Post-pandemic – and even mid-pandemic – something happened to the UK’s spa hotels. And by “something”, I mean they all became impossible to book, and stomach-churningly expensive. Perhaps it was a result of us all being confined to the country for great swathes of time; perhaps it was because, with so many big celebrations stored up during lockdowns, it was inevitable there’d be a backlog of hen dos, birthday bashes and anniversaries to celebrate with a slice of pampering.
Whatever the reason, when a group of friends and I attempted to book a spa day and overnight stay at a nice-enough-but-not-mega-fancy place an hour outside London for a 40th birthday last year, the response was astonishing. We were advised that they were “booked solid for the next eight months” and that the cheapest package would set us back more than £350 per person. I mean, I love a spa as much as the next person – possibly more – but £350? To sit around in a selection of warm rooms for the day? Had the world gone mad?
