the charming country house hotel has everything you need for a relaxing weekend away – stunning rooms, an outstanding restaurant and fire-lit lounges and bars to snuggle up with a book (or a night cap). Due to open later this month, Schloss’s spa is one of the UK’s most exciting launches. It will focus on wellbeing and mental rejuvenation – you’ll find a heated outdoor infinity pool complete with underwater sound system, relaxation areas, a plunge pool and a state-of-the-art fitness suite. Be sure to spend time in the Finnish dry sauna, which sits half-sunken into the ground to provide unparalleled views of the Scottish countryside.

What To Book: The spa is collaborating with Aromatherapy Associates – we’ll be booking in for the Forest Therapy treatment, a full-body massage with hot stones, a mud mask, pressure point massage and mini facial. Also try a session in the aromatic sauna, which releases a fragrance of your choice.

Visit SchlossHotel-Roxburghe.com

For A Countryside Escape:

Dormy House

The Vibe: A cosy converted farmhouse, Dormy House is an SL favourite. Spread over several floors, the award-winning spa is one of the best in the UK – you’ll find a candlelit infinity pool, lavender-infused sauna (sourcing from Cotswold lavender fields), a hot juniper Finnish cabin and a salt steam room. It’s the first UK spa outside of London to offer Tata Harper treatments – an American brand known for its natural yet science-focused products – but if facials aren’t your thing, there’s an impressive range of holistic treatments on offer. The Aleksandrowicz System massages stand out: the back cure massage, for example, focuses solely on tension and knots in the back – ideal for desk-bound workers.  

What To Book: The recently launched flotation experience is ideal for those looking to get on top of stress and bring the body back into balance – a single session costs £65. Dormy House guests get unlimited access to the spa facilities, but if you’re not staying and live locally, book in for the Night Owl experience (from £165), which includes use of the pool and facilities from the early evening as well as a 60-minute treatment and credit towards supper.

Visit DormyHouse.co.uk

 

Schloss Roxburghe
Schloss Roxburghe

For Award-Winning Facilities:

Ragdale Hall

The Vibe: With numerous awards and accolades for best spa hotel experience and best retreat spa under its belt, Ragdale Hall is where you’ll find best-in-class treatments. The stunning spa, which overlooks the grounds and rolling Leicestershire countryside, offers six pools, including the stress-melting candle pool which uses lights, warmth and water to reset the nervous system; and an impressive thermal experience that includes a volcanic salt bath, rose sauna and experience showers. You’ll also find good-quality, well-priced treatments delivered by top therapists. 

What To Book: With over 100 treatments to choose from, including classic facials and massages, alternative therapies like reiki, hypnotherapy and acupuncture are also on offer. The Beauty Sleep Massage, which combines meditation with gentle massage, will calm the mind and aid deep sleep. 

Visit RagdaleHall.co.uk

For A Girl’s Weekend:

Rockliffe Hall

The Vibe: Nestled in the countryside outside Darlington, you’ll find Rockliffe Hall, a five-star hotel that’s home to one of the north east’s best spas. Even if you didn’t book a treatment, you’d leave feeling restored, thanks to the award-winning thermal bathing suite, complete with tepidarium, caldarium, infrared room, salt steam room, Roman sauna and hydro pool. The perfect place for a girl’s weekend, be sure to book time in the Spa Garden, a private area that boasts heated beds and a heated infinity pool. The best bit? The Old Hall suites and the spa are connected, so you can stumble from your bed to treatment room, and back again. 

What To Book: The Neom Wellbeing Treatment – which includes meditation, shiatsu, cranio, Thai massage, trigger point and reflexology – is utter bliss. Each treatment starts with a scent and mood consultation to select the right oil to rebalance your energy. 

Visit RockliffeHall.com

Rockcliffe Hall
Rockcliffe Hall

For Adults Only:

The Scarlet

The Vibe: If you take your spas seriously, The Scarlet won’t disappoint. Overlooking the sweeping Mawgan Porth beach in Cornwall (a ten-minute drive from Newquay), this adults-only eco-hotel blurs the boundaries between inside and out, with glass walls and infinity pools that reach into the sea. The Ayurveda-inspired spa is where the magic happens – luxury tented treatment rooms are lit by lanterns for deep relaxation. For the complete experience, be sure to book a clifftop hot tub complete with expansive views of the Atlantic. 

What To Book: For full-body relaxation, the Sarvanga massage is designed to bring scattered mental energy back into focus. A top-to-toe oil massage, the treatment finishes with an Ayurvedic facial massage. For an affordable option, consider a Scarlet Sunday, which includes an overnight stay for two, Sunday lunch, a bathing experience and full access to the spa as well as a late checkout and breakfast in bed the following day.  

Visit ScarletHotel.co.uk

For Laid-Back Seaside Vibes:

Harbour Beach Club

The Vibe: Occupying a prime position near South Sands Beach, one of the most unspoilt beaches in South Devon, the newly opened Harbour Beach Club is the definition of a hidden gem. Ideal for families, it has a laid-back, earthy vibe, and there’s plenty to keep everyone busy, including a state-of-the-art spa featuring a terrace, sauna, steam room and 12m indoor pool. While you enjoy a treatment, others can make the most of more active pursuits – the gym offers coastal hikes, sea kayaking, morning runs and calming outdoor yoga.

What To Book: The marine-inspired treatments are reasonably priced – we recommend the 60-minute Soul Soother (from £100), which combines a leg and foot exfoliation using a sea salt and sugar scrub, a stress-relieving back massage, scalp massage and face mask. Full-body massages, which use body oils tailored to your mood, are priced from £70.

Visit HarbourHotels.co.uk

The Scarlet Hotel
The Scarlet Hotel

For A Stunning Setting:

Cottonmill Spa at Sopwell House

The Vibe: Just 40 minutes from central London, Sopwell House is a stunning stately home that includes the recently refurbished Cottonmill Spa. Laid out over three floors, the modern space boasts thermal rooms, salt and steam rooms, and the country’s largest panoramic sauna with outdoor views. Perfect for warm summer days, the outdoor chillout area is made for all-day lounging. Go for The Club upgrade and you’ll get access to an additional floor where you’ll find heated beds and a Whispering Gallery for a moment of peace. Yoga and Pilates classes are also available.

What To Book: If you’re looking for something different, try the Cottonmill quartz poultice massage, which takes place on a warm, muscle-melting amber and quartz crystal bed. Warm compresses are applied to pressure points to dissolve knots and ease tension, while a soothing pressure point facial targets tension on the face and shoulders to clear the mind.

Visit SopwellHouse.co.uk

The Scarlet Hotel
The Scarlet Hotel

@SCARLETHOTEL

For A Day Retreat:

Herb House at Lime Wood

The Vibe: Down in the New Forest, just 90 minutes from central London, Lime Wood ticks every box when it comes to a luxe country escape, and the Herb House Spa is the jewel in its crown. Inspired by its forest surroundings, treatments take a holistic approach to wellbeing, incorporating products from botanical British brands – think Bamford, Voya and Sarah Chapman. Unwind before your treatment in one of the three pools: there’s an indoor, ozone-treated pool, outdoor hot tub, and a hydro pool overlooking the forest with floor-to-ceiling windows and a log-lined sauna next door. 

What To Book: Bringing together sculpting massage and powerful actives, it doesn’t get better than a Sarah Chapman facial, but if you’re looking for a full-body reset, look into Lime Wood’s new day retreats. The Forest Fix retreat starts with a healthy breakfast and is followed by a forest run and strength-focused classes before finishing with a muscle-reviving massage. Looking for a health reset? The three-day residential retreat in collaboration with Bamford incorporates sound healing, mind and movement classes and rebalancing treatments. 

Visit LimeWoodHotel.co.uk

For Stylish Sustainability:

The Spa at South Lodge

The Vibe: An impressively large space, The Spa at South Lodge was designed with sustainability in mind. There’s a ban on single-use plastic, water is cleaned through a reed bed, and robes and towels have been chosen to minimise environmental impact. The modern design of the spa (it only opened in 2019) gives it a fresh feel, and you can expect unrivalled panoramic views from the moment you step out onto the terrace, where you’ll find an outdoor vitality pool that overlooks the South Downs. The Spa at South Lodge has it all – three pools, botanical sauna, marble-lined salt and steam room, and the UK’s first heated natural swim pond. 

What To Book: Facials are offered in collaboration with iconic Hungarian brand Omorovicza. The Blue Diamond facial is the perfect pre-party treatment, combining traditional Hungarian massage to re-energise and lift the skin with cooling derma-globes to depuff and brighten. 

Visit Exclusive.co.uk

South Lodge
South Lodge

For Green Spaces:

Sequoia Spa at The Grove

The Vibe: With its black mosaic-tiled pool, heat experience rooms and specialist ESPA and Natura Bisse treatments, the award-winning Sequoia Spa is the perfect spot for a pampering spa day just outside central London. Spa facilities are only available to spa members, spa day guests and hotel residents – plus, the expert therapists are renowned for being some of the best in the business. In the summer, the gardens and plush loungers are the ideal place to unwind, so be sure to bring your book. 

What To Book: The Sequoia Inner Calm – an overnight stay, complete with an Inner Calm massage and breakfast at The Glasshouse – is the perfect midweek escape. There’s also a dedicated range of treatments for those living with and healing from cancer – proceeds from each treatment go to the UK-based Youth Cancer Trust. 

Visit TheGrove.co.uk

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