When it comes to rest and relaxation, there’s surely no better way to unwind than checking into a spa hotel to enjoy an indulgent pamper experience. From traditional massages to quirky wellness weekends, there’s a spa break for everyone – no matter where you are in the country.
So, whether you’re looking to surprise a loved one with an extra special gift or you just fancy treating yourself to some well-deserved ‘me-time’, here are the best hotels in the UK for a spa break.
1. Dormy House, Cotswolds, England
One of the most renowned spas in England has got to be Dormy House, which is located in the pretty village of Broadway, in the north-western tip of the Cotswolds.
Packed with cosy corners, comforting log fires, and beautiful decor, this handsome haven makes the perfect rural retreat – and sprawled over several floors, its award-winning Scandi-chic spa is just as magnificent as you’d hope.
The facilities here are second to none: there’s a pristine pool, lavender sauna, salt-infusion steam room, terrace hot tub, nail parlour-cum-champagne bar, and juniper-scented Finnish cabin – plus a state-of-the-art gym.
Partnered with beauty brand TEMPLESPA, whose co-founder and managing director we interviewed last year, – Dormy House offers an extensive selection of facials guaranteed to get you glowing – from aromatherapy facials to ultimate anti-ageing treatments.
Or, if you’d prefer a body treatment, you can choose from a range of sessions that include nurturing massages, mud therapies, invigorating scrubs, and skin brushing. There’s also a float tank, for serious relaxation!
There are three excellent restaurants at Dormy House, so the feeling of celebration will linger long after you’ve left the spa. The Back Garden is the hotel’s main restaurant and serves up delicious food that’s mostly grown in the hotel garden. MO showcases creative cooking, unusual ingredients, and innovative culinary techniques – and The Shed is the perfect place to kick back with a drink and snack.
2. The Gainsborough, Bath, England
If you’re looking for an indulgent spa break with a side of history, head to The Gainsborough in Bath. This is the only hotel spa in Bath that enjoys direct access to the city’s famous thermal waters, and its Roman-style Spa Village is spectacular to behold.
Set beneath a four-storey glass atrium and over two levels, there are two natural thermal pools of varying temperatures that you can enjoy soaking in.
The spa village also has traditional and infrared saunas, a steam room, an ice alcove, and comfortable relaxation areas – and the serene and stylish setting provides a refreshingly contemporary perspective on Bath’s thermal water heritage.
The Gainsborough has a policy of honouring the healing traditions of the city while also taking advantage of award-winning Asian-influenced therapies. If you want to enjoy a treatment, why not try the ‘Roman Renewal’, which includes a salt, lime, and ginger scrub, followed by a nourishing Vitamin E, almond oil, and camellia oil body massage and a revitalising facial?
The ‘Back to Vitality’ is another favourite. You can choose from a selection of aromatherapy oils before enjoying a Swedish massage that uses neuromuscular techniques to relieve tension and lymphatic drainage to encourage healthy circulation. It then finishes with a bespoke facial.
In the evening, the hotel’s stylish restaurant is the perfect place to tuck into contemporary, seasonal British food – and the grand Georgian architecture, unique artwork, and impressive wine wall make the dining experience even more special. After you’ve eaten, you can also head to the hotel bar for an after-dinner liqueur.
3. Kimpton Blythswood Square, Glasgow, Scotland
For a relaxing spa break in the heart of Glasgow city centre, why not think about checking into Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel, which is located in a lovely leafy square?
Offering sophisticated style and fabulous service, this is a modern, trendy place to stay – and deep below the hotel, you’ll find a blissfully tranquil spa that’s a hugely popular pampering spot for locals and visitors alike.
The spa has nine treatment rooms, a thermal suite, two relaxation pools, and a lounge and café. Hotel guests will be granted access to the Thermal Experience, which is a series of rooms that will take your body on a wet and dry, warm and cold journey using saunas and steam rooms, ice fountains, and cold showers. There’s also an extensive selection of holistic body treatments to choose from.
Many of the luxurious treatments here are centred around mineral-rich Scottish seaweed, and you can steam, swim, or soak in a bath of seaweed that’s flown in each day from the Hebrides. Other spa treatments use products that contain antioxidant-rich seaweed and natural spring water from the Hebrides.
Aside from the classic spa treatments you’d expect, the spa also offers specialist healing treatments like reiki and reflexology to help you rest and rejuvenate.
When you get hungry, you can head to iasg restaurant, which serves up spirited Scottish seafood. The name iasg comes from the Gaelic word for fish, and the focus is all on serving locally-caught seafood in the most sustainable ways possible.
If you fancy a drink, head up the grand staircase to enjoy a cocktail in The Salon, which you can enjoy perched at the bar or curled up in a cosy Harris Tweed chair.
4. The Coniston Hotel, North Yorkshire, England
If you like the idea of being amongst nature while enjoying a spa break, you might want to book a spot at The Coniston Hotel.
Nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, Nàdarra Spa is a place where you can relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect – both with yourself and nature. ‘Nàdarra’ means ‘natural’ in Scottish Gaelic, and nature is at the very heart of these blissful spa treatments and packages.
At the award-winning Nàdarra Spa, you can sit back and admire beautiful countryside views while enjoying luxurious organic treatments – from deep tissue massages to aromatherapy treatments and stimulating facials. There are morning and evening spa sessions, spa and dine packages, couples experiences, and overnight stays.
As well as enjoying full-body massages and invigorating facials, you can relax in the aromatherapy steam room, bathe in the Himalayan salt sauna, or admire the lush countryside from one of the two infinity pools.
The hotel restaurants serve up food for every palate while always taking care to showcase the kitchen’s local, rural roots. In The View restaurant, you can enjoy lovely scenes of the countryside as you tuck into traditional Yorkshire cuisine and locally grown ingredients. And in Blossom Kitchen, you can choose from an Asian-inspired menu or head to Macleod’s Bar & Lounge for lighter, relaxed bites.
5. Galgorm Resort, Ballymena, Northern Ireland
If you’re based in Northern Ireland, why not head to Galgorm Resort, which is a luxury hotel and spa just 30 minutes from Belfast?
Located in more than 160 acres of gorgeous parkland, and with the River Maine flowing through the grounds, Galgorm boasts a spectacular setting – and the spa and thermal village are arguably the very best in the country.
There are both indoor and outdoor facilities in Galgorm’s Spa and Thermal Village. There’s an outside swimming pool, which is surrounded by a polished pebble floor to massage pressure points in the soles of your feet. Plus, indoor and outdoor thermal spa pools, a ‘Snow Cabin’, where you can soak yourself in snow after a sauna, and log-fired hot tubs along the riverside where you can enjoy a relaxing soak.
The Celtic Sauna Infusion is one of the hotel’s most popular treatments, and a great way to treat your senses. This traditional ceremony will lull the mind and body into a state of relaxation – and as you gaze out at river views, you’ll drift further into tranquillity, as your breathing and circulation get a boost from the oil-infused steam. Then, you’ll finish off with a refreshing drink and an invigorating dip in the plunge pool.
When it comes to dining at Galgorm, you’ll be spoilt for choice. You can feast upon fine food at the 3 AA Rosette River Room, tuck into Italian cuisine at Fratelli Ristorante, or enjoy classic brasserie dishes at Gillies Grill. At Castle Kitchen + Bar, you can also indulge in traditional pub starters and Mexican bites, and at McKendry’s, you can savour the warm ambience of an Irish pub.
6. Beaverbrook Spa, Surrey, England
In the heart of the beautiful Surrey countryside is Beaverbrook: a quintessentially English country house that’s packed with style, charm, and plenty of history.
This is a hotel that offers some more unusual experiences at its exceptional (and wonderfully colourful) spa – and these unique spa breaks should be of real interest to people who are curious about the healing power of nature.
For example, why not book a spot for The Wim Hof Method spa day, where you learn the three pillars of the famous wellness guru’s approach: breathing technique, cold exposure, and commitment? Or sign up for a Biodynamic Body Work day with Alessandro Mancini, where you can benefit from tailored holistic massage treatments.
If you prefer more classic spa experiences, there are plenty of those at Beaverbrook too. For a rejuvenating country getaway, you may want to try the Seasonal Autumn Nourishment day. Or, if you’re looking to spend time with a loved one, check out the Time Together spa day for two.
In Beaverbrook’s Garden House Restaurant, you can enjoy comforting, Italian-style dishes during the week, and on Sundays, tuck into a traditional English Sunday roast. The Dining Room also serves up Japanese-inspired tacos, tempura, and fresh sashimi – and in Sir Frank’s Bar, you can wind down with carefully curated cocktails and tempting light bites.
7. The Gleneagles Hotel, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Set in one of the loveliest locations in the Highlands, The Gleneagles Hotel is a charming country estate – and whether you’re planning a cosy couples’ retreat or a solo spa session, it’s the perfect place to enjoy an invigorating escape.
The hotel makes good use of the local natural assets – with wild heather, flowers, and herbs playing their part in turning the spa into an uplifting oasis.
There are 20 treatment rooms in the Gleneagles Spa, as well as a steam room, a hot sauna cabin, a vitality pool, a sunny relaxation courtyard, and a pretty spa café, where you can feast upon fresh, wholesome food. If you’re looking for a massage, you can choose from a wide range of Gleneagles oil blends, which feature natural botanicals from the Perthshire countryside.
The spa offers a range of luxurious spa treatments. There’s the Highland Healer hot stone massage to regain your strength, energy, and vitality – as well as the Renewal Radiance body ritual to replenish your skin, body, and mind and boost lymphatic drainage. Or you might want to try the Marma Awakening Ayurvedic ritual, which uses meditation, reflexology, and chakra healing techniques to elevate joy and wellbeing.
If you fancy treating yourself to some mouthwatering food after your pamper session, you can head to either The Strathearn – which is a classical Franco-Scottish fine dining restaurant – or Andrew Fairlie, which is an intimate two Michelin-starred restaurant.
For something more casual, the Birnam serves up tasty Mediterranean classics, and the Dormy specialises in stone-baked pizzas and tandoori curries.
8. Holm House Hotel, Penarth, Wales
For a slice of Welsh coastal luxury, head to Holm House Hotel in the elegant suburb of Penarth, near Cardiff.
This sophisticated 1920s seaside hotel enjoys dramatic views across the Bristol Channel to the islands of Flatholm and Steepholm. And surrounded by immaculately manicured gardens, the pretty spa has a 15-metre hydro-pool, a steam room, a cosy relaxation lounge, and a sun terrace.
The treatment menu is extensive and indulgent, and there really is something for everyone. The spa’s partnership with innovative UK beauty brand ELEMIS means guests can take advantage of 25 years of pioneering formulas. Plus, the expertise of the therapists here means each treatment is adapted to your precise needs; after all, no two bodies, or faces, are the same.
There are specialist facials like anti-ageing, pro-collagen age defy, lift, and contour, and dynamic resurfacing precision peels – and if you want to enjoy a massage, you can choose from deep tissue massage, sports massage, or a hot stone massage. Or why not treat yourself to an Indian head massage, or a foot-focused tension-releaser? The list is (almost!) endless.
At the Holm House restaurant, you can enjoy traditional British and Mediterranean dishes – from crab and crayfish linguine to pan-fried Welsh leg of lamb. Or, when the weather is fine you can head into the Garden Bar to enjoy alfresco dining and drinks.
The hotel’s cocktail bar is also the perfect place to try an impressive range of cocktails, wines, and spirits.
Final thoughts…
Whether you’re thinking about a couples’ spa break or like the idea of heading off by yourself to enjoy some serious relaxation and pampering, there are many spa hotels that have exceptional facilities and unique, indulgent treatments.
We all need a proper break now and then, so why not treat yourself to some intensive relaxation and book yourself a spot at a spa?
Are you tempted by any of these spa breaks – or do you have your own suggestions for the best spa hotels in the UK? We’d love to hear about your pampering experiences in the comments below.