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Thermal facilities
Accessible Spa
RE:TREAT is the newly-refurbished transformative sanctuary in the heart of The Lowry Hotel with a large sprinkling of the extraordinary. Boasting the most highly trained therapists in the city.
Its technology-based equipment includes a cryotherapy chamber, meditation pod and sensory deprivation tank.
There are four treatment rooms offering face and body treatments by ELEMIS and GAIA, a relaxation room, a mani/pedi area, as well as a gym and fitness studio.
The Lowry is a five-star hotel in the Salford area of Manchester overlooking the river Irwell. It’s famous for its premiership clientele so keep your eyes peeled for footballers during your stay.
If you’re arriving by car for an overnight stay, you’ll need to park in the car park opposite and walk across to the hotel - remember to get a car parking code at the reception desk and pay the £28 fee. Day spa guests can park for free.
As well as a 2 AA Rosette restaurant, the hotel has a Club Lounge and Bar, function rooms, a hair salon and Re:Treat, the hotel’s spa which is on the first floor – walk down the stairs or push R (rather unusually) on the lift.
The spa is a warm, charming space with much to admire in its herringbone floors, light tongue-and-groove wood, pink paintwork, rattan/tan chairs/sofas, and plants galore. We loved the living moss wall and the slightly Spanish feel of the whole space.
We were warmly greeted at reception and shown through to the changing rooms. These are compact but well designed with more pinks and light woods. Half-height grey lockers are operated with a four-digit code of your choosing; your beige robe and slippers will be inside – help yourself to towels from a stand under a large mirror. One GHD hairdryer and a pair of GHD straighteners hang on the wall – busy times might well require a bit of a wait (luckily there was only one other person in the changing room on our visit). Both showers have separate areas for drying, large rain heads and Gaia Awakening body wash, shampoo and conditioner.
A sunny studio opposite puts on a range of Pilates and Yoga classes including Varanasi. Beyond here you’ll find a relaxation area with a table and cushioned bench; two beds separated by flowing curtains; Somadome; a guided meditation pod with headphones; a Cryotherapy chamber; and a space-age looking flotation tank. There are also four treatment rooms and a spacious gym with equipment pointing towards the river for workout views.
Straight opposite the reception desk is the mani-pedi area, and on the right a display of Gaia and Elemis products. Around the corner is an Assure Health Room for well-woman testing - guests can get their cholesterol, hormone levels or liver function checked, and - rather conversely (although you’ll get no judgement from us) – book in for Botox or fillers.
We tried a Gaia Restorative Ritual (60 minutes, £115) and the Sensory Deprivation Tank (30 minutes, £35).
My therapist, Jodie, met me in the reception area and led me to a larger-than-average treatment room with two beds, light wood floors and attractive woven discs on the walls giving more Mediterranean feels.
She began the treatment with a foot ritual – wash, scrub, dry – before explaining the treatment and asking me to choose a preferred blend from three Gaia oils. I was drawn to ‘calming’, a comforting scent containing chamomile, clary sage and orange blossom. Jodie then left the room so that I could get comfortable on the treatment bed, lying face down.
The back ritual began with a cleansing gel followed by some brushing to remove dry skin. Jodie then vigorously worked a salt and oil scrub into my back and shoulders; she removed this with warm mitts before buffing with a dry towel (rogue grains, be gone)
Jodie then applied a Gaia detoxifying mud mask with a soft brush and covered me with an extra towel so that I could remain warm while the mud worked its magic. While it did so, Jodie massaged my hands and arms.
Mud mask was removed (using a pre-warmed Gaia Calming oil), Jodie commenced the back massage using a combination of hot stones, hands and forearms, the warmth from the stones allowing Jodie to work deeper around my knotty shoulders. This felt eye-rollingly soothing. By the end of the back ritual my shoulders felt much looser and my mind less busy.
In the relaxation area afterwards, I met my spa partner who was feeling nurtured after her pregnancy exfoliation and massage, Mother Gaia.
Gaby assisted with our next experience: the Sensory Deprivation tank. She explained the do’s and don’ts before setting a 30-minute cycle on the machine, turning the music low and pushing the light button. Ear plugs in, I climbed in the space-age looking white tank of water and floated. A new addition to the tank - the head float – sent me into a deeper state of relaxation. A blue light inside the tank indicated the end of the cycle.
Re:Treat at The Lowry offers a good range of massages (poultice, hot stones), facials (regenerator, bio-tech), wraps (nourishing, detox) and scrubs from Gaia and Elemis, as well as Botox and Fillers, manis/pedis, well-woman testing, and treatments for men and mums-to-be.
Re:Treat at The Lowry offers breakfast, lunch and cream teas for spa guests to enjoy en robe. On the menu on our visit: guac and eggs, cobb salad, beef skewers and smoked salmon bagels.
As we were staying overnight, we dined at The River Restaurant with its Art Deco nods, river views, autumnal palette and intimate seating separated by contemporary woods and metals.
The evening menu offers modern French dishes such as beetroot gravadlax, Roscoff onion tart and a selection of English and French cheeses.
Our sourdough bread basket with whipped butter and honey lined our hungry tums, allowing us to browse the menu with eyes smaller (for once). We opted for soup to start: French onion for this Spa Spy; creamy cauliflower for our spa partner. For mains, our spa partner devoured the roasted chicken supreme; our 30 day-dry aged sirloin with charred tenderstem broccoli, fries and a blue cheese sauce was divine.
To end our meal, we shared the two desserts that caught our eye: a Brillat Savarian cheesecake with passionfruit, white choc and orange and the Bramley Apple Crumble with a jug of crème anglaise. Both were delightfully tasty.
The drinks menu is extensive with plenty of cocktails and wines to choose from, either by the glass or the bottle. Before our meal our spa partner enjoyed an impressive Cheeky Tiki mocktail and we chose a glass of refreshing Domaine Gordonne Les Gravieres Rose. A glass of Eleve' Malbec complemented our steak perfectly.
We loved
The Gaia products: organic, rich and delightfully fragranced, they proved to be the perfect partnership for our ritual.
The food: our evening meal was noteworthy.
The hotel bedrooms are stylish, spacious and overlook the city.
We didn’t love
The absence of thermal/wet facilities: we love dipping in and out of pools and thermal rooms during a spa visit but, with so much on offer, didn’t miss these too much.
Lucky locals can pop in for a massage, a float or a yoga session.
Business types: The Lowry’s central location and function rooms make it popular with business guests; several mini meetings seemed to be taking place over breakfast on our visit.
Spa goers looking for something a little bit different – this is no ordinary spa.
We awarded Re:Treat at The Lowry Hotel a Good Spa Guide
Bubble Rating of 5 Bubbles for its charming design; range of unusual treatments; and friendly, informative staff.
Serene Spy visited in March 2024 and awarded it 5 Bubbles
There are a wide range of dining options at the Lowry Hotel. The River Restaurant has stunning views towards the Santiago Calatrava’s Trinity Bridge and it boasts a modern British menu and a tempting afternoon tea. The River Bar offers informal dining and drinks and the open air terrace offers al fresco dining with stunning city views.
The 5* Lowry Hotel offers 165 contemporary bedrooms including six suites and the Charles Forte Presidential Suite.
9am-8pm
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