THE WELLNESS SPAS
New treatments and natural therapies mean the latest spas offer more than just pampering and fluffy robes – they can also help ease health niggles, boost mental wellbeing and kick-start lifestyle changes
New treatments and natural therapies mean the latest spas offer more than just pampering and fluffy robes
Naturally occurring, mineral-rich thermal springs have been renowned for their healing powers for centuries. Now, an authentic ‘taking the waters’ experience is back in fashion. The chic Tamina Therme in Switzerland (taminatherme.ch) has indoor and outdoor thermal pools filled from the nearby Tamina spring. It wouldn’t be out of place in a five-star resort, but it’s actually the town’s public bathhouse, and it costs just 28 Swiss francs to while away a day in the various hot tubs, whirlpools, swimming pools, saunas and relaxation areas.
It was built for the town by the owners of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz (from £250 per person including breakfast; resortragaz.ch), a wellness resort that also houses its own thermal water spa, 36.5° Wellbeing and Thermal (named after the temperature of the water when it comes out of the ground). This specialises in treatments such as Haki, a cross between a massage and yoga, that takes place in a thermal bath.
Closer to home, The Gainsborough Bath Spa in Bath is the only hotel in the UK with its own naturally occurring mineral spa (from £285 per room; thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk), and Harrogate’s Turkish Baths & Health Spa (from £15.50 per session; turkishbathsharrogate.co.uk) is a genuine thermal spa with Victorian terrazzo floors and a beautifully tiled plunge pool that’s run by the local council.
HEALTH REBOOT
Medi-spas combine relaxation and pampering with cutting-edge medical treatments, offering a top-to-toe body overhaul from an integrated team that includes doctors, nutritionists and osteopaths – perfect if you’ve got a stubborn health condition, you’re not keen on doctors’ waiting rooms or you’re recovering after illness.
You’ll be given a tailor-made health regeneration plan at The SHA Wellness Clinic, near Alicante in Spain (pictured on previous page). The SHA Essence programme (from €2,450 per person for seven days excluding accommodation; shawellnessclinic.com) is a mix of holistic and high science, with medical and nutritional consultations alongside a personalised prescription of acupuncture, massage and treatments.
At Grayshott Spa, near Haslemere in Surrey (pictured above), the Health Regime (from £1,495 per person for seven days; grayshottspa.com) aims to kick-start healing by correcting the balance of the gut. The week-long programme of digestive cleansing is strict, but it can help improve energy levels and sleep, and may also help combat weight gain, IBS and prediabetes.
Medi-spas combine relaxation with cuttingedge medical treatments