If you’re a lover of me-time with pals or partner, Yorkshire’s spas have new therapies, rituals and workshops to tempt the mind, body and spirit. Ice bath anyone? Or woodland bathing?
THE FOREST SPA, MIDDLETON LODGE NEAR RICHMOND
The vibe
Here’s a spa that, as the name suggests, taps into the spirit of forest bathing and being at one with nature – and doing so with a heavy dose of luxury.
Part of the expansive and chic Middleton Estate, the rustic-chic environment tucked away on the estate’s original Old Farm definitely conjures up the spirit of Provence when the sun shines. The pool with loungers is between a thermal spa area and a relaxing pool house lounge filled with linen sofas piled high with textured throws and cushions. Straight out an interiors mag this.
Taking the plunge
The thermal spa area features a sauna with panoramic views of the estate's fields and woodland, a tadelakt steam room, an arch stone plunge pool, and a relaxation zone complete with fireplace and pool views. The spa also includes a stone outdoor hot tub area with seating and six treatment huts, two of which are 'bathing huts' equipped with tin baths and woodburning stoves.
Signature treatments
An Aromatheray Associates Bath Hut experience lets you take the plunge in your own private bath hut with rose blend bubbles.
The Voya Secret Garden Escape is a 120-mins scrub massage and facial with lavender and botanicals.
Sustenance
A nourishing spa menu incorporates ingredients sourced from the estate wherever possible. You can also enjoy packages to include a taster menu at The Forge or The Coach House.
Packages:
Day Retreat: £300-£330. Full-day with two-hour treatment, a rejuvenating bathing experience, and lunch in the Pool House.
Evening Ritual: £75-£95. Evening spa including a two-course dinner at the Coach House restaurant or a four-course tasting menu at Forge.
middletonlodge.co.uk
BROUGHTON SANCTUARY & AVALON RETREAT, NR SKIPTON
The Vibe
This exclusive enclave is a ‘sort-your-life-out' wellbeing destination with mind, body, spirit at its heart. If life’s all a bit much you can scurry off for week-long retreats with experts and like-minded souls for healing and transformation. Recently Ruby Wax, who called Avalon, ‘the coolest place I’ve ever been to’, led a week-long retreat showing participants, ‘how to de-frazzle in a frantic world by making simple changes whilst keeping it real!’
The Sanctuary was founded by Roger Tempest, whose family has lived on the Broughton estate for generations, along with Paris Ackrill. The aim is offer a transformative retreat in restful surroundings and embrace the countryside setting.
Taking the plunge
Outdoor immersive activities in the woodlands include wild swimming, moon bathing in a real bathtub in heather moorland, as well as a woodland sauna. Take your shoes off and feel the earth in a forest bathing session or dip in to the trend of the moment with an ice bathing session. There are sweat lodges, fire temple ceremonies, meditation labyrinths, and woodland dining in the Cosmic Garden.
Signature therapies
There are daily yoga sessions, forest bathing, ice bath and sound bath sessions, from £15.
Sustenance
Expect food which is as good for you as it is for the planet. A walled garden bistro, ‘Utopia’ serves plant-based delights, and in-house chefs in the historic house can create to any requirement.
Packages
In September, Fire of Wisdom is a six-night immersive and intense retreat, with three full days in silence. Centred around Eastern philosophy with yoga and earth connection sessions. From £1200 per person.
In October, Men Without Masks is a five-day workshop giving men the chance to come together to discuss the pressures they face. Share and discuss issues with like-minded men in a safe, confidential and supportive environment. £2395pp.
RUDDING PARK SPA, HARROGATE
The vibe
This is a sophisticated, sought-after and stylish place which is a cool hangout for the folks of Harrogate and its surroundings. The rooftop spa is really wow-factor with leafy lounge areas, a lovely pool and plenty of facilities for pampering with pals – including a bar for the prosecco extras. If you’re staying, the spa-facing rooms are large and really luxurious – choose from those with their own sauna or a huge bubbling spa bath with a TV – addictive!
Taking the plunge
New Woodland Spring Bathing area takes outdoor wellness to the next level. Separated from the main spa areas, it is a leafy space where you can mix pampering with peace. Hire one of two private fresh water tubs so guests (up to six per tub) can relax and reconnect with nature. Rich in magnesium (which can help alleviate aches and pains, lower stress levels, increase bloody flow and circulation), calcium and sodium; the water from the Rudding Park aquifer, has no added chemicals, and no chlorine. A personal host prepares the tub for each guest, including a magnesium mineral ‘bomb’ to help boost magnesium levels and a detoxifying moorish mud mask, which you apply to the skin helping to draw out impurities. The personal host is also on hand to serve champagne or cocktails. It’s a great way to recharge. Woodland bathing is £50-65pp supplement for spa users.
Sustenance
Horto restaurant is within the spa building so you can dine café-style in your fluffy robe during the day. In the evening,3 AA rosette Horto is all about showing off a seasonal and elegant menu, including a six-course tasting menu (£94pp) and a la carte. Meals use seasonal ingredients from the kitchen garden.
Packages
The Supper & Roof Top Spa visit starts with a two course supper at Horto Cafe followed by access to the Roof Top Spa and Garden. From £72 pp.
Ruddingpark.co.uk
NADARRA SPA, THE CONISTON HOTEL, NR SKIPTON
The vibe
The setting of this spa is really special and makes the most of a lovely open countryside views – take to a lounger or dip into a hot tub to watch the sun rise (we’ve done it – worth setting the alarm). The luxurious spa is a stylish and chilled out spot. Nadarra means 'natural' in Scottish Gaelic, and this chilled spot makes the most of its idyllic location.
Taking the plunge
There’s an outdoor infinity pool and a private outdoor bathtub area where you can sit and do nothing much. Enjoy glorious fell and lake views and forget about the world. We love the idea of the Nadarra party offer for a celebration or catch-up with friends. Spa-rty the night away, with prosecco, sharing board dining and exclusive use of the spa from 8-10pm and your own private DJ with a personalised set list for the evening. What a cool way to celebrate. Available for 10 - 35 guests from £129.00 Per Person
Signature treatments
Bliss out with treatments from Comfort Zone, Sothys and the lovely Ishga beauty brands. A lovely offering is the Ishga Oncology Experience for people currently undergoing treatment or living beyond a cancer diagnosis. This treatment uses some of the best seaweed-based oils, making it ideal for the most sensitive skins. £95.
Sustenance
Blossom Kitchen offers a healthy fresh menu making use of local produce on the doorstep, fusing outstanding Yorkshire ingredients with an Asian flair. Try small plates such as seared tuna with sesame & pickled ginger or Cotton Gin & szechuan cured salmon. Pea and wasabi. There’s an afternoon tea bento box and cocktails too.
Packages
A Rise & Shine Experience kicks off with a welcome health shot, a soothing two-hour spa session and dining in Blossom Kitchen. £65-75 pp.
Theconistonhotel.com
TITANIC SPA, HUDDERSFIELD
The vibe
Packing serious eco-friendly credentials, this is a spa that allows you to do good while indulging in a little bit of ‘me time’. Housed in an Edwardian textile mill, the building has its own water source located 100m below the spa, energy-saving gadgets and ongoing charity initiatives revolving around wildlife and the environment. Think traditional twentieth century architecture of the Pennines meets a sleek and sensual spa of the modern world. Immerse yourself in a series of hot and cold experiences inside, before submerging yourself in the sunken hot tub in the open air of the T Spa patio.
Taking the plunge
Inside the spa, it’s all about the Heat and Ice Experience on a sensory journey through the ritual of bathing. A series of experiences will heat and cool the body as you move between the sauna cabin, ice room, plunge pool, herbal infusion room, aromatherapy room and crystal steam bath. Lounge next to the salt regulated 15m swimming pool or choose to sink into the bean bag pit by a crackling fire in the Relaxation Lounge.
Signature treatments
Book the Private Mud Chamber to bathe as the ancient Egyptians did during this skin-nourishing, detoxifying experience.
The Titanic Top-to-Toe Indulgent Body Treatment will have you scrubbed and soothed in 85 minutes with a NEOM Organics body scrub and massage.
Sustenance
Offering a seasonal menu that’s organic and locally sourced, the bistro serves up a nutritious offering throughout the day and into the evening. Those staying later can enjoy champagne and cocktails in Bar 1911.
Packages
Titanic Spa offer a range of packages to suit all occasions, with the following being the most popular:
Twilight Evening Spa: From £49pp. Evening spa including canapes and a glass of bubbles.
Fabulous Friday Break: £189pp. Full-day spa access with overnight stay in one of the spa’s luxury apartments, a 55-minute facial treatment, one-course light lunch, and two-course evening meal.
titanicspa.com
ROCKLIFFE HALL & SPA, HURWORTH-ON-TEES NR MIDDLESBROUGH
The vibe
This is one big-scale grand country spa which looks and feels opulent within the grounds of handsome Rockliffe Hall in Hurworth and overlooks its world-class golf course.
Taking the plunge
Here’s a spa that lets you do your lengths – the 20m pool is satisfying for swimmers of all abilities and is a peaceful place with its stained glass windows that let the sun shine through. The Spa Garden is super-impressive as a luxey hideaway that you can book for a group. This special outdoor space is a haven of calm. Take in panoramic views whilst enjoying the infinity edge experience pool, sumptuous loungers, relaxing day beds and more. Or close your eyes and listen to the beautiful sounds of nature. The glass fronted sauna and warm tiled loungers provide the opportunity to let tranquillity take over. A 90-minute Spa Garden session is £25pp added to a spa day.
Signature treatments
Try one of three NEOM wellness treatments geared to help you sleep, de-stress or uplift the spirits. Created by a team of wellbeing experts and drawing together the most effective of six therapies - meditation, shiatsu, cranio, Thai massage, trigger point and reflexology - to provide true therapeutic wellbeing benefits. 60 minutes, £95.
Sustenance
Eat at Nu Sana for a healthy, nutrition-led menu featuring nourishing dishes and more indulgent choices to give guests the option of ‘everything in moderation’. Dine indoors or if the weather is fine, on the terrace overlooking the beautiful grounds. Dishes include healthy buddah bowls and salads.
Packages
Spa by Sunset.
Arrive at the Spa from 5pm. Relax and enjoy spa facilities including the swimming pool, thermal suite, hydrotherapy pool, outdoor hot tub, bucket drench, loungers and experience showers until 9pm. Watch the sunset in the Spa Garden. From £80pp.
rockliffehall.com
THREE GRACES SPA, GRANTLEY HALL, NR RIPON
The vibe
This is the place to come if you’re looking to envelope yourself in elegant extravagance during your spa day in one of the most luxurious hotels in the UK. Inspired by the Roman baths, its neoclassical design harks back to the days when bathing was a serious social affair. Plush rattan loungers, cabanas, and heated tiled beds are interspersed by tall palms and grand colonnades that frame the 18-metre pool. Whether you choose to laze around under the low vaulted ceiling, or swim out to the landscape Nordic Spa garden, this is the ultimate indulgence.
Taking the plunge
Guests can immerse themselves in a room full of snow, try out the benefits of cryotherapy, or take the plunge in an ice bath. There’s also an indoor-to-outdoor hydrotherapy pool where you can swim out to the Nordic Spa Garden, home to two ice baths, an outdoor sauna, sunken hot tub, and loungers. Those who enjoy a traditional offering can make the most of the glass fronted sauna and steam room found within the spa.
Signature treatments
Experience sound healing from a crystal singing bowl, foot ritual, mineral-rich muds, rose milk and deep tissue massage during the 180-minute Bespoke Scrub, Mud and Potali Ritual.
Specialist techniques are used during the Jennifer Young Top to Toe treatment to help restore the flow of energy and nutrients to the skin for those undergoing oncology treatment.
Sustenance
Take a seat amongst a sea of calming colour in the Three Graces Spa Lounge where a range of healthy and nutritious drinks, snacks and light bites are served throughout the day.
Packages
Three Graces Spa Day: From £245pp. Full-day spa access starting with a welcome ritual, 60-minute treatment, light lunch and beverage in the Spa Lounge.
Twilight Spa: From £165pp. Evening spa with two-hour access, welcome drink and 45-minute treatment.
grantleyhall.co.uk
THE COUNTRY CLUB & SPA, SWINTON PARK, NR RIPON
The Vibe
Scandi-style interiors await in a place where the philosophy is all about nurturing yourself through nature. Restore a sense of grounding in the tranquil surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales through sinking into a sumptuously plump bed next to the natural outdoor pool, snuggle up in sheepskins next to the fire pit or partake in one of the many holistic classes on offer from sound baths to practising mindfulness in a woodland hammock.
Taking the plunge
Dive into endless pools whether that be the 18-metre indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, alfresco hot tub, bio-filtered outdoor pool or (our personal favourite) the wild swimming pond.
The Thermal Suite is home to a variety of heat experiences including the aroma steam room, salt room, Finnish sauna, and alfresco herbal sauna. There are plenty of nooks and crannies for rest and relaxation – try out the waterbeds in the Sleep Room.
Signature treatments
A 90-minute Bamford Body Signature Treatment starts with a detoxifying foot soak, into a Swedish massage before ending in a relaxing scalp massage – the ultimate in top-to-toe wellness.
Release tension and stress while gaining a sense of wholeness in a 60-minute Reiki Drumming session.
Sustenance
The Terrace Restaurant and Bar is all about relaxed eating and drinking. Tuck into estate produce as you soak up the sun on the terrace.
Packages
Swinton Park offers a range of Wellness Spa Packages to suit everyone.
Simply Spa: From £89pp. Two hours of spa use including a pre-spa breakfast or post-spa lunch at The Terrace Restaurant & Bar.
Opulent Wellness Spa Day with Bamford: From £299pp. Full spa day with 3.5 hours access, welcome drink, 105 minutes of Bamford treatments, Full Body Scrub & Massage, 50-minute Bamford Facial, two-course lunch at The Terrace Restaurant & Bar.
Swintonestate.com
