Sopwell House, St Albans, Herts

Recently refurbished for an eye-watering £14m, Sopwell House’s Cottonmill Spa balances pure indulgence and wellbeing treatments over three storeys of state-of-the-art facilities – hello, 14m indoor pool, sauna, steam room, two vitality pools, award-winning designer garden plus a cutting-edge treatment list. We like the sound of The Classic (£215) which features a 60 min treatment of your choice (give the gift of Pam Anderson’s au naturelle glow with the skin-boosting facial), plus a wholesome three-course lunch. Non-members can access most facilities including the calming Rose Relaxation Room after treatment.

Y Spa at Wyboston Lakes Resort, Wyboston, Beds

It doesn’t take much convincing to get us booked into the lakeside Y Spa, with its indoor/ outdoor pools, thermal spa with steam room and wood sauna, plus Elemis treatments spread across 11 treatment rooms. Even better is its eco-conscious approach (LED lights, minimal plastic use, and limited food waste), which means serious guilt-free lounging. Book a full day in the thermal spa (aka, the Space to Breathe) with a face and scalp therapy treatment, plus mezze lunch for £149.

Cliveden House Spa, Taplow

Cliveden Hotel and Spa Taplow Berkshire Buckinghamshire relaxation room

One of the most beautiful spa settings in the UK, Cliveden House offers a stunning 17m indoor pool (plus 18.5m heated outdoor pool if you’re frisky for al fresco), jacuzzi, infrared sauna, steam room and seven treatment rooms varying from by-the-book massages to fully bespoke treatments. We think the Tailor-made Spa Day (£315) may take your fancy. It includes free rein to the spa’s facilities and your chosen massage, facial, mani or pedi – plus a hearty breakfast.

Spa Illuminata, Danesfield House, Marlow

Melting massages in a Grade II listed Tudor mansion? It’s almost too generous a gift! but Danesfield House’s Spa Illuminata, near Marlow, is offering a full range of beauty and health treatments including bespoke facials, holistic treatments, a 20m indoor pool and poolside jacuzzi. We’re loving the sound of the De-Stress Spa Day – Danesfield’s signature 80-min soother with head- to-toe massages, eight hours to roam free testing out the spa’s shiny facilities, and lunch with a glass of bubbly for £210.

Lazy Lake Spa, Soho Farmhouse, Great Tew

Steam Island, the Lazy Lake at celeb haunt Soho Farmhouse in North Oxfordshire hot tub and lake

Formerly known as Steam Island, the Lazy Lake at celeb haunt Soho Farmhouse in North Oxfordshire is a winner for wellness enthusiasts. Walk through the main Cowshed spa out to the lake with private tubs freshly filled with a selection of Epsom spa salts, magnesium salt flakes, Himalayan spa salts or handpicked seaweed. The spa uses ancient hot-and-cold immersion therapy which moves you between the ice room, steam room, and three infrared sauna cabins – think of it like a revitalising espresso shot for your body. It’s £60 for a two-hour experience.

The Langley, Iver

Newly built in 2019, the five-star Langley Spa still shines like new. The second biggest underground spa in Europe (we’re talking 1,600 sqm of marble, glass and wood), the spa features a hammam, exclusive VIP suites, an amethyst crystal steam room, female-only areas, heated relaxation loungers, plunge pool, ice fountain, five treatment rooms, two thermal areas, and a remarkable Himalayan salt sauna. Our pamper tip? The seasonal Autumn At The Langley package transports you to sandy Bali in an immersive two-hour treatment, then dig into a delicious three-course lunch before floating between the ritzy facilities. All for £225 – that’s right, cancel your flights, you’re already in paradise.

Bicester Hotel Golf & Spa, Bicester

BICESTER HOTEL GOLF AND SPA JACUZZI AND FOOT SPA

Sitting pretty in 130 acres of lush greenery (well, it does have a golf course for starters), this four-star hotel and spa offers steam room, sauna, jacuzzi, hydrotherapy pool and a mega-swish private spa garden. Plenty of spa packages here at competitive prices, but thoughtfully they’ve considered mums-to-be too, with the Maternal Moments package, including an hour-long gentle massage which uses indulgent risk-free skincare that’ll give the skin a gorgeous glow and is expertly tailored for pregnancies over 12 weeks. Plus, full access to the amenities and a tasty lunch, all for £135.

Minster Mill, Minster Lovell

Minster Mill, near Witney, had its glow up in 2019, with a swanky Garden Spa refit that now includes an indoor pool, rock sauna, aroma steam room, and ice fountain, plus a selection of ESPA facial and body treatments including hot stone massages and rasul mud therapy. The Pure Indulgence Garden Spa Retreat (Tue-Thur) sounds great value – a 60 min treatment, 30 min treatment, two-course lunch with Prosecco and 90 mins use of spa facilities for £160.

Fairmont Windsor Park, Old Windsor, Berks

Spa snobs will tell you they’ve seen it all, and Fairmont Windsor Park would politely disagree. Spread across 40 acres of grounds and a pretty lake, this award-winning spa pulls out all the stops with an unbeatable 18 treatment rooms, a 20m indoor pool and thermal suite, an outdoor vitality pool, cryotherapy chamber, hammam, Japanese foot spa, hair and nail salons, skin clinic, indoor and outdoor gym, plus tennis and paddle courts. A Standard Spa Day package (from £270) includes a 60 min treatment of your choice and a delicious two-course lunch.Hartwell House, Aylesbury

Hartwell House, Aylesbury

A National Trust-owned charmer just shy of central Aylesbury, Hartwell House Hotel was beautifully restored to its handsome 17th-century glory, and the grand spa almost steals the show with its showcase swimming pool that makes you forget the rather old fashioned changing rooms. A huge draw here are its A-grade treatments, including the famed 111SKIN facials but we have our beady eye on the Indulgence Package (£185), which features an 85 min treatment, full use of the Spa Club Room (with an endless supply of tea and biccies) and the health and wellness facilities, plus a delectable afternoon tea in the main house. Yum.

Bamford Spa, Daylesford, Glos

Located next to Daylesford Farmshop (spa and shop, anyone? Me me!), Bamford Haybarn Spa is an absolute corker of a space and, like everything at Daylesford, has been created in the best possible taste. The spa has an extensive programme of activities in the stunning studio – yoga, meditation, pilates, sound healing – and treatments that have a holistic approach, using Bamford’s own range of natural body care. Good for a proper luxury experience. Book the B Clear Spa Day (£250) a restorative day to balance mind and body that including a 60 minute de-stress massage, a 60 min group class, 60 min access to The Spring and then a delicious lunch at the Orchard Bar.

Gresham House Wellness at Gonville Hotel, Cambridge

Tucked behind the gorgeous Gonville Hotel overlooking Parker’s Piece is a tranquil spa in its own beautiful Victorian Villa. The interiors are just as stunning with floral wallopers and botanical touches all around. There’s no swimming pool or jacuzzi here – it’s all about the treatments – but you can make someone’s day of it by booking an afternoon tea and choosing a package that includes multiple treatments. We like the sound of the Her Total Relaxation package, which includes an exfoliation, massage and facial (£145).

Cambridge Country Club, Bourn, Cambridge

Cambridge Country Club unveiled a stunning new 1m spa back in 2021 and it’s a thing of beauty. As well as a glittering and relaxing pool area, there are heat experience suites, relaxation rooms, pretty mani- and pedi- lounges and if you’re feeling energetic a fully-equipped gym. There’s a restaurant on site too with many spa packages including a light lunch or an afternoon tea in the spa lounge. They do a lovely mid-week Re-fresh Spa Package where you can choose from a back, neck, and shoulder massage, a personalised Elemis facial, or an Elemis Frangipani body scrub (£85pp).

York Cottage Spa, Bozeat, Northants

This boutique spa is in a lovely village setting and offers spa days or stays, you can even book the house and spa for exclusive use. Now you’re talking. You’ll have use of the spa pool, sauna and lounge areas and a 20-minute relaxing aromatherapy massage or facial as part of your day package plus refreshments including either an afternoon tea or grazing board. Book that stressed out someone in for an Indian Head Massage (from £50) and help them get rid of all that tension they’ve been carrying around all year.

Whittlebury Park Spa, Whittlebury, Northants

You’ll find this Muddy Award winning, modern spa hotel, wedding venue, Championship golf course the edge of the pretty, quiet village of Whittlebury, bang on the Northants/Bucks border. The spa boasts a 19m swimming pool with a sauna, steam room and two jacuzzis. The Heat and Ice Experience is an absolute must, taking you on a journey through increasing levels of heat and humidity (a caldarium, sauna, salt steam room and crystal steam room – not for the faint hearted) before plunging you into a cold ice cave and bucket shower to really flush out all those toxins. Don’t worry, you can always replenish those at the bar later. Winter takes it’s toll on our skin, so restore radiance with an LED + Nano Dermadrasion Active Nutrients Treatment (from £119) which promises to brighten and refresh dull, lethargic complexions.

LONDON

AIRE Ancient Baths, Covent Garden

A subterranean spa gem in the heart of Covent Garden. The blue plaque (and first edition of Peter Pan in reception) say JM Barrie’s former home, but we’re going underground to AIRE Ancient Baths. It’s not your traditional spa day but this candle-lit watery underworld is unique. The water chambers vary in temperature from an icy 10°C to steamy and there’s a Floatarium for a vigorous self-applied salt rub. Don’t panic spa devotees there are treatments – Argan oil massages, Himalayan salt rituals and who can resist the health benefits of red wine? Well, now you can bathe in it. AIRE’s signature Wine Bath Experience will start with a body massage, the you’ll soak in Spanish Ribera del Duero red grapes while enjoying a soothing cranial massage. Experiences from £98pp.

Bulgari Hotel Spa, Knightsbridge

The jewel in Knightsbridge’s crown, the Bulgari Hotel spa is an underground luxury spa offering world-class facial and body treatments alongside the London’s most serene indoor pool, saunas and steam rooms, and a relaxation space a million miles away from the busy shopping streets above. There are 11 treatment rooms, one of which is the fancy Onyx Spa Suite featuring two side-by-side treatment beds and large hydro massage tub. The Oja body treatment by Mauli Rituals (£330) would make someone special very happy.

Agua Spa at Sea Containers, South Bank

Sea Containters Hotel Agua Spa relaxation room with sculptural copper drop

The stunning Agua bathhouse and spa at the Sea Containers hotel by the river blends Hollywood glamour, bold art and quirky design. Think luxe treatments amid a backdrop of floaty ceiling-to-floor white silk curtains and Tom Dixon sculptures. It’s not fully-loaded with spa facilities, but there’s enough for you to hit the wellness spot – a large Art Deco steam room, Glamour Room for beautifying, futuristic spa lounge and some seriously special treatments. May we suggest the Diamond Energy Facial (from £103 for 60mins) – designed to help reverse the effects of environmental stress and DNA damage.

Pamper me! 18 Luxury spa days to book now

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