The best affordable spas in the UK

Truly great spas aren’t always as expensive as you might think. Plenty of hotels offer day experiences to non-guests who can maximise the health benefits of a hot-cold circuit, swim laps, and relax in a hot tub without stumping up to stay overnight. The best prices are often half days (or evenings) during the week – and in many places, treatments can then be added on top for those happy to spend a little more. Here’s our pick of the best spas in the UK to book for under £100.

The Nici, Dorset

Price: From £85 for a daycation

A few minutes’ stroll from Bournemouth’s sandy beaches, this hotel offers an alternative take on a trip to the seaside. The Daycation (available until the end of October) includes a two-course lunch in the South Beach restaurant, plus full use of the spa – which has an indoor pool, hydro pool, steam and aromatherapy sauna – and heated 30m outdoor pool, with candy-striped loungers. The package also offers 20 per cent off spa treatments meaning you could book an Oskia facial, say, or signature massage for under £100.

Address: West Hill Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5EJ
Website: thenici.com

Cowley Manor Experimental, Cotswolds

Price: £100 for the C-Side Recharge

Surrounded by Cotswolds countryside, Cowley Manor’s C-Side Spa is a gorgeous stone-and-glass sanctuary for a re-set. The four-hour Recharge package (from 11am to 3pm) allows use of the steam, sauna, gym and – the best bit – a pair of pools: one, slate-lined indoors; the other, outdoors with loungers for lolling after a swim. For £50 more, you can upgrade to the half-day package, which includes a two-course lunch and a choice of several 60-minute treatments, such as the ‘Tailored to You’ facial and ‘Blissful Back’ – a deep cleanse massage, exfoliation, and a muscle-relaxing compress.

Address: Cowley, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL
Website: cowleymanorexperimental.com

Middleton Lodge, Yorkshire

Price: £85 for the Evening Spa with Coach House dinner (Monday to Thursday); £100 (Friday to Sunday)

What better way to relax before bed than by spending an evening in a spa? At this Georgian country estate’s Forest Spa, you can do exactly that. Arrive from 5.30pm for a hot-cold thermal circuit (sauna, steam and icy plunge pool) before a few laps of the outdoor pool and a soak in the spring water hot tub. A two-course dinner at the Coach House is included or splash out for the six-course tasting menu at fine-dining restaurant Forge (Thursday to Sunday only). Treatments can be added on; some, such as the Voya facial and muscle recovery massage, are £95 each.

Address: Kneeton Lane, Middleton Tyas, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 6NJ
Website: middletonlodge.co.uk

Scarlet, Cornwall

Price: £170 for the Discover Scarlet experience for two (Monday to Thursday); £200 (Friday and Saturday)

Sometimes spas are more fun with a friend. Cue the ‘Discover Scarlet’ half-day experience for two at this adult-only beachfront hotel in Mawgan Porth. Swim in the indoor pool, unwind in the steam room and cedarwood sauna, and dip into the outdoor freshwater pool. The clifftop hot tub session, which comes with a glass of prosecco and sensational views of the Cornish coastline, is a highlight. When you’re feeling peckish, tuck into tapas-style light bites or afternoon tea at the restaurant (included).

Address: Tredragon Road, Mawgan, Porth, Cornwall, TR8 4DQ
Website: scarlethotel.co.uk

Ragdale Hall, Leicestershire

Price: From £82 for the Evening Spa Experience

With six swimming pools – including one candlelit, another with a waterfall and massage jets, and a third on the rooftop with countryside views – this Midlands spa specialist has seriously impressive facilities. Drift between these and the heat experiences (don’t miss the garden sauna or colourflow cave – a relaxing detox that combines steam and smell), during an evening spa session before a two-course feast in the Verandah Bar.

Address: Ragdale Village, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 3PB
Website: ragdalehall.co.uk

Galgorm Hotel, Northern Ireland

Price: From £75 for the Dawn Experience; from £95 for Detox Therapy

Just 30 minutes from Belfast, this golf-and-spa hotel is the perfect add-on to an Irish city break. Set in 450 acres of parkland on the River Maine, the spa itself has a “thermal village” split across three gardens. Wander from the salt cave in The Riverside Garden, to the vitality pools in The Alpine Garden and to the steam, sauna and hot tubs in The Walled Garden. Choose between the Dawn Experience (from 8am to 2pm), with breakfast and a 25-minute meditative Celtic sauna infusion, or Detox Therapy (from 9am to 5pm), with lunch and a 30-minute rejuvenating, infra-red therapy session.

Address: Galgorm, BT42 1EA, County Antrim, Ireland
Website: galgorm.com

Homewood Hotel and Spa, Somerset

Price: £79 for Refresh and Relax (Monday to Friday); £89 (weekends)

Six miles from Bath in the village of Freshford, this Georgian country house was reimagined four years ago with eclectic interiors, contemporary art, a restaurant with a Mediterranean twist and a spa. Book for the three-hour Refresh and Relax experience, which includes use of the sauna and steam room, indoor hydrotherapy pool, outdoor heated pool, and hot tub with Avon Valley vistas (as part of an ongoing spa expansion, a new vitality pool and relaxation room is slated to open in the summer). A two-course set lunch or afternoon tea is included and you can add on a GAIA treatment – perhaps an Indian head massage, salt and oil scrub or reflexology (each under £100).

Address: Abbey Lane, Freshford, Bath, Somerset, BA2 7TB
Website: homewoodbath.co.uk

Rockliffe Hall, County Durham

Price: From £89 for Spa by Sunset (available until 30 September)

No classic country retreat would be complete without a spa and Rockliffe Hall, just outside Darlington, has the full thermal spectrum of facilities – from an aromatic tepidarium and detoxifying infrared room to an icicle-filled igloo and foot spa with bursts of hot and cold bubbles. Arrive at 5pm for the Spa by Sunset, four hours to zone out and properly relax. The package includes access to the tranquil spa garden (the best spot as the sun sinks) and for an extra £25, you can upgrade with the Mud Rasul experience, slathering on a salt scrub and Dead Sea mask to nourish the skin.

Address: Hurworth on Tees, Darlington, County Durham, DL2 2DU
Website: rockliffehall.com