The best spa hotels in Bath for rejuvenating retreats, thermal waters and peaceful countryside escapes

Homewood’s laid-back atmosphere allows you to fully immerse in its luxury offerings - (Homewood Hotel)

You’ll be soaking in thousands of years of history if you book a spa weekend in Bath – this city on the southern edge of the Cotswolds is Britain’s original spa town, and visitors have luxuriated in its natural thermal waters ever since the Celts enjoyed a steamy soak and the Romans built a hot spring temple complex called Aquae Sulis here in AD70. Spa culture is still going strong in Bath – in 2021, the city received a second Unesco listing as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe.

While you can’t soak in the waters of the original Roman Baths today, they are still wonderful to look around, especially when candlelit after dark on a ‘Summer Lates’ tour. Or dip in Bath’s healing, mineral-rich waters at the modern Thermae Bath Spa. Even better, make a weekend of it and stay in one of the best spa hotels in Bath – these top picks come complete with turquoise pools, wooden saunas, steam rooms and tempting treatments.