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Many of the most exclusive and luxurious spas in the UK are located in hotels. The problem is that many of the most exclusive and luxurious hotels in the UK have disappointing spas.
So we’ve searched the British Isles to find the best hotel spas around, so that when you turn up for your signature facial or look forward to a dip in the hydrotherapy pool, you are anything but disappointed.
Some hotels go all out on facilities; others stand out for the sheer quality of treatments. Some boast both. But what they all have is a magic ingredient that will help you unwind, as well as excellent personal attention that means you get to feel truly pampered.
Show all 12 1 /1212 best hotel spas in the UK 12 best hotel spas in the UK Chewton Glen, New Forest Besides being one of the UK’s finest country house hotels, this also boasts a glamorous yet friendly, award-winning spa with some of the most luxurious and innovative treatments around. The spa has its own top-notch restaurant, and there are heated pools both indoors and out, as well as Europe’s largest hydrotherapy pool. For the ultimate luxury, stay the night in of the hotel’s treehouse suites.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Gleneagles, Perthshire With some of the most stunning countryside Scotland has to offer, squeeze in a walk, golf, horse riding or archery if you can. As for the spa itself, this multiple award-winner boasts attention to detail and personal service that is hard to fault, as well as the most incredible Ayurvedic massages. And with hotel guests only being able to enter if they’ve booked a treatment or time in the spa, it always remains peaceful.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Pennyhill Spa, Surrey The spa is the X Factor of this country hotel, where even the changing rooms are palatial. Start with the heated ceramic relaxation beds in the tepidarium, then you can move onto the massage chairs, experience showers, herbal saunas, steam, ice cave, a Laconium, seemingly endless pools and hot tubs (the bubbling, warm outside pool is particularly lovely in winter) and a vast range of treatments, many of which use Elemtnal Herbology, their outstanding inhouse products.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Babington House, Somerset The country cousin of London members’ club Soho House, this hotel – a favourite of trendy, urban media-types - houses the group’s original Cowshed spa, whose rustic country chic comprises of wooden floorboards, exposed stone walls, leather armchairs and floral sofas. Treatments are second-to-none and carried out by fantastic, well-trained professionals, while the products are exquisite. The perfect retreat for pampering.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire Beauty editors and industry insiders are forever name dropping this award-winning spa and rightfully so. Set among an 1,000-year-old estate that’s been a backdrop to blockbusters ranging from James Bond to Bridget Jones, the spa boasts opulent treatment rooms and relaxing areas and second-to-none treatments, which incorporate the luxurious Thalgo, CACI and Aromatherapy Associates product houses. The pool is the perfect temperature.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa, Cheshire With Elemis and Comfort Zone treatments to die for and outstanding customer service, this is an elegant yet relaxed spa, with wellies in the hall ready for walks. There’s no shortage of gratifying views of the expansive gardens, terraces and parklands, and the spa has a glass-roofed pool, heat facilities, a rasul and gym. Treatments are good value and the food in the spa cafe is fabulous.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Calcot Manor Spa, Gloucestershire Luxurious hotels don’t get more relaxing than this 14th century one, so it should come as no surprise that its spa is unaffected and easy going, yet it’s also indulgent and spectacular. Built around an enclosed courtyard garden, with an eight-seater hot tub set in front of a roaring fire to keep you toasty on even the chilliest of days, the spa also features an indoor pool, gym, steam room and sauna and the Aromatherapy Associates treatments will send you into a coma-like state.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Devonshire Arms, North Yorkshire This former coaching inn is best known for its food, especially since Adam Smith joined from the Ritz last year. But its spa is a hidden gem in stunning Yorkshire Dales that you won’t want to leave. Housed in an ancient stone barn, don’t expect a big spa but there’s a first-rate sauna, steam room, pool and relaxation areas and it offers superb massages and plenty of friendly staff.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Sequoia at The Grove, Hertfordshire The black-tiled ozone treated swimming pool is a clue that this isn’t your run-of-the-mill spa, attracting A-list fans ranging from Beyonce to Oprah. Submersed within The Grove’s 300 acres of manicured grounds, Sequoia is fresh from an extensive nine-month renovation, with new treatment rooms and refurbished heat treatment rooms, while the signature treatments are still some of the most wow-worthy around.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Four Seasons, Hampshire This spa is housed in a beautiful 18th century converted stable block, with indoor and outdoor pools, a steam room, café serving Asian inspired cuisine and fitness studio. This year’s newcomer is Swiss Perfection, whose outrageously good treatments can be enjoyed in any of the 15 plush treatment rooms. Never overrun with large groups of women, this spa is particularly well suited to couples.
12 best hotel spas in the UK Aquarias Spa at Whatley Manor, Cotswolds Stand out features of this stunning and intimate spa are the serial mud chamber, hydrotherapy pool and thermal cabins, which include a calidarium, camomile steam grotto, laconium and sauna. There’s a VIP suite with its own hydrobath, ideal for couples, and new for this year are the fabulous ila facials. Spa breaks include a stay in the magnificent hotel – a treat of all of its very own.
12 best hotel spas in the UK London AWAY Spa at W London A-list celebs love it here. It’s hip and glamorous, with treatment rooms decked out with hydraulic treatment beds and changeable mood lighting. The tremendously skilled therapists work really hard, with imaginatively designed treatments that are expensive, but worth it. Be warned there’s no wet facilities, but there’s a sauna and steam room and this place is so sleek and calming, with such attention to detail, that it still manages to be outstanding.
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