Scarlet Spy tries a Copper Room treatment

TAKE ME WITH YOU…

No. 15 by Guesthouse Bath is a 36-bedroom boutique hotel on one of Bath’s grandest – and longest - throughfares, Great Pulteney Street, lined on either side with listed Georgian townhouses. Arriving by car? Pre-book the private car park (a rare find in the city) or call the hotel and they will send their cargo bike to whisk away your luggage, leaving you with a map of the city (and even an umbrella if it’s raining).

Step inside to find classic Georgian architecture – all tall ceilings and grand fireplaces – paired with a playfully designed interior; collections of curiosities and art can be found throughout the whole hotel - a real delight for the eye.

The quirks continue in the bedrooms with a huge chandelier at the centre of high ceilings; our street-facing room offered regency views through two vast sash windows, adorned with shutters. You’ll find tea and coffee inside a miniature backlit townhouse (which gave us Beetlejuice vibes), while Roberts Radios and Crosley Record Players with a selection of vinyl add a touch of nostalgia. Not to your musical taste? Head to the record library on the ground floor.

Feel free to raid the pantry in the hallway with its tall jars of colourful sweets in stripy paper bags, cold drinks in the fridge and mini-ice cream pots to help yourself too. The focus is very much on sustainability with compostable coffee pods and in-room slippers made from plastic bottles.

SHALL WE SPA?

You’ll find the spa on the lower ground floor; we entered directly from the private car park. We were warmly welcomed and led to the Spa Lounge, where we were offered a glass of lemon water and left to complete consultation forms. Sinking into one of the upholstered chairs in neutral hues, we admired the rows of regency silhouette prints in pops of blue that fill two walls: a collection of blue glass bottles lines a dark-wood dresser.

A door from here leads to a corridor lined with clear spheres on one wall and a collection of upside-down hanging vanity mirrors on the other – quirky points of interest you come to expect. At the end you’ll find two individual changing rooms and a separate toilet-cum-shower room, complete with Wildsmith shampoo, conditioner and body wash. A small bank of lockers can be found at the very end.

There’s no pool or thermal facilities here, but three individual treatment rooms and two couples’ treatment rooms, one with a large copper bath.

TREATMENT TALK

We enjoyed a Copper Room for two (90 minutes, £295).

Our therapists, Charlotte and Liveta, led our spa partner and I to the Copper Room, a beautiful calming space in neutral hues with exposed brick walls. Two hessian bags containing fluffy white robes and grey felt Kaaita slippers with a distinctive pointy toe hung on the wall in anticipation.

Sinking into the pre-drawn copper bath, loaded with Magnesium-rich Epsom salt, we sipped our chilled glass of OJ (Prosecco available too); 30 minutes passed quickly as we wallowed away in the toasty water after liberally applying a rose body scrub.

Once dried off, we retreated to the side-by-side treatments beds; after discussing the treatment – a back, neck and shoulder massage, followed by facial - our therapists left the room so we could get comfortable, lying face down.

The treatment began with three deep breaths of Pinks Boutique Sweet Orange & Neroli oil – a delicious scent created to transport you to an Indonesian Island. The back massage commenced using long slow strokes; Charlotte paid close attention to the tension in my shoulders, skilfully easing out any knots.

Turning on to my back, the facial began with a cleanse using Pinks Boutiques Ocha Cleanser, packed with antioxidant white and green tea, before a heavenly-scented Rosehip Face & Body Scrub was applied to remove dead skin cells.

To aid my dehydrated skin, Charlotte used a Hydrating Anti-Oxidant Organic Facial oil during a facial massage, turning my head from side-to-side to reach the tension deep in my neck.

Next, a delicate Rose Clay and Rosehip mask was applied to my skin and, while this worked, Charlotte moved on to a blissful scalp massage. Wiping the mask off with a hot face cloth, she finished the treatment with a slick of moisturiser and eye cream.

HOW DID IT MEASURE UP?

The whole bath-massage-facial combo left this Spa Spy - and her partner - positively serene. Our therapists worked well together, quietly adjusting the treatment to suit each of us; the Pinks Boutiques products were beautifully scented and 100% natural and organic. We left with a complimentary essential oil blend and a barcode to access the spa playlist so we could transport ourselves back to bliss when we got home. A nice touch.

SPOT OF LUNCH?

Guests will need to change out of their robes to lunch in light and airy Bar at No. 15, located on the ground floor next to the hotel reception.

We bagged a window table for two with views over Great Pulteney Street. The table, a masterpiece in its own right, was adorned with vintage trinkets, pearls and jewels, handheld mirrors and ornate fans beneath a glass top. We loved the accent wall behind the bar, lined in scalloped leather scales.

The menu offered a good choice of seasonal and local options from Somerset Dirty Burger to Blow-torched Mackerel, and small plates. We opted for the succulent Stokes Farm Sirloin steak served with mushroom and black pepper butter and skin-on fries with wild garlic salt and confit mayo, and a glass of Elderflower presse.

GOT ALL DAY?

Hit the cobbled streets and stroll into the heart of this World Heritage City within minutes; don’t miss the historic Spa Quarter located beyond Bath Abbey.

SHORT ON TIME?

Book the Copper Room treatment for VIP feels.