Forest Spa at Middleton Lodge

First Impressions

Middleton Lodge sits within a 200-acre estate near Richmond, North Yorkshire, its buildings and facilities spread across woodland, gardens and open parkland rather than gathered in a single hotel block.

The main stone-built house has just 16 bedrooms and is available for exclusive hire. Guests can also stay in one of 30 rooms in the restored Dairy, Coach House or Wall Garden, or one of two self-catering cottages named Farmhouse and Hope House.

The aptly-named Forest Spa is set around the estate's old Farmhouse, with its own orchard of apple, pear and plum trees - all in full fruit on our visit.

What's on offer?

We were greeted at Spa Reception by Daniel who began our day with a shot made by the estate's chefs from strawberries, elderflower and lemon verbena. The room has large windows overlooking the outdoor pool and grounds, with a log burner at its centre. Timber, exposed brickwork, rugs and sheepskins keep the space cosy; VOYA products are displayed throughout.

Our consultation with therapist Brittany covered treatment forms and individual requirements; lunch was pre-ordered at this time, too.

The changing area has four individual changing rooms, integrated into the main spa area rather than separated off. There are around 30 lockers, three-quarter length in size and finished in white, each with hangers, a towel, reusable flip-flops and a robe inside.

The indoor thermal area sits towards the rear of the building and contains a Finnish sauna (heated to a toasty 86°C on our visit, with a window onto the surrounding trees) and a steam room. Cool down under one of two showers opposite or brave the indoor plunge pool, fed by running water and designed to resemble an old farm well. Around eight relaxation beds complete the space.

Outdoors, the heated pool is just long enough for lengths at 14 metres and sits within a courtyard ringed by fruit trees (which guests are encouraged to help themselves to); woodland and gardens can be seen beyond. Two covered hot tubs, each fitting around six people, sit under timber gazebos to one side; a covered outdoor dining area for alfresco meals to the other. Wooden loungers with cushions are positioned around the pool for pre- or post-swim relaxing.

There are two relaxation spaces at Forest Spa: one facing the pool (which is smaller and more dimly lit) and a second, larger space used after treatments in the huts, with timber finishes, skylights and cushioned loungers.

Treatments take place in seven ndividual wooden huts set among the surrounding forest and herb gardens; two of the six are dedicated bathing huts.

Tell us about the treatments

We tried the Wild Garden Ritual (120 hours, from £320pp as part of a day retreat including a two-course lunch), along with a Bathing Experience each (45 minutes, £120).

Our treatment hut was set within the forest and herb gardens, with soft lighting, a lavender scent and pre-drawn baths filled with our chosen scents - Aromatherapy and Seaweed - which we relaxed in for almost an hour (a lovely way to begin) any treatment.

The ritual opened with a facial – Castaway face wash, Love face scrub, seaweed eye patches and Even Pure Cream – followed by a full-body massage using VOYA Essence Serenegise body oil and Feel the Heat lotion. Brittany adjusted the massage to focus on areas affected by regular cycling, running and gym training.

Moving afterwards into the light-filled relaxation room overlooking the woodland, where we were served frozen grapes, a date and chocolate energy ball and we loved the Chamomile, Lemon & Rose tea, felt like a gentle transition back to reality.

The result: my tight muscles felt noticeably looser; the length of the treatment allowed me to completely switch off.

Food Facts

Lunch is served en robe (if you wish) in the Pool House overlooking the pool and grounds. From the seasonal menu, we chose a Summer Bean Salad with sumac yoghurt, mint, smoked almond and preserved lemon, followed by the Forest Spa Club Ciabatta: chicken, smoked bacon, smashed avocado, roasted garlic mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce, with a side of skin-on fries. Both dishes were ideal for our spa day. To finish: a Garden Citrus Cheesecake with hazelnut and iced lemon verbena. We paired our dishes with a glass of Grillo DOC from Sicily.

If you're lucky enough to stay overnight (we were) don’t miss dinner at Forge – the estate's Michelin Star and Michelin Green Star restaurant, led by Head Chef Jake Jones. Here, a 10-course tasting menu awaits hungry diners, the menu beautifully showcasing estate-grown produce including greenhouse tomatoes, Orkney Scallop and Dry Aged Texel Cross Lamb. Outstanding care and attention went into every dish, chefs even bringing some out to talk us through their creations. Our waiter took care of the wine pairings.

Sweet Stay?

We'll say... We stayed in the Farmhouse, a self-catering property with six double bedrooms, a short walk from both the spa and Forge. Each bedroom has its own bath and shower, stocked with 100 Acres bathroom products.

On arrival we found a welcome gift of VOYA products and - in the room’s own kitchen - a homemade cake under a glass dome, a fresh sourdough loaf with proper butter, homemade muesli and granola, and a chopping board of lemon, lime and ginger for cups of tea. The kitchen also had a coffee machine, cafetières, a selection of teas and a hot chocolate machine.

We loved

The Forest Huts: individual wooden treatment huts set through woodland and herb gardens offer something different - and altogether more charming - than the usual windowless treatment room.

The Wild Garden Ritual: our two-hour treatment from Brittany was just what this Sporty Spy needed.

The food: from the spa lunch to the 10-course tasting menu at Forge, both built on the estate's own produce, the food was a real highlight of our stay.

What bubble rating did you award this spa?

We awarded Forest Spa at Middleton Lodge Estate a Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubbles for its forest setting, good range of spa facilities, effective treatments, locally-sourced food and attentive service.