The Spa Spies review and rate more than 100 spas a year -- it's a tough job but someone has to do it.
A Spa Spy is a committed, professional journalist at Good Spa Guide who is passionate about all things spa. From Jacuzzis to the gym, massage to wraps, there is nothing they won't try to find the pinnacle of pampering perfection.
If you've got a story you'd like to share, an idea you'd like us to consider, or a beach you'd like us to lie on, please email us at [email protected] and we'll get straight onto it.
Skin type: Normal/combination skin
Likes:
Luxurious scented candles; hot massage oil; being warm; unusual treatments; fluffy towels; natural light; firm pressure.
Dislikes:
Mould; slamming doors; being walked in on while treatment in progress; therapists with cigarette-laced breath.
Read PostsSkin type: Oily/sensitive
Likes:
Clever, inspiring design, sublime views, a vast, clean and empty pool, solitary relaxation areas to read, write or commune with my muse.
Dislikes:
Small talk, discussions about spirituality or astrology, any products containing tea tree oil or aloe (sadly am allergic), busy pools where you can’t do laps.
Read PostsSkin type: Normal/dry
Likes:
Nature-inspired spas, cold water plunges, sound baths, deep tissue massage, delicious food.
Dislikes:
Thin walls in treatment rooms, lounger hoggers, soggy robes, bright lights.
Read PostsSkin type: Normal - dry
Likes:
Picturesque views; firm massages; friendly therapists who make you feel at ease; stylish interiors; attention to detail; outdoor hot tubs; infinity pools; fluffy robes and towels; a good selection of spa treatments.
Dislikes:
Any attempt to hard sell; inconsiderate therapists; areas in need of a clean; rowdy guests; cheap toiletries; restaurant menus that are overly healthy; cold swimming pools; no private changing areas; paper pants.
Read PostsSkin type: Combination
Likes:
Variety, luxury, great results.
Dislikes:
Over-chatty staff when it's clear you want to switch off and relax, unhygienic settings and equipment, poor results.
Read PostsSkin type: Normal to oily
Likes:
Attentive friendly staff, personalised treatments, imaginative spa food menu and spas that look after their therapists’ wellbeing too.
Dislikes:
Changing rooms and showers that aren't spotless, tatty towels and robes and having to get dressed for lunch.
Read PostsSkin type: Combination
Likes:
Instant results; jasmine and frangipani scents; hot steam rooms; a good selection of magazines; modernist decor.
Dislikes:
Whale noises (on CD, not in the pool hopefully); hard massage beds; tiny toilet cubicles; being spoken to like a child; lukewarm pools.
Read PostsSkin type: As therapists like to say: "mature".
Likes:
Warm floors when you put your bare feet upon them; heated treatment beds; soft towels; attention to detail, so that your treatment room looks and smells beautiful when you arrive in it.
Dislikes:
Cold floors when you put your bare feet upon them; therapists who use your treatment time to write up a list of product "recommendations" that they hope you will purchase.
Read PostsSkin type: Normal/combination
Likes:
Intuitive masseurs, inspired or outlandish treatments and design, posh products and celeb spotting.
Dislikes:
Anyone po-faced (guests and therapists) or stupid, boring design and treatments.
Read PostsSkin type: Dry/combination
Likes:
Boutique boltholes with a good dose of opulence; island retreats; panoramic views; informative therapists; fluffy dressing gowns.
Dislikes:
Worn towels; wet floors; tired design; bad acoustics; unruly children.
Read PostsSkin type: Combination
Likes:
Heated outdoor pools, yoga-based therapies, beautiful grounds to wander in, personalised treatments.
Dislikes:
Crowded changing rooms, whale music, complicated booking systems, hen parties hogging the hot tub.
Read PostsSkin type: Combination
Likes:
Authenticity; happy staff; mineral waters.
Dislikes:
Treatments that are showy and lacking in substance; uncleanliness; poorly thought out spa aesthetics; badly trained therapists.
Read PostsSkin type: Combination
Likes:
Good food; friendly therapists; decent music to listen to during a treatment; therapists who understand that exams make you feel really stressed.
Dislikes:
Robes that are too big for people who are only five foot tall; swimming pools with no room to swim; too much healthy food.
Read PostsSkin type: Sensitive
Likes:
Minimalist lines; organic products; facial massage; tranquillity; interesting people-watching.
Dislikes:
Discarded towels on loungers; steam rooms that aren't steamy; mobile phones.
Read PostsSkin type: Sensitive
Likes:
Tepedariums (heated seats make my spa day); pools you can actually swim in; eucalyptus steams rooms; deep tissue massages.
Dislikes:
Anything to do with ice or cold plunge pools; having to go outside mid-spa day; other people talking loudly; hot tubs with the bubbles on!
Read PostsSkin type: Oily/combination
Likes:
Warmth and sunshine; spas which take me away to another country; fruit infused waters; beach-worth pedicures; deep tissue massages.
Dislikes:
High footfalls; treatments that over promise and under deliver; heavy lunches; loungers drapped in used towels.
Read PostsSkin type: Dry and sensitive
Likes:
Length size pools; strong swan pipes; seriously deep tissue massages; beautiful views from outside thermal experiences.
Dislikes:
Sniffing therapists; cold treatment rooms; hard sell on products.
Read PostsSkin type: Normal to dry
Likes:
Picturesque views, innovative body treatments, knowledgeable therapists, results driven skincare and small touches that surprise and delight.
Dislikes:
Areas in need of a deep clean, noisy guests that spoil a calm ambience, treatments that aren’t personalised and being cold.
Read PostsSkin type: Dry
Likes:
Warm treatment beds; fragrant steam rooms; therapists who listen to what you say; unexpected treats such as back massages that start with hot towels on your feet.
Dislikes:
Small towels; crowded changing rooms; black mould in the showers; therapists who sniff; anyone who doesn't take my lavender allergy seriously - until I'm actually sick on them!
Read PostsSpa search
Whether you love plunge-worthy pools, sunny spa gardens or tranquil treatment rooms, there's a perfect spa for you out there.
