The Lake District is known for many things – craggy fells, glinting lakes, tumbling waterfalls, Peter Rabbit and red squirrels – but it is not generally thought of as a spa destination. You go there to indulge in the scenery, often from a lake cruise or from a fell-top, not usually to indulge the body (other than with food…).
Think again. Several hotels have cottoned on to the fact that the sublime scenery can be equally enjoyed from a hot tub or, even better, an outdoor hydrotherapy pool. And that a massage and a sauna might be just the thing fell-walkers crave after a long day on the hills.
Certainly Lake District spa hotels take full advantage of their location with, amongst other treats, outdoor Finnish saunas, cocktails in fell-view infinity pools, and glass-fronted treatment rooms high above a forest-ringed private lake.
Best spa hotels in the Lake District
At a glance
1. Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, Crook, near Windermere
This hotel offers not just one but two spas, depending in which part of the hotel grounds you’re staying. The main hotel, built around an Edwardian country house and three miles from the eastern shores of Windermere, offers a small and discreet two-treatment-room spa (couples only) with a hidden roof-top garden with hot tub. Meanwhile, Lake House, a re-built fishing lodge a mile away down a twisty road, also offers two treatment rooms. The latter are tucked amongst woodland and with views of the private lake through its floor-to-ceiling windows. Dotted amongst the trees are a couple of hot tubs, plus there’s an indoor pool.
For utter indulgence (and this is a very sybaritic hotel) opt for one of the spa suites – stand-alone glass-and-timber chalets - in the grounds of the main house where you can have treatments in your own room. Like most of the bedrooms, these also have private hot tubs. Throw in a choice of two restaurants (one Michelin-starred) and you’ll want for nothing – other than a decent bank balance.
Address: Crook Road, Windermere LA23 3NE
2. Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge
The clue is in the name. The big draw of the spa here is the setting on the shores of southern Windermere. Swim in the 17-metre indoor pool and you can gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows across the lake to the fells opposite while, after a treatment, you can relax in the heated spa garden that slopes down to the lake. With just three treatment rooms, it’s a small spa but it’s for hotel guests only (no crowds in the pool) except for non-residents on pre-booked spa packages. The Elemis treatments include a full range of facials plus body treatments such as hot stone massages and scrubs.
Bedrooms are generous in size, if a little bland in style, with the lake-view rooms offering the best of everything. Eating is a choice of casual brasserie or smart grill restaurant. And then there’s a magnificent conservatory, and terrace; perfect for afternoon tea – so big, one will feed two.
Address: Newby Bridge, Lakeside LA12 8AT
Read more: The best walks in the Lake District
3. The Daffodil Hotel, Grasmere
The only hotel in Grasmere with grounds leading down to the lakeshore makes for a pretty good reason for choosing The Daffodil. Sitting on the outskirts of the village also means it’s away from the touristy hubbub (and Grasmere can get very busy), but within an easy 10-minute walk of the village’s shops and cafes. The centrepiece of the spa is a slinky, moodily lit thermal pool, surrounded by sauna and steam room. Treatments, using Temple Spa products, range from hot stone and herbal Thai massages to indulgencies such as rose quartz and truffles body relaxation and a Vitamin C facial workout. Round it all off with afternoon tea on the lake-facing terrace.
Rooms are light, spacious and contemporary with bold splashes of colour (lake or valley view the best) while dining offers popular classics. While eating look out for the collection of digital prints of iconic photographs from the National Portrait Gallery.
Address: By The Lake, Keswick Road, Grasmere, Ambleside LA22 9PR
4. Brimstone Hotel & Spa, Chapel Stile, Langdale
If you fancy an action-packed break but also want some serious luxury and downtime pampering, Brimstone should be on your check-list. This all-suite hotel in a glass-and-slate chalet-style building in the Langdale valley offers a modern take on a personal butler service. Everything from stoking your room’s log-burner to kitting you out in walking and cycling gear, providing maps and routes, and transporting you to the start and end of walks is provided complimentary.
After all that activity, wallow in the swanky spa with its thermal experiences, indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool and enigmatically named treatments such as Brimstone Renewal, Hot Rocking Relax and Wild Honey Healing Facial that use the hotel’s own-brand products. For the ultimate indulgence, there’s a private couples’ spa suite, The Bubble.
Suites are massive with designer bathrooms and most with a balcony. Complimentary 24-hour snacks (substantial) and drinks are part of the deal plus there’s the on-site Modern European restaurant, Stove, shared with the neighbouring hotel.
Address: Great Langdale, Ambleside LA22 9JD
Price: From £416
Read more: How to do the Lake District car-free
5. Langdale Hotel & Spa, Chapel Stile, Langdale
On the same wooded Langdale Estate as Brimstone, the Langdale Hotel is a more pocket-friendly option but still has access to the same swanky spa. Unlike Brimstone guests, those staying at the Langdale Hotel pay a fee, although there are often spa deals. All the facilities are the same from the seven-station thermal experience – including a lava sauna and salt steam room - to the hydrotherapy pool, and the outdoor Finnish sauna and fire. Treatments use the spa’s own-blend Pure Alchemy and tRiBe517 products, and guests also have access to the private spa suite, The Bubble.
If you don’t fancy forking out for the spa, the leisure centre has a 20-metre pool, sauna and steam room, all free.
Rooms, all a good size and spread around the estate, vary from bright and contemporary to light and Scandi to designer bling. Stove restaurant, with its open kitchen, is bright and buzzy with crowd-pleasing menus from pizzas to Modern European dishes.
Address: The Langdale Estate, Great Langdale, Ambleside LA22 9JD
Read more: Best hotels in the Lake District for lakeside views, spa breaks and Michelin-starred meals
6. Another Place, Watermillock, Ullswater
The centrepiece of this lakeside hotel on Ullswater is the 20-metre swimming pool with its double-height window overlooking the lake and the fells opposite. If anything will encourage you to do your lengths, this view will. On the terrace, there’s a hot tub that shares the same views and, if you really want that energising boost, try the wood-fired Finnish sauna (seasonal) that sits on the lakeshore – with adjacent wooden tub or the lake for the ‘cold water plunge’. The small spa offers treatments such as a hot rocks detox massage, a salt scrub and exfoliation, and – one for the walkers – a foot soak and scrub with leg massage. Or you could try The Works, a two-hour procedure which does exactly what it says.
The style throughout the hotel - a Georgian house with modern slate-and-glass extensions – is contemporary country house with a fun, laidback vibe. There are several eating options, including a lakeshore glasshouse serving wood-fired pizzas. For the ultimate spoiling break, book the double-size shepherd’s huts with wood-burning stoves and fire-pits.
Address: Lake District National Park, Another Place The Lake, Ullswater, Watermillock CA11 0LP
Price: From £270
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7. Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa, Borrowdale
This landmark Victorian hotel in the Borrowdale valley has expanded several times, most recently with a swanky spa. The latter takes full advantage of the hotel’s enviable location with views over the southern end of Derwentwater to the skyline of Cat Bells opposite. Its centrepiece is an outdoor hydrotherapy pool serviced by a champagne bar. The pool, plus outdoor Finnish sauna, usually forms the end part of a ‘thermal journey’ and is where guests linger longest. Treatments, using Elemis and Ishga products, range from deep tissue and hot poultice massages to a detoxifying body cocoon and pro-collagen facial as well as muddy fun in the rasul chamber.
Bedrooms are large, sleek and calming while there’s an impressive choice of dining from Modern British and pub classics in the Falls Brasserie to authentic Asian dishes (including Vietnamese and Thai) in Mizu with its open kitchen.
Address: Derwentwater, Keswick, CA12 5UX
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8. The Swan, Newby Bridge
The spa at The Swan is wickedly tempting. For one thing, there’s a bar; for another it has an extensive spa garden which means it’s all too easy to drift from the thermal journey (steam room, ice buckets, sauna) through the indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool to the outdoor hot tub and Finnish sauna. And then do it all over again. There’s plenty of space to relax indoors and outdoors, the latter with restful views of forested slopes. Treatments, using Temple Spa products, include a relaxing aromatherapy massage, glass skin facial, and a hot oil scalp massage. Afterwards, relax over coffee and cake in the café.
The hotel, near the southern end of Lake Windermere, is big on colour (minimalists beware) with bold-patterned wallpapers, soft furnishings in hot cottage garden colours and equally bright oversized headboards. Even entry-level rooms are bright and fun. Dining is a choice of classic pub food in the bar with its jolly mis-matched chairs, or smarter dishes in the – very pink – brasserie.
Address: Newby Bridge, Ulverston LA12 8NB
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9. Low Wood Bay, Windermere
A long-standing Lake District favourite, Low Wood Bay, beside Windermere, caters to most guests’ needs, from families, watersports fans and dog-owners to romantic couples and spa-lovers. The spa’s big draw is its outdoor infinity pool overlooking the lake, together with an outdoor sauna, hot tub and handy onsite bar. Indoors, the spa offers a vitality pool, coconut steam room and dry salt sauna, amongst other experiences, together with five treatment rooms. Berry & Birch, and ESPA products are used to offer an impressive range of treatments from reflexology, Himalayan salt scrubs and positivity massages to detoxifying salt and oil scrubs, LED facials and Gua Sha facial massages. Additionally, there’s a leisure centre with pool, sauna and whirlpool tub.
Bedrooms are designed to suit most pockets from standard courtyard rooms with a corporate style to lake-view above the spa to flashy designer rooms in a separate chalet-style block. And there’s a choice of dining, too, from Modern British to an open-kitchen grill restaurant.
Address: Ambleside Rd, Windermere LA23 1LP
10. Armathwaite Hall Hotel and Spa, Bassenthwaite
Wallow in the hot tub with half-closed eyes and you can imagine you’re deep in a forest glade. The spa, at this grand Victorian stately home at the northern end of Lake Bassenthwaite, overlooks woodland in the hotel’s extensive grounds. This is a big and spoiling spa with, amongst other attractions, a 16-metre infinity pool, hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, and indoor and outdoor terraces plus – should you feel the urge to get active – personal trainers in the gym.
Voya products are used in the ten treatment rooms, with a menu offering such exotics as a lavender and seaweed sugar scrub, seaweed leaf wrap, Mediterranean hot stones massage and a Vitamin C radiant facial workout.
Afterwards, take afternoon tea in the drawing room with its mesmerising views down Bassenthwaite. There are traditional bedrooms in the original hall and more contemporary in the spa wing, plus a choice of casual and smarter dining.
Address: Bassenthwaite Lake, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4RE
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