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Review: Britain's first eco-friendly spa

Review: Britain's first eco-friendly spa

This eco-friendly Yorkshire oasis of calm left our reviewer suitably relaxed. Read on to discover why. 

When you think of an indulgent spa weekend, you normally imagine trekking out to the middle of nowhere, with an expensive price tag for your trouble. Although the visit itself can bring relaxation and inner calm, the process of getting there and the escalating cost of add-ons can often turn what is intended as a self-care treat into something quite opposite.

For northerners in search of an affordable escape, the answer may be closer than you think. Nestled within the Yorkshire Hills, the Titanic Spa Huddersfield is a mere 10 minute taxi ride away from the city centre. Housed in a 20th-century mill, it’s held it’s own since it’s 2005 opening as rare eco-friendly entity, with solar roof panels and it’s own natural water source lying 100m below the spa itself. Guests are invited to visit for the day, evening or overnight, taking advantage of the spacious apartment-style accommodation.

Titanic Spa Huddersfield pool

Before we are allowed to our room at 2pm, there is the small matter of getting to grips with the facilities. A quick clothing change has us taking advantage of the gym, small but well supplied, before taking a dip in the perfectly heated, 15m pool, built to a sensible, inclusive depth. We deem it a little too breezy to try out the outdoor jacuzzi, but on a busy Saturday, it’s already popular.

We find our own respite in the spa’s signature "Ice and Heat" facilities—a choice of saunas, steam rooms and freezing plunge pools that you can hop between, eradicating impurities and minimising pores thanks to the change in temperature. Breathing in warm, eucalyptus air before rubbing yourself all over with ice cubes may sound odd, but it is surprisingly invigorating, a great way to revive tired skin.

"Our lunchtime dish of prawn linguine is exactly what we need to stave off any post-swim hunger without getting too full"

In keeping with the spa’s eco focus, the food menu is seasonal and well-considered, with various options depending on your booked package. Afternoon tea packages are a tempting extra, but our lunchtime dish of prawn linguine (included in our stay) is exactly what we need to stave off any post-swim hunger without getting too full—the last thing we need before our top-to-toe massage.

lunch at the titanic spa, Huddersfield

The piece de resistance of the Titanic Spa experience, this treatment is 1 hour and 25 minutes of pure heaven. The body is buffed all over with Neom’s "Great Day" scrub, packed full of skin-softening safflower, jojoba and sunflower oil, with a glorious scent of mint and mandarin. A quick shower later, and these precious hydrators are rubbed into the body at your preferred pressure, thanks to an extremely receptive masseuse.

All the stresses of the working week quickly float away, and we sashay up to our room with the dropped shoulders and silky skin of youth, ready to relax before dinner and cocktails in the spa’s onsite bar.

the bar of the Titanic Spa Huddersfield

The sleeping facilities are a fantastic sell for Titanic. Each is set up as a mini self-contained apartment (some duplex), with a self-catering kitchen and ginormous bed. Wi-Fi isn’t available in rooms, but it’s a welcome omission—all the better to watch the calming flow of the river outside through the big balcony window, or to catch up on that long-forgotten book. If you’re looking for something more sociable, certain apartments can sleep up to six guests, and have been taken up with aplomb by the weekend’s high proportion of hen dos and friendship groups.

With overnight packages starting at a very competitive £159pp (including treatment and meals), it’s hard to find much to fault about Titanic Spa.

One small gripe might be the regimented nature of one’s itinerary—check-in for overnight stays is encouraged from 11am, but when access to rooms isn’t available till 2pm, a few more spaces to sit and read, chat or drink outside of the main dining area or swim facilities would be great.

If your schedule can afford it, a weekday visit would likely to be quieter, with more opportunities to commandeer the pool or gym for some serious exercise. Nonetheless, we’re already dreaming of our next visit, and the enticing smell of that mint and mandarin scrub…

 


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