Body & beauty

The best spas and retreats

Looking to escape the everyday? Check out one of these hotspots for beauty treatments, yoga and relaxation.

In this increasingly busy world, it’s important to take a step back and enjoy some R&R. You might fancy a little pampering or simply a weekend away – whatever the reason, you can’t go wrong with wellness retreats. These exciting breaks are all about revitalisation, wiping away your troubles and equipping you with experiences and knowledge to improve your everyday life; something that’s definitely needed when stress is weighing you down. So why not treat yourself to a weekend retreat?

The benefits of a spa retreat

There’s nothing more luxurious than a trip to a spa resort, and it goes without saying that it’s a fantastic way to relax and de-stress. Allowing yourself the time to wind down and relax has so many benefits, from a healthier and more consistent sleep schedule to a clear mind and increased productivity once you leave. Not to mention, many of the spa beauty treatments help to delay the appearance of ageing by stimulating skin cells and hydrating the skin, and relieve aches and pains by improving your blood pressure and circulation – you’ll look and feel younger on both the inside and out.

Many spas also offer organic and carefully planned meals and nutrition consultations that’ll help you lose weight and improve your health, in a way that’s much more fun than regular dieting. As such, a spa holiday can be considered a healing retreat, since it definitely offers benefits far beyond that of a warm bath!

What are the best spa retreats in the UK?

The Gainsborough Bath Spa

A luxury hotel in the heart of a UNESCO world heritage site, The Gainsborough Bath Spa has been designed to be welcoming, elegant, vibrant and social – a modern interpretation of a classic design. It is believed that the waters come from rain that fell approximately 10,000 years ago, which seeped to a depth of two kilometres under the earth’s surface. There it is continually heated by hot rocks before rising up through the three famous hot springs in the centre of Bath, including the Hetling Spring which supplies the mineral-rich water to The Gainsborough Bath Spa. You’re sure to love the exquisite waters, as well as the range of spa treatments and five-star facilities. Honestly, it’s no wonder that The Wordrobe considers it one of the best spa retreats in the UK!

Location: Beau Street, Bath

Website: thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk

Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre

One of the most popular health spas in the UK, the Akasha spa takes a much-needed holistic approach to wellbeing. It is located within the five-star Hotel Café Royal on Regent Street and boasts a range of top-quality spa facilities, such as an 18-metre hydrotherapy pool, steam room, jacuzzi hot tub, nine spa treatment rooms (including a Watsu pool, Vichy shower treatment room and private Hammam, which marry innovative Western practises with ancient Eastern traditions) and a spacious gym. Plus, there’s the organic lounge bar, which offers a menu incorporating healthy ingredients that represent the four elements. Hotel guests, visitors and members are all invited on a guided journey that promotes health, happiness and fulfilment while improving personal balance.

Location: Regent Street, London

Website: hotelcaferoyal.com/wellness

Brimstone Hotel and Spa

Brimstone is the first of its kind in the Lake District, offering boutique luxury spa hotel suites and rooms. The contemporary and innovative design blends seamlessly with the stunning Lakeland landscape. Visitors can enjoy a range of luxurious experiences, from thermal waters and an indoor-outdoor pool to fitness studios and Brimstone spa therapies. Meanwhile, the suites feature log burning stoves, emperor beds and private balconies – if you’re looking for some good relaxation retreats in the UK, this is the place for you! What’s more, visitors can borrow walking gear from the Arc’teryx Boot Room and enjoy a spot of nature therapy and forest bathing in the picturesque location. It’s truly a no-anxiety retreat.

Location: Ambleside, Cumbria

Website: brimstonehotel.co.uk

Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood is a boutique country house hotel in England, set in the heart of the New Forest National Park. As such, the location features extraordinarily beautiful surroundings, which helped inspire the Limewood spa’s dedication to natural wellbeing. Designed over three levels, the hotel has a massive sauna and indoor hydro pool, a mud house, a steaming outdoor hot tub, eight spacious single treatment rooms and two double treatment rooms. If that’s not enough, there’s a state of the art rooftop gym, a 16-metre ozone-treated indoor swimming pool with glass doors overlooking the garden, and a workout studio – it’s the perfect place to escape from the world according to Hollie, editor of Muddy Suffolk & Cambs, who votes it one of the best retreats in the UK for its super spa.

Location: Lyndhurst, Hampshire

Website: limewoodhotel.co.uk/retreats/amelia-freer-retreat

What are the best spas in Europe?

Les Chalets du Mont d’Arbois, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Set at the foot of the Mont d’Arbois slopes, this Four Seasons spa and hotel combines classic Alpine charm with a luxury getaway. Visitors can look forward to a holistic and high-performance experience, where rare ingredients sourced with the strictest respect for biodiversity act in perfect synergy for optimal effectiveness. The location boasts three traditional wooden chalets, a Michelin-starred restaurant and an indoor-outdoor pool. In addition, there’s no shortage of rich locations to visit, with popular landmarks such as Chapelle Sainte Anne and Elevage de Rennes situated nearby. Kids will also enjoy the ski slopes and popular history museums like the Musee du Haut Val D’Arly, making it a getaway that’ll be loved by the whole family.

Location: Megève, France

Website: fourseasons.com/megevechalets/spa

Liquidrom Sauna and Spa

Situated in the centre of Berlin, on the west side of Potsdamer Platz, the Liquidrom features a floating-pool, Omm-sound pool, Japanese-inspired outdoor area with a hot water onsen pool, Finnish sauna with special infusions, steam bath, Himalayan salt sauna and Kelo herbal steam room. However, the centrepiece of the spa break is the dimmed cupola hall with its pool and warm saltwater. Moonlight shines through the round window while underwater colour and light effects combine with the soothing sounds of classical and electronic music. You’ll soon be experiencing the feeling of weightlessness in liquid sound – it’s no wonder why the location is one of The Guardian’s top 10 affordable spas, bathhouses and hammams in Europe.

Location: Berlin, Germany

Website: liquidrom-berlin.de/en/index.php

Parador de Corias

The Parador de Corias is located in the lovely Asturias town of Cangas del Narcea, in a spectacular monastery that has been declared a national historical-artistic monument. Despite the exterior, the location boasts a magnificent modern luxury spa that offers the very latest in services and facilities. Visitors can take advantage of the Turkish bath, swan-neck massage jet, bi-thermal shower, Scottish shower, aroma mist shower, Vichy shower, ice fountain, active jet pool, jet and hydro-massage pool and sauna. Not to mention, the staff highly encourage you to ask about other personalised treatments that you might be interested in. Outside of the spa day experience, visitors can enjoy the view of the beautiful mountain landscape and Tuscan-style church with its large baroque altarpiece.

Location: Asturias, Spain

Website: parador.es/en/paradores/parador-de-corias

The benefits of a detox retreat

If you haven’t heard of the term before, detoxing is the increasingly popular health trend of ridding your body of supposed toxins and stress, either through fasts, juice cleanses or cutting out technology. It’s believed that we are surrounded by toxins – in the air that we breathe, the food that we eat and even in the water that we drink – and it’s only through a detox that our bodies can heal. Combined with healthy eating and daily exercise, a detox will help to re-energise you, boost your immune system and give you a more radiant appearance. What’s more, although weight-loss isn’t necessarily the main goal of a detox, many find that when switching up their diet they do notice that they lose weight too, especially when your detox break includes nutrition experts that help you come up with plans for the future.

What are the best detox retreats in the UK?

Sura Detox Retreats

One of the top detox and fasting retreats in the UK, Sura Detox aims to put your health back in your hands through water fasting, juice fasting, colonics, massage, yoga sessions, life coaching and nutritional talks. During the course of a week-long fast, you will learn about your body, mind and spirit, with daily chats centred around food and a person’s relationship to it – Justine Walters highly recommends the course if you want to fit into your old jeans and look ten years younger! The workshops will also help you in other areas such as managing your stress and anxiety, and practising some much-needed self-care. All in all, the site is committed to providing you with an experience to remember and supporting the body’s natural ability to cleanse itself.

Location: Berrynarbor, North Devon

Website: suradetox.co.uk

JIVA Healing Rejuvenating Retreats

Voted one of top five exotic detox retreats by The Times and a clearly popular holistic retreat in the UK, JIVA Healing aims to cleanse and purify your body and mind while you’re relaxing in peaceful natural surroundings. The tailored programmes offer fasting, healthy eating and yoga, assisting your body to eliminate toxins that have stored up in your cells from stress, poor diet and other unhealthy habits. Instead, you will be drinking fresh juices and other fluids, and eating a vegan diet designed to provide optimum nutrition with food that is light and easy on the digestive system. Jini Reddy definitely vouches for the five-day juice fast, which she says helped her shed a few pounds and nuke her sugar addiction.

Location: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

Website: jivahealing.com

What are the best detox retreats in Europe?

Vilalara Longevity Thalassa & Medical Spa

Located at Vilalara Thalassa Resort, Vilalara Longevity Thalassa & Medical Spa offers a tranquil, secluded beach-front setting in the Algarve for you to enjoy while completing a high-impact detox programme. Experts will assess your health status and help you improve your wellbeing, either through a medically approved juice fasting or detoxifying meal plan, combined with body cleansing spa and Thalassa therapies, which utilise the healing properties of saltwater. While detoxing, visitors can also make good use of the beautiful beach, four tennis courts and fun group activities. In fact, we loved the longevity essential detox so much, it’s included in our round-up of the best UK spas and retreats.

Location: Algarve, Portugal

Website: longevitywellnessworldwide.com/longevity-vilalara/detox-algarve-portugal

Sianji Well-being Resort

With a private beach and set among 100 acres of gardens, Sianji offers a charming combination of pleasure and wellbeing. Choose from a wide range of retreats, including a master detox, a raw food detox and an alkaline detox. The retreat will begin with a consultation, where the team of doctors, nurses, detox specialists, dietitians and fitness instructors assess your health history, analyse your body composition, take blood tests if needed, and help you plan a suitable wellness programme for your stay. What’s more, during your stay, you can partake in yoga sessions, tai chi and combat fitness classes, book into the Muu Spa and take advantage of the Turkish baths, and even observe your food being prepared and join in cooking classes.

Location: Bodrum, Turkey

Website: sianjilife.com/en/life