11 UK Spas Worth The Overnight Stay
CLIVEDEN HOUSE
Where: Overlooking the Thames in Berkshire, 18 minutes from the centre of Windsor.
The Hotel: One of the most glamorous country house hotels in the country, Cliveden is filled with antiques and surrounded by 376 acres of National Trust parkland. Away from its stylish suites, there’s an award-winning restaurant and boat trips on the property’s flotilla of vintage vessels.
Spa Ethos: A calm oasis surrounded by scented roses and flowerbeds brimming with lavender, the Cliveden Spa is a five-star haven. After a lengthy renovation, the much-anticipated new facility features an aromatherapy steam room, infrared sauna and outdoor hot tubs. All treatment rooms feature water mattresses (ideal for those with joint problems and arthritis), while the pool is the only ‘listed’ outdoor pool in the UK.
Hero Treatment: One of the only places to offer Sarah Chapman facials outside of London, book in for a Stem Cell Collagen Facial, which uses micro-needling, power peels and LED for transformative results.
Something A Little Different: If you prefer your spa with a side of activity, a private Tai Chi session will help calm frantic minds and balance the body’s energy.
Price Point: OSKIA nutritional facials start from £75 while Cliveden House Massages start from £65.
BEAVERBROOK
Where: Tucked away in the Surrey Hills, Beaverbrook feels a million miles away yet is just an hour from London, and ten minutes south of the M25.
The Hotel: An extraordinary Victorian mansion reinvented as a glamorous country house hotel, there are 18 rooms (with serious character) in the main house, as well as 11 slightly more affordable rooms in the Garden House. Designed by Susie Atkinson of Soho House fame, the interiors are fitting for a property of this stature.
Spa Ethos: The recently opened Coach House Spa is also work of art. Designed by world-renowned artist Brian Clarke, the stained-glass windows and tile-work were created to mirror the surrounding Surrey countryside. There are botanical nods throughout the rest of the spa too – therapy rooms are themed around a locally-grown plant or flower and products are made using herbs from the house’s apothecary garden. A resident naturopath is also on hand to concoct bespoke remedies for stressed-out souls.
Hero Treatment: The treatment menu (devised by AMAN’s former regional spa director) is small but perfectly formed. You can’t go wrong with the Biodynamic Bodywork massage – a unique combination of acupressure, massage and dynamic movements to unlock tension and re-align the body.
Something A Little Different: Osteopathy, reflexology and naturopathic consultations are also on offer to boost wellbeing from the inside out.
Price Point: House massages start from £130, while midweek spa packages, including breakfast, lunch, tea and a 60-minute treatment, are priced from £175.
THYME
Where: Located in the picture-perfect Cotswolds village of Southrop, the nearest train stations are at Kemble to the west and Charlbury to the north, with both being a 30-minute taxi ride away.
The Hotel: This former cookery school turned country-chic bolthole has a ‘village within a village’ feel, offering everything you’d expect from a country escape – characterful rooms, great food and a pub within walking distance.
Spa Ethos: An idyllic haven of peace and tranquillity, guests are actively encouraged to embrace the peace associated with country living, with many leaving their phones at reception on arrival. The Meadow Spa is the first in the UK to offer Aurelia treatments and the pool is chemical-free, using water from Thyme’s underground spring. Keen yogis will be pleased to hear there is a yoga studio too.
Hero Treatment: Try the Aurelia Natural Face Lift, which uses deep muscle rolling and pressure point massage to relieve tension and supercharge collagen production.
Something A Little Different: The CBD facial, a 75-minute treatment, uses shiatsu and ancient healing techniques to reduce inflammation.
Price Point: A 60-minute Aurelia massage will set you back £95 while facials and body treatments are nearer £150.
GRANTLEY HALL
Where: On the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, around five miles from Ripon.
The Hotel: Backed by Relais & Châteaux, this 17th century stately home recently underwent a million-dollar makeover. Boasting fine dining, suites with sweeping views and its own nightclub, Grantley Hall is worth a reservation.
Spa Ethos: Fusing high-tech fitness with refined relaxation, the Three Graces Spa is for serious spa goers. The futuristic Elite gym offers a cryotherapy chamber, altitude training facility, underwater treadmill and 3D body scanner. Treatments, meanwhile, are results-driven and span everything from gut-focused massages to vitamin C body wraps.
Hero Treatment: Book in for a 90-minute Signature High-Performance Wave Facial, incorporating medical-grade LED and light therapy, to calm sensitivity and ease breakouts.
Something A Little Different: Reiki and reflexology as well as crystal, sound and chakra healing are all on offer here. You can also have sessions with a nutritionist, life coach, hydration expert or a gait analysis.
Price Point: Organic brand Ila, whose apothecary products rebalance the chakras, offers the most blissful massages here – a 60-minute treatment will set you back just less than £100.
LIME WOOD
Where: Tucked away in the New Forest, just 90 minutes from central London.
The Hotel: With a restaurant headed up by Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett and co-head Luke Holder, charming staff and devotedly designed bedrooms, Lime Wood ticks every box when it comes to a luxe country escape.
Spa Ethos: The Herb House Spa lets its New Forest setting steal the show: admire the trees from the giant sauna or settle into a yoga session in one of the UK’s only rooftop herb gardens. Inspired by its forest surroundings, treatments take a holistic approach to wellbeing, incorporating products from botanical British brands. The Mud House, offering a traditional Arabian body treatment using steam and mud, will quite literally reconnect you to nature, while private bathtubs in the changing rooms are the perfect place to ease aching muscles after a PT session with Matt Roberts.
Hero Treatment: Made for those in need of some serious TLC, the two-hour Bamford Body Signature Treatment incorporates an oil foot bath, full-body exfoliation and a body and scalp massage.
Something A Little Different: The Herb House Signature Treatment is 90-minutes of pure bliss – a combination of flowing massage, acupressure and assisted stretches will restore flagging energy, relieve tension and improve flexibility.
Price Point: Express facials and massages start from £65; spa days, including lunch, start from £130 for midweek visits.
HECKFIELD PLACE
Where: Hampshire, between the M4 and M3, just an hour from London.
The Hotel: The UK’s smartest country house, Heckfield is both handsome and historic, with kitchens headed up by Skye Gyngell. Much of the food is grown in the vast biodynamic gardens, and there’s a huge 67-seater cinema and a seriously impressive wine cellar to boot.
Spa Ethos: Tucked away in a quiet corner of the walled garden, The Little Bothy Spa uses botanical-rich products from the hotel’s own Wildsmith Skin range in its treatments. Fitness enthusiasts who flock to Bodyism’s cult Notting Hill studio can keep up their routines too, thanks to an impressive gym run by James Duigan’s legendary team. A much bigger 16,000sq foot spa, The Bothy, with a 17m indoor pool and cutting-edge treatments, is set to open later this year. You heard it here first.
Hero Treatment: Heckfield describe their signature massages as ‘unscripted’. Whether you want to focus on tight shoulders or heavy legs, treatments are totally bespoke.
Something A Little Different: If you’ve never tried reiki, Heckfield is the perfect place to give it a go. This 60-minute treatment encompasses the physical, emotional and spiritual, leaving you deeply relaxed, focused and calm.
Price Point: Using acupressure on the head, face, neck and shoulders, the 40-minute Indian Head Massage is a steal at £80.
LUCKNAM PARK
Where: Just six miles outside Bath in picturesque Wiltshire. Castle Combe, a pretty Cotswolds village, is a mere ten minutes by car.
The Hotel: The house, which dates back to 1720, is surrounded by 500 acres of listed parkland and is home to an equestrian centre with 35 horses. You won’t regret staying in one of Lucknam’s gorgeous rooms, which are wonderfully classic with canopied four-posters, faded florals and marble-clad bathrooms. The hotel also has a cookery school, and families will enjoy its fleet of bicycles and five-a-side football pitch.
Spa Ethos: Set within the hotel’s walled gardens, encompassed by avenues of trees and manicured lawns, the ESPA Spa blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings. A sanctuary for wellbeing and mindfulness, you’ll find unique offerings like a Japanese Salt Room (perfect for detoxing), a stunning 20-metre pool complete with glass ceiling, and a studio where guests can partake in yoga, Pilates and guided meditation.
Hero Treatment: The Muscle and Mind Ritual provides the ultimate relaxation for even the busiest of minds. Beginning with breathing techniques to release emotional anxiety, the treatment then moves into an indulgent full-body massage to banish tension.
Something A Little Different: The Dry Flotation experience is a must-try – you’re cocooned on a bed heated to 37 degrees with a thin membrane surrounding the body, suspending you in an almost weightless environment. A serious stress-buster.
Price Point: Spa days are priced from £150 per person, but include blissfully calm surroundings, welcome coffee, pastries, a gourmet lunch, use of all spa facilities and your chosen treatment.
DORMY HOUSE
Where: Perched above the village of Broadway with jaw-dropping views across the Cotswolds, Dormy House is 45 minutes from Oxford; Birmingham is an hour north. The closest train station is Moreton-in-Marsh, 95 minutes from London Paddington.
The Hotel: A former farmhouse, Dormy House offers a luxury stay in rustic surroundings. As well as cosy, clean-lined rooms in neutral hues, there are three restaurants to choose from, including the gourmet haven MO.
Spa Ethos: Dormy’s award-winning spa has upped the rural R&R game. Spread over several floors, you’ll find a candle-lit infinity pool, lavender-infused sauna (sourced from Cotswold lavender fields), a hot juniper Finnish cabin and a salt steam room.
Hero Treatment: Treatments, courtesy of Temple Spa and Natura Bissé, are all second-to-none but it’s the massages, led by Beata Aleksandrowicz, that really stand out. The Back Cure Massage, for example, focuses solely on tension and knots in the back, while the Therapeutic Touch was designed to support those living with cancer.
Something A Little Different: The Golden Truffle Experience, incorporating a full-body scrub and back massage as well as a Champagne & Truffles facial, may sound gimmicky but is two hours of pure indulgence.
Price Point: Express facials start at £45 and spa days start at £99.
THE NEWT
Where: Near Castle Cary in Bruton, Somerset. Trains go direct from London Paddington to Castle Cary, an eight-minute drive from The Newt.
The Hotel: The much-hyped Newt in Somerset is worthy of all the hype. A tasteful farmstead-style retreat with stylish décor in its 23 bedrooms, you’ll also find two gourmet restaurants where the emphasis is on garden-to-table dining. Part of a working farm and surrounded by apple orchards and ancient woodlands, there is a strong focus on the local and sustainable.
Spa Ethos: A converted stone cow barn, The Newt’s spa gets our vote when it comes to style. The salt steam room, heated outdoor hydrotherapy pool and rasul mud chamber provide some real substance too, and the ultra-modern gym is open 24 hours.
Hero Treatment: The classic hammam is a Newt speciality. An ancient cleansing treatment, it works wonders to relieve stress, supercharge circulation and revive overworked muscles.
Something A Little Different: The Linda Meredith Oxygen Facial, which uses the power of pure oxygen via a machine alongside hydrating hyaluronic acid, is the ultimate high-tech facial for skincare enthusiasts.
Price Point: Can’t decide between a facial or massage? Book in for the Body and Face Experience, £100 for 60 minutes, for the best of both worlds.
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