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The north of England offers many things: dramatic landscapes (Lake District, North York moors), empty beaches (Northumberland), creative musical hotbeds (Liverpool, Manchester), rich history (York, Durham) and seriously good food (the region has over 25 Michelin-starred restaurants). Less appreciated is that the north has some excellent spa hotels, many of which are independently owned and, thus, have all the flair and individuality that brings.
Forget any misguided notions that the north is all about being tough, hard and hearty. The best spa hotels in the north of England take indulgence, decompression and rejuvenation very seriously. Here you can find woodland hot tubs, rooftop infinity pools, outdoor Finnish saunas, languorous thermal experiences plus spa gardens in which to relax with a glass of fizz. Expect the full range of treatments (bespoke facials to aromatherapy massages and mud rasul rituals) using both top brands and more niche, often locally made, products. You just need to decide whether you want the buzz of a city centre location, the grandeur of a country house or the peace of a rural setting.
How we review
Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.
At a glance, the best spa hotels in the north of England
- Best value hotel spa in the north of England – The Midland Hotel, Manchester
- Best luxury hotel spa in the north of England – Grantley Hall, Yorkshire
- Best spa hotel in the north of England for families – Armathwaite Hall, Lake District
- Best spa hotel in the north of England with hot tubs – Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Lake District
The Midland has one of the north west’s best-looking spas. The Thermal Experience is where the fun starts, with alder wood sauna (air infused by a Himalayan salt block); aromatherapy steam room; ‘lifestyle’ shower (think ‘Caribbean storm’ and ‘Arctic rain’ fuctions); and relaxation pool. ESPA treatments include the Serene Sleep range focusing on marma points and rebalancing chakras. Nor is the excitement over when you’re ushered into the relaxation room afterwards – with its ergonomic sleep chambers and hanging pods. Book a luxurious room with city views and nab a table at The French for a menu featuring tatties, trotters and truffles.
From
£
114
per night
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This 100-acre boutique retreat with its own boat house is about as far from a big, blingy spa hotel as you can get. Hot tub fans are well catered for with cedarwood and ancient-style Japanese ofuro varieties, and private ones installed in several suites. The Jetty spa has a couple’s treatment room that floats in a tree canopy above the hotel’s private lake. There’s also a swimming pool, and salt snug where guests can enjoy a halotherapy treatment inspired by the practices of medieval monks followed by aroma salt scrub. Some of the bedroom suites have their own sauna and steam room.
From
£
305
per night
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A curving, contemporary state-of-the-art spa that makes the most of its Lake District scenery. The crowing glory is the Thermal Experience with Finnish cabin, ice fountain, Himalayan salt steam room and lava sauna. Treatments are inspired by Lake District flora: think sweet orchid body nourish wraps, and frangipani-soaked hot-stone massages. Facials are of the whizzy Superfood and Dynamic Resurfacing calibre. A private spa for couples has a ‘heat-and-steam’ cabin. Those committed to the cause can book the Spa bedroom; its humongous bath faces French windows that open straight onto a private terrace.
From
£
200
per night
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The fabulous spa at this luxury Harrogate hotel has its own rooftop garden with infinity pool, panoramic sauna, foot bubbles experience and herbal steam room. Treatment packages are bracingly bucolic: they can include a juniper log sauna and bucket shower. There’s also an excellent indoor pool. Facial treatments use in-vogue anti-ageing kombuchka (fermented tea); and the combined head and foot treatment with mango butter mask and acupressure is a fab alternative to a generic massage. Also on offer is, ahem, gentleman’s foot maintenance. The new spa bedrooms have their own saunas, steam rooms, and gold-tiled spa baths.
From
£
353
per night
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York’s only five-star property is one of the best spa hotels in the north of England. The cracking facilities include an indoor jet pool, aromatic steam room, Nordic dry sauna and mosaic-tiled whirlpool. You’ll find many of the latest signature ESPA treatments on offer here, including the Advanced Enzyme Facial with rose quartz and algae-based Detox Wrap. Spa and Stay packages starting at £185 include a one-hour treatment, breakfast and afternoon tea. Overnight guests can bed down in Egyptian cotton sheets and enjoy bathrooms with Molton Brown products. Suites have his-and-hers showers and roll-top baths.
From
£
168
per night
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This former derelict Victorian mansion is now a five-star golf resort and spa with all the trimmings. The spa garden has an infinity-edge pool with bubbles and massage jets, a second heated pool and landscaped gardens overlooking the grounds. There’s also a glass-fronted sauna and clutch of state-of-the-art self-heating sun loungers. The spa here has collaborated with Neom Organics (founded by a former Glamour magazine editor) to launch four cornerstone treatments for the stressed and sleep-deprived, drawing on everything from Thai massage and shiatsu to meditation. Book an Old Hall Suite for marble bathrooms with tubs and TVs set in the wall tiles, the finest Egyptian cotton sheets and superb countryside views.
From
£
240
per night
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This luxurious, cossetting Georgian mansion has a huge Feng Shui-inspired spa. There’s an ozone-cleansed pool with massage jets, hammam, salt sauna, amethyst crystal steam room, outdoor hot tubs, ice fountain, plunge pools and roof terrace. An aerobic studio and hydrotherapy pool complete the offerings. If you don’t come out of the Ultimate Serenity signature treatment feeling like a Duracell Bunny just out of the box, something has gone very wrong; the collaboration with trendy Ytsara products includes a foot massage, body polish, body wrap, scalp massage and bamboo back massage. Colourful, vivaciously-patterned bedrooms are a delightful change to moody, bland spa suites. One has twin slipper baths.
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The hotel tagline of ‘Cheshire’s country estate’ conjures up images of a traditional property, but the original timber-framed hall burned down in 1912 and today’s incarnation is a modern development. Jewel in the Carden crown though is its new £10 million spa, which is out to compete with the best in the country. The feel throughout is lavish and luxurious, with high-spec finishes, lashings of white orchids and super-comfy treatment beds (this is the only spa in the North West to offer treatments from Elemental Herbology and Oskia). Indoors, there’s a pool, thermal experiences, glamorous beauty lounge, three relaxation rooms and a restaurant
From
£
149
per night
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This sprawling Palladian-style hall (17th-century origins) set in parkland and formal gardens has a sweep of distractions, from a Japanese garden, wellies to borrow (walking routes are available) and 30 acres of parkland to a wine-tasting room and a choice of restaurants including that of Michelin-starred chef Shaun Rankin. The most impressive is perhaps the two-level spa with thermal experience and snow room, 18-metre pool, indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pools, outdoor terrace and hot tub area, treatments by Ila and Natura Bisse, two gyms plus altitude training facilities, and slumber-inducing relaxation areas including an outdoor terrace.
From
£
500
per night
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With its superb position overlooking Derwentwater and the fells of Skiddaw and Catbells, this landmark hotel has moved into the 21st century with a swanky spa – with the star of the show being the breathtaking outdoor hydrotherapy pool (pictured). Another highlight is the Champagne bar located in the spa, perfect for a post-treatment tipple on a lounger. Though there are plenty of places to relax, including a conservatory and long terrace plus gardens with views of the waterfall after which the hotel is named.
From
£
194
per night
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You’ll need a whole weekend to do justice to the multi-million-pound spa in this staggering country pile once owned by a Bradfordian mill owner. Come in summer for the outdoor sauna fire pit. The dipping pond is fabulous on sunny days – though relaxation beds topped with heated canopies, and furnished with sheepskin rugs and gloves allow guests to enjoy these spaces in winter too. An 18-metre lap pool, smaller hydrotherapy pool, and nature-scented and salt steam rooms provide further pampering. Opt for a 60-minute therapy in one of the many treatment rooms. Highly recommended is the Elemis Garden of England Rose Restore Wrap with poppy seeds; the deep tissue massages also hit the spot.
From
£
245
per night
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This prettily situated riverside inn has been extended into a modern, family-friendly hotel without losing its charm. For indulgence, the spacious indoor/outdoor spa has six treatment rooms (one double) and a well-curated menu using niche products, Comfort Zone, OTO and Ground (the botanically-based Comfort Zone’s Sublime facial is to be recommended). A large indoor area plus spa garden include a vitality pool, steam room, hot tub and Finnish sauna (higher-grade rooms have free access, otherwise £20).
From
£
190
per night
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This grand-looking family-friendly country house hotel, set in a former stately home at the head of Bassenthwaite, comes with spectacular views and a swathe of resort-style features. With its extensive grounds, tennis court and spa – plus the next-door Wildlife Park to which guests have discounted entry – the hotel is almost a mini-resort. The spa includes a 16-metre pool, hot tub and thermal suite as well as 10 treatment rooms. For the active, there’s a gym plus range of exercise classes and programmes such as archery, alpaca-walking and clay pigeon shooting. The gardens and woodland are a delight to wander, with a direct path to the lakeshore, or you can just admire the view from the terrace.
From
£
285
per night
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A Lakeland landmark hotel, overlooking Lake Windermere, that has now expanded into a modern resort with watersports and a swanky spa. Appealing to both families and couples (with some bedrooms in an exclusive chalet-style building), it also offers a choice of eating options. As a ‘resort hotel’, it caters for guests whether they want to be indolent, active or have some family-fun. The snazzy spa, with thermal experience, overlooks the lake (though there is a steep £50 entry fee unless you’ve booked a treatment) while the leisure centre (free) includes a gym, indoor and outdoor (infinity) pools, and outdoor sauna.
From
£
149
per night
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Middleton Lodge is a rambling Georgian country estate offering sumptuous boutique accommodation and two wedding venues. Explore the grounds using the complimentary bikes, indulge in a treatment, and head to the three-AA-Rosette restaurant, The Forge, for a fine dining experience and a garden-to-fork ethos. The hotel opened its much anticipated ‘Forest Spa’ in 2023, with a gorgeous heated pool at its heart (pictured). There’s a thermal spa area featuring a sauna with panoramic views of the estate’s fields and woodland, a 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.
From
£
200
per night
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The smart Espa spa at this sprawling, 350-acre country estate is the ideal escape for those wanting an ‘away-from-it-all’ setting. It boasts 14 treatment rooms, a relaxation area with sleep pods, a private suite with outdoor infinity pool, saunas, steam rooms and one of the UK’s largest hydrotherapy pools. Treatments are tailored and wide ranging; golfers will love Golfer’s Tonic, a massage that soothes aching muscles after a day on the greens; while shoppers will enjoy the invigorating foot massage. There’s plenty on offer for couples too, including the Mud Rasul Ritual, involving earthy handfuls of mud and your own private steam chamber.
From
£
113
per night
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Contributions by Hattie Garlick, Suzanne King, Helen Pickles, Cathy Toogood and Tina Walsh
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