Rudding Park Spa

Rudding Park is a grand Georgian property with immaculate gardens. The Roof Top Spa and Garden is a separate building across the courtyard garden - after parking in the spa's dedicated car park, follow the path lined with rhododendrons to the contemporary building with glass double doors. 

Three floors of spa heaven. The spa reception, changing rooms and swimming pool are on the ground floor. Take the glass staircase (or the lift) down to the Escape Zone, a serene space for guests having a treatment, or up to the thermal facilities and rooftop garden. 

The reception area is light and bright, with high ceilings. Here you’ll find a boutique selling a tempting range of beauty products. The hair salon is here should you fancy a blow dry after your spa day.

The changing rooms are spacious and L-shaped, with large lockers containing fluffy stone-coloured robes, flip-flops and dark grey towels. Change beside leather benches or nip into one of four private changing rooms.

Showers contain Rudding Park's very own shampoo and conditioner. Make good use of the large, mirrored vanity area afterwards, which has Cloud Nine hairdryers and straighteners, as well as Rudding Park cleanser, moisturiser and toner. All you need is your swimwear. 

Rudding Park's 17-metre pool is large enough for some serious swimming, with loungers along one side. This area can also be used by club members. Children are welcome to use the pool during splash times; check the website for information. There is a large juniper log sauna overlooking the gardens which is roomy enough for 12 people. Cool down under the bucket shower afterwards. 

The Roof Top Spa is accessible for spa day guests and members: hotel guests can pay to upgrade and access the facilities. Begin your thermal journey with a foot spa: sit on warm seats and select cool or warm water, followed by jets that massage the feet. There are several steam rooms to try, ranging from moderate to hot. The ‘luxury’ steam room is circular with a domed ceiling filled with twinkly lights. Individual ‘thrones’ are marked out in white mosaic tiles on the navy-tiled bench; water hoses allow you to trickle cool water on your feet (probably the grandest steam room this Spa Spy has seen on her travels). 

Try the Sunlight Therapy room where you can lie back and ‘bathe’ in sunlight to boost your vitamin D levels or sit on a stool in the Oxygen Pod (our ordinary atmosphere has 21 per cent oxygen, but here it’s 27 per cent) - this feels like a stroll at the seaside and would be especially refreshing if you had overindulged the night before. 

Allow plenty of time to enjoy the rooftop garden, including the views and the stylish loungers with umbrellas set out among the fragrant salvia. Call an attendant – or order via barcode - for a glass of fizz to sip in the sunshine. We could have spent all afternoon in the bubbly 11-metre hydrotherapy infinity pool, with its warm water and powerful jets, and the hot Panoramic sauna with its wooden and glass exterior; join one of the complimentary group sessions here with an Aufguss master who combines essential oils, music, lighting, water and a towel twirling technique to create a multi-sensory ritual to raise endorphins - and leave you feeling rather hot.  

Screens of plants divide seating areas; groups can hire a private cabana near the hydrotherapy pool which has a fire pit.

Beyond here, you’ll find the new and secluded Woodland Bathing Area; we loved immersing ourselves in the chemical-free heated water, sipping on Champagne and listening to nothing but birdsong.

Need some quiet relaxation? The tranquillity area has heated loungers and headphones, while the igloo is a dome with a double sofa inside. Tucked away behind the tranquillity area is yet another garden.

The quiet Escape Zone and treatment rooms are two floors down. The Escape Zones are quirkily - but descriptively - named: try ‘Mind’ for mind-stimulating games. ‘Audio’ for headsets playing meditative tracks, ‘Visual’ for a huge screen showing restful, colourful images. Our favourite was ‘Sleep’ which has huge comfy recliners and a ‘starry, starry night’ ceiling, plus gentle music to lull you. 

We tried the Natura Bissé Collagen Shock Ritual (1 hour 45 minutes, £250).

My therapist, Tania, met me in the waiting area and led me to a cosy treatment room where she ran through my pre-completed consultation form on an iPad (very Rudding) and discussed any areas of concern. Tania applied two different scents to my wrists; I was drawn to the Diamond Well-Living Fitness Dry Body Oil – a eucalyptus and mint blend - known for its muscle soothing and head-clearing properties. 

Once I was settled face down the bed, Tania placed a cushion under my ankles and began a foot cleanse. The massage initially focussed on the tension in my neck, shoulder blades and lower back, with Tania working deep into the tissue, checking the pressure as she went. A generous application of Diamond Well-Living Spa Touch Cryogel provided an intense and immediate cooling effect that soothed any muscle soreness instantly.

Turning onto my front, Tania massaged each side of the body with long strokes, leaving me in a state of total relaxation, and ready for the facial.

A thorough cleanse with Diamond Cocoon Daily Cleanse was followed by the Hydrating Essence toner and Diamond Glyco Extreme Peel designed to dissolve dead cells and impurities from the deepest layers of the skin. While this tingled away,Tania massaged my arms, around my neck and under my ears. A cooling Essential Shock Intense Mask was followed by some effective facial massage and sculpting. The final touch was an application of Essential Shock Intense Cream to deeply hydrate and minimise signs of ageing.

Tania handed me a glass of water and a fresh super-soft robe and led me to the Sleep Room, where I found my spa partner blissfully sprawled out on a lounger after her Citrus Essence Ritual (1 hour 45 minutes, £250).

This treatment had visible results: my skin looked plump and radiant, as did my spa partners. The Natura Bissé products felt incredible on my skin (as I’ve come to expect) and the tension in my back really felt as though it had been released. 

Rudding Park Spa offers a menu of facials, massages and other body treatments using Natura Bissé products, as well as sports rehabilitation, treatments for mums-to-be, post cancer treatments from Jennifer Young and bathing rituals.

Finishing touches include manicures and pedicures from local brand Navy. 

You can lunch in your robe in Horto, a contemporary cafe with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a cheerful palette of emerald greens and mustards. Lunch is two courses of light salads and wraps. We enjoyed the Moroccan-inspired chickpea tagine – a textual delight with a crunch of almond flakes and pops of juicy sweet fruit. My spa partner opted for the new chicken Snitzel with a very dippable black garlic ketchup. After already eyeing up the display of freshly-made desserts as we entered, the sticky lemon meringue tart caught both our eye; washed down with a delightful glass of pink Prosecco.

Horto also offers dinner some evenings, with an indulgent tasting menu and optional wine pairings. Much of the food comes from the kitchen garden, so is fresh and seasonal.  

Dinner can also be taken in the Clocktower Brasserie in the main hotel; we were seated in the in the lovely light conservatory area where we tucked into dishes of curried king scallops, beautifully-cooked duck with five spice carrot puree, and carrot cake with peanut butter and salted caramel ice cream.

We loved 

The design: Rudding Park Spa is a large stylish spa, with ample facilities to occupy spa-goers for the day. It is cleverly designed with separate seating and relaxing areas, so doesn’t feel busy. 

The food: Horto, the spa café at the centre of the spa, serves inventive, fresh, local food. Take time to stroll around the hotel’s kitchen garden - a wellness experience in itself. 

The rooftop spa: bubble in the rooftop pools, top up your Vitamin D levels on the comfy recliners and order something cold and sparkling from the spa butlers. For the VIP treatment, book the new Woodland Bathing Area.

We didn't love 

Having to leave

Indulgence seekers: the Roof Top Spa and Garden offers a truly luxurious experience.  

Sun worshippers: the glass walls let light in everywhere, and the rooftop garden is heavenly on a sunny day.

Almost everyone: there’s such a choice of spa experiences to try that you will be discovering new areas all day. 

We awarded The Roof Top Spa and Garden at Rudding Park a coveted Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubble Luxury for its impeccably stylish design, indulgent treatments, huge range of experiences and delicious food.

Scarlet Spy visited in September 2023 and awarded it 5 Bubble Luxury.