Hotel spas have evolved over the years, and we’re reaping the benefits. The UK is swarming with new state-of-the-art wellness-centric hotels and prestigious destinations with illustrious facilities that have stood the test of time. From the Scottish highlands, to the coast of Cornwall, we’ve cherry-picked the stand-out wellness destinations worth their weight in gold. Showcasing stellar fitness facilities, decadent spas, holistic therapies, results-oriented treatments, phenomenal classes and mindful activities, this edit of the best UK wellness hotspots delves into what each of these esteemed hotels and destinations as to offer on the wellness front.

The Bothy, Heckfield Place

Hampshire

Flawlessly presented, the Georgian country-house hotel is secluded in 400 acres of meadows and is reachable from London in under an hour, in leafy Hampshire. Staying true to its classic English heritage, the stately home has undergone a contemporary revamp that evokes a sense of quiet luxury. Wellness dwellers will recoup at The Bothy, where Wildsmith Skin, the hotel’s product line of nature-inspired skincare, is brought to life. Pack your bathing suit as you’ll not want to miss a dip in ‘The Waters’, the 18-metre chlorine-free mineralised pool and the outdoor hot and cold hydrotherapy tubs. The Bothy has a couple of movement studios, tailored to cardiovascular fitness, holistic classes and one-to-one sessions, but the trainers prefer to take the workouts outdoors with ‘Farm Fit’ sessions, trail runs and wild swimmings! Cocooned in the basement, the holistic treatments, covering a spectrum of therapeutic massages and facials to energy healing, exceed the typical hour-long sessions most spas adopt to encourage true restoration and realign your circadian rhythm.

Eynsham Baths, Estelle Manor

Oxfordshire

New club on the block, Estelle Manor, in the heart of Oxfordshire, is the country house hotel come members club eliciting attention built, upon a grandeur grade-II listed estate. Complete with the 3,000 sq metre Eynsham Baths, padel courts and The Clubhouse, complete with a state-of-the-art gym and weekly timetable of classes, it’s suffice to say that the wellbeing is above par. Drawing on the neoclassical architecture discovered in the vicinity, the Eynsham Baths are like stepping into an ancient Roman spa transcending an authentic thermal bathing ritual, finished with stone columns and marble flooring. Inside you’ll find the grand tepidarium bath hall, thermal pools, a lounge, ten treatment rooms, including couples’ suites and the thermal cabin. Inspired by ancient healing rituals rooted in Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese traditions, the treatments promise cellular-level healing for the skin, psyche, and soul. Following the curve with the padel boom, courts are bookable for matches and lessons but if hand-eye coordination isn’t your strong point, head to the Clubhouse and choose from yoga, Pilates, boxfit and more.

The Club & Bamford Spa

The Cotswolds

Nestled on the 3,500 acres of Daylesford’s organic farmland, it’s evident from first glance that The Club by Bamford has been envisioned with Carole Bamford’s signature style, decked in environmentally-conscious interiors. Kitted out with no-expenses-spared facilities, this is a hub for like-minded wellness enthusiasts to come together and invest in their health, be it via their extensive training amenities (indoor and out), their unique therapy rooms for cryo and red light therapies, ice barrels, sauna and steam, indoor lap pool and padel courts. At the heart of the club, The Nest is the spot to socialise, grab a fresh juice, enjoy a nourishing bite to eat or whip out your laptop to work. Adjacent to the new shiny wellness club, the Bamford Spa is where to head for treatments. The nature-led selection of massages, facials and beauty therapies are honed to breathe life into the Bamford products. There’s yet another dose of wellbeing to plunge into, The Springs, a wet spa featuring an herbal sauna, steam room and hydro pool.

Herb House Spa, Lime Wood

New Forest

Situated in the stunning woodland of the New Forest, Lime Wood, the laid-back, luxury hotel, has everything at your fingertips to indulge in R&R. The three-storey Herb House Spa showcases an indoor ozone pool, outdoor jacuzzi and thermal area complete with sauna and steam room. Working with the very best British boutique beauty brands, the length spa menu name-drops Bamford, Sarah Chapman and Voya. From de-stressing massages and bespoke facials to holistic-led therapies including detoxifying seaweed wraps and grounding rituals, the treatments take place in the 10 gorgeously cosy treatment rooms. Load up on superfoods at Raw & Cured, the spa restaurant that serves everything you’d be craving after a wellness-dense day.

Guerlain Spa & Pillar Wellbeing, Raffles at THE OWO

London

It’s hard to imagine this gleaming spa and wellness space was once occupied by Winston Churchill’s Old War Office building. Raffles’ newly-opened hotel has swiftly cemented its status as London’s premier destination for opulent rejuvenation, with a 20-metre swimming pool, sumptuous spa suites, and cutting-edge gym facilities. The Guerlain spa is as swanky as you’d expect, with signature London treatments that are the perfect antidote to city living. Performance coach, Harry Jameson heads up OWO’s Health Club, Pillar Wellbeing, which is geared up for recovery as much as it is for fitness. Delivering a highly personalised and data-driven fitness experience, Pillar’s ethos is rooted in movement, nutrition and recovery. To take you on this 3-step journey, movement is delivered in a multitude of ways from yoga to PT, nutrition is taken care of at Pillar Kitchen with a curated menu of performance-enhancing dishes and recovery is achieved through a range of assisted stretching, percussion therapy, breathwork and compression therapy.

The Coach House Spa, Beaverbrook

Leatherhead, Surrey

Surrey Country House, Beverbrook is the place of respite for city-dwellers needing to escape the smog in little time! Greeted with a dose of nature in abundance, Beverbrook’s 470-acre playground provides plenty of outdoorsy pursuits from racket sports, cycling, croquet, fencing, boules and walks. The Coach House Spa, bathed in natural light and adorned with a playful palette, focuses on healing offering an array of therapies ranging from traditional facials to advanced treatments such as vitamin and mineral intravenous infusions, reflexology, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. With a dedicated Naturopath as part of its integrated wellness team, Beaverbrook solidifies itself as a holistic hotspot! Whether swimming laps of the indoor and outdoor pool, hitting the gym, exploring woodland trails, attending a Reformer Pilates class, unwinding in the Thermal Spa, or dining at the deli, The Coach House Spa scores high on the wellness radar.

Scarlet Hotel

Newquay

Bringing the therapeutic powers of Ayurveda to the coast of Cornwall, The Scarlet has embraced the holistic approach to wellness at its spa. Featuring a bromine-filtered indoor pool, an outdoor natural reed pool, a clifftop cedar wood sauna, and a restorative steam room, The Scarlet adopts an eco-friendly stance towards hospitality, evident in this beautifully designed wellness space. Outdoor hot tubs don’t get more picturesque, perched on the clifftop overlooking Mawgan Porth Bay, soundtracked by the waves lapping up against the shore. Ayurvedic massages, scrubs, facials, and consultations, guided by intuitive holistic practitioners, take place in tented, lantern-lit rooms. Post-treatment, guests are encouraged to embrace a quiet meditation in the floating cocoon pods to soak up the stillness. Aligning with the spa offerings, the wellbeing classes include Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates in the sea-view studio.

The Newt in Somerset

Hadspen

The Newt’s idyllic Somerset Hotel and Garden has a spa that meets its match. The farmhouse wet facilities and potting shed treatment rooms tie in with the distant style of The Newt, both chic and wholesome in equal measure. Ramble around the medieval herbal garden to reset the mind before setting foot into the spa, featuring an indoor-outdoor pool, steam room,  Turkish hammam and sauna. If you’re lucky with the weather, recline on the loungers in the privacy of the walled garden with occasional dips into the alfresco jacuzzi. Reflecting the eco-ethos, both interiors and treatments are drummed into nature’s rhythm. Turkish hammam experiences are a speciality, incorporating exfoliations and cleansing rituals that leave you rosy-cheeked. The farm-to-treatment curated menu harnesses powerful botanicals, to reap therapeutic benefits, including a Herbal Poultice Massage and Rose Crystal Lymphatic Facial. Overlooking the immaculate gardens, the state-of-the-art gym has swoon-worthy vistas with a floor-to-ceiling window panel. Ranging from dynamic to restorative, the class schedule is filled with HIIT, Vinyasa, Breath Workshop, Cold Water Therapy, Sound Healing and more from morning to evening.

Gleneagles

Perthshire

Lodged into the rolling hills of Perthshire, in Scotland, Gleneagles is a Scottish institute where many flocks for a multitude of pursuits, may it be golfing with the periphery of scenic landscape, nesting in the 5 star hotel, dining at one of the six esteemed restaurants, fishing, shooting, horse riding… the list goes on! Revamped in 2021, the expansive spa, with 20 treatment rooms total, has a therapy list inspired by the botanicals found on the estate. Much like the biophilic design concept, the treatments capture the Perthshire countryside with hints of ancient philosophies and modern techniques intertwined. Take the 2-hour ‘ Long Exhale’ experience for sample, blending salt therapy, hot stone massage, stretching, oil infusion, facial massage and scalp massage and foot ritual, it’s quite the ordeal! Alongside a throng of holistic-led experiences, Tata Harper and Barbara Sturm treatments are also available. ​​Fitted with a vitality pool, sauna, crystal steam room and heated loungers, loose hours sinking into Gleneagles most tranquil sector of the estate. With 850 acres of sprawling land and countless activities, the gym is unlikely to be your first port of call but if you do fancy it, its kitted out with all the state-of-the-art equipment and there’s a jam-packed timetable with classes including HIIT, spin, strength, yoga and Pilates every hour! 

C-Side Spa, Cowley Manor Experimental

Cotswolds

Belonging to the Experimental group’s ever-expanding portfolio, Cowley Manor transcends the 17th-century manor house into one of the Cotswold’s hottest staycay outposts. Embedded into the terrain a stone’s throw from the main house, C-Side Spa is the soul-soothing haven to recluse to, boasting a slate-lined indoor pool, outdoor pool with loungers, slick modern gym, steam room, rainfall showers and a sauna. From mindful massages that melt away tension to results-driven collagen hydra facials, the treatments work in tandem with MonuSkin, a local vegan brand crafting 100% natural products rich in botanicals and essential oils to uplift the experience. Fitness classes comes in the form of Pilates, yoga, water aerobics, strength training and outdoor bootcamp sessions, along with zenful movement including tree bathing and walking club.

Another Place

Cumbria 

Plotted in 18 acres of Lake District National Park, with a private lake and vistas over the fells, Another Place allures the outdoorsy type who relish in a spot of luxury. Ullswater, the lake, is the breeding ground for all the activities on offer, whether happening on or around the vicinity. Kayaking, paddle boarding, open water swimming, archery and (weather permitting) skiing are just a few of the ways to stay active at Another Place, along with endless trails for walking or running the Lake District’s most scenic routes. Retreat to the Swim Club featuring a 20-metre indoor pool, an outdoor hot tub, a sauna, a cardio room and treatment rooms. Massages, facials and ‘land&water’ rituals are housed inside the cosy treatment rooms, which will come as pure tonic after action-packed days on the lake. Another Place is nurturing in its nature, making it ideal for families to who love outdoor activities. With a collection of suites, shepherd hut cabins, a two-bedroom treehouse and a cottage, Another Place is one to add to your bucket list if you have adventurous kids to entertain, whilst rekindling your love for the great outdoors in style.

words by Isabelle Shury