Sploosh - 6 spas for water babies

If you like lap swimming, wild swimming or warming up in a hot tub, you need one thing from your spa visit: water. From indoor pools and outdoor pools to hot tubs and bathing therapies, we’ve rounded up the best spas for water babies.

Best for… river views
Chill Spa at The Ice House

If the idea of soaking in a bathtub overlooking a river flanked by brightly painted houses fills you with joy (and frankly, why wouldn’t it?), then book in for an Outdoor Bathing Ritual at The Ice House’s Chill Spa, where a bath of salt water, seaweed or mud will be pre-prepared. More views can be enjoyed from one of two outdoor hot tubs or The River Room, with its loungers facing the water.

Best for… pools, pools, pools
Ragdale Hall Spa

It’s common for a spa to have at least one pool these days (space permitting) but six…. Yep, there are so many pools at Ragdale Hall Spa, unwittingly falling into one is a possibility. There’s a 25-metre indoor pool, a candle pool in a cave with twinkly ceiling, an exercise pool with fixed aqua gym equipment, an indoor/outdoor waterfall pool, a rooftop infinity-edge pool and a volcanic salt bath. Getting wet is guaranteed.

Best for… thermal waters
Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel



With water shortages the world over, a spa beside a natural spring is a real find. The water for the spa’s thermal pool comes from St. Anne’s Well, an ancient spring rich in minerals - unsurprisingly, the drinking water here is better than bottled. Book in for one of three specialist baths - CO2 mineral, underwater hydro massage, underwater jet massage – or a Wave Balance treatment in the thermal pool.

Best for… alfresco watery treats
Galgorm Resort & Spa



Few spas can claim to have as many water facilities as Galgorm, many of them dotted about the gardens or beside the river. Don your robe and hop between the infinity hydro pool, hot tub, Jacuzzi pool and riverside Beltane hot tubs (bookable ahead) before warming up in the river-view steam room or sleek indoor pool. Dinner at The River Room – with its views of effervescent River Maine - is a must.  

Best for… surfing
Source Spa & Wellness, Saunton Sands



Book a spa overlooking the sea and you have the best of both worlds: the spa’s own indoor/outdoor pools and the sea’s natural playground. Surf Saunton is the spa’s watersports hub offering lessons for spa-goers of all ages, as well as beach yoga and Land Rover tours. Warm up in the marine vitality pool, the heated outdoor pool – both with ocean views - or the newly refurbished (and Art Deco-inspired) indoor pool.  

Best for… cold water therapy
Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall



The health benefits of cold water is well documented, with more of us following Wim Hof into a freezing cold shower each morning. Here guests can follow a session in the salt sauna or Indian steam room with a dip in one of several cold plunge pools – duck your head under for best results. There’s also a 20-metre pool and circular hydro pool (both inside); head outside for a heated infinity hydro pool and two hot tubs.