The best spa hotels in and around Bath, from Georgian townhouses to countryside mansions
These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. As it stands, hotel stays may be allowed from May 17. Please note our writers visited these hotels prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
From Roman times to the present day, visitors have flocked to Bath to bathe in its natural thermal waters. The most famous spot for wallowing is the Thermae Bath Spa complex, which is open to the general public – but many of Bath's hotels offer their own enticing spas, with indulgent treatments and thermal facilities. Whether located in the city centre or in the surrounding countryside, here's our pick of the best spa hotels in Bath (and beyond).
What sets The Gainsborough apart is its Spa Village: it's the only hotel in Bath with access to the city's natural thermal waters. There are three substantial thermal pools in which to wallow (the largest is set under a glass-roofed atrium), as well as saunas and a steam room, plus 11 treatment rooms offering a wide range of massages and Asian‑influenced therapies. Guests who haven't booked a treatment can access the baths on limited time slots – an attempt on the hotel’s part to preserve the tranquility of the facilities.
This luxurious hotel encompasses two townhouses in Bath's showpiece Georgian crescent – the best possible location in town. The elegant spa has an indoor relaxation pool, a vitality pool with massage jets, plus a sauna and steam room. Bedrooms are all individually designed, with your name hand-written on a card on your door. There's an acre of pristine walled gardens, great for dining al fresco in the summer months – the hotel is famous for its very indulgent afternoon teas with sweet and savoury choices.
• The best things to do in Bath
This 1830s ivy-covered stone mansion overlooks nearly four acres of beautifully maintained grounds, which include expansive lawns and a kitchen garden. The hotel has a L'Occitane Spa with treatment rooms and a fetching shop and nail bar overlooking the gardens. There's also a pleasant relaxation room, sauna, steam pod, and smart indoor swimming pool. A heated outdoor pool – tucked away in the garden – is open during the summer months. The majority of the hotel's rooms have a soothing, traditional country-house look.
• The best restaurants and cafés in Bath
Lucknam Park is a refined 18th-century pile set in 500 acres of tranquil parkland, with a mile-long avenue of lime and beech trees leading up to the main mansion. Its handsome spa is cut from polished cream stone – crowned by a heated outdoor therapy pool overlooking the grounds. There are saunas, steam rooms, and a Japanese salt room, plus an array of treatments using ESPA products. After your spa sojourn, retire to one of the country house-style bedrooms; all quiet florals, mahogany furniture, and dashes of velvet.
• The best nightlife in Bath
This 17th-century home with extensive gardens is a firm favourite with families visiting Bath and the Wiltshire countryside. Offering both country manor relaxation and child-focused fun, it proves that the two need not be mutually exclusive. Unlike many traditional spas, Woolley Grange welcomes children of all ages in its facilities – they even offer treatments for kids. There’s also a cot beside the pool, so parents can enjoy a dip while keeping a close eye on baby. Each room is different, but all are homely and a handful of rooms are interconnecting.
• The best hotels in Bath city centre
There are two pools at this original countryside outpost of Soho House: one outside and overlooking the lake, the other housed inside a cavernous stone barn. Additionally you’ll find steam rooms, saunas, and a cinema that hosts free screenings every day. Cowshed Spa – housed in a former (you guessed it) cow shed – offers luxurious treatments and overlooks a pretty walled kitchen garden. Rooms in the main house are sophisticated, with antique four-poster beds, roll-top baths, open fires and a plethora of Cowshed potions.
• The best luxury hotels in and around Bath
A stylishly revivified country-house hotel a short drive from Bath, decorated throughout with playful and eye-catching art and features. Many bedrooms have an Art Deco look; for a real treat, splash out on a rustic Garden suite/Deluxe Garden suite which have private hot tubs. The appealing, well-equipped spa has an outdoor swimming pool heated to 28 degrees Celsius year-round, along with a hot tub and terrace laid out with day beds and sun loungers. Inside there's a hydrotherapy pool, sauna and steam room, as well as treatment rooms.
• The best hotels with spas in Cornwall
This hotel sits within the vast and beautiful parkland of the Bowood Estate, next to the golf club. The spa and large indoor swimming pool – with expansive views over the practice golf holes to the woodland beyond – has the usual facilities including a sauna, steam room, and treatment rooms for massages, facials, manicures and pedicures. Consider splashing out on a Luxury Parkland Room, which will have French windows opening on to a balcony. Stays here include complimentary access to Bowood House and its gorgeous gardens.
Contributions by Simon Horsford & Natalie Paris
