Estates of Bliss: UK spas

BAILIFFSCOURT
Where Bailiffscourt is a medieval-style manor house built in 1927 for Lord Moyne, of the Guinness brewing dynasty. With its winding corridors, four-poster beds and network of fire-lit lounges, the 39-bedroom hotel is atmospheric and cosy. The restaurant serves up delicious local food, including braised wood pigeon and ballotine of rabbit, and you can dine
al fresco in the courtyard on summer evenings. The hotel is guarded by a flock of protective peacocks.
Spa USP The Temple Spa treatments are themed around monastic prayer rituals: Vespers for relaxation; Matins for energy and strength; and Fiducae to fix aches and build confidence. The products used are natural and made by a local company in Littlehampton. There's even a Power Breakfast Espresso Facial using oats, Greek yoghurt, honey and fresh Mediterranean fruits.
Décor The spa, with indoor and outdoor pools, has floor-to-ceiling windows looking towards Climping beach. The building blends effortlessly with the historic surroundings, thanks to the spa's heavy timber A-frames and barn-like structure.
Treatment As I lay down for my Electric Body Massage, I inhaled the mandarin and almond aromatherapy oils and instantly relaxed. The EB products, from New Zealand, contain aloe vera and cow colostrum (the milk produced immediately after giving birth), to help boost the immune system, improve circulation and remove energy blockages. After a thorough hour and a half of scrubbing and kneading, my skin felt elastic and stimulated and I spent the rest of the day smelling of avocados. £99 for 85 minutes.
Rooms from £225. Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa, Climping, West Sussex (01903 723 511; hshotels.co.uk). AB

WHATLEY MANOR
Where Wiltshire's Whatley Manor was built as a decadent weekend retreat in the 1920s, and the emphasis on leisurely pleasure is still in evidence. The honey-coloured, Bath-stone buildings contain only 23 rooms, but there are 12 acres of wonderful gardens, numerous smart, wood-panelled lounges with big fireplaces, a decadent black lacquer bar and a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. As the current owners are Swiss, there is also, rather incongruously, an additional chalet-style 'stübli', Le Mazot, serving alpine specialities.
Spa USP The luxurious Aquarias Spa has hydrotherapy pools, jets and fountains galore. Guests can spend hours floating in the indoor/outdoor pool and drinking freshly made mango smoothies in the spa restaurant. Start a session by making use of the large wooden bowl of scrubbing salt in the shower area and move through the various thermal huts, including the camomile grotto (which smelt nice but wasn't hot enough) and the laconium (with heated seating). However, the Wave Dream Sensory room, with its soothing music, water feature and colourful light display, was most odd.
Décor Smart country manor crossed with Asian retreat. There's lots of marble and antique wood, and day beds everywhere, should you need a lie-down. There is also an extensive gym for working off the fondue.
Treatment Aquarias specialises in La Prairie treatments. I had the Signature Facial: 90 minutes of hot stones, head, foot and shoulder massage, and the application of endless caviar-based La Prairie creams, £138. My friend's Aroma Relax and Restore massage started with the application of hot towels, followed by a deep back massage using essential oils, £155 for 60 minutes.
Rooms from £295. Whatley Manor, Easton Gray, Malmesbury, Wiltshire (01666 822 888; whatleymanor.com). GH

THE SCARLET
Where Perched on the unspoilt north coast of Cornwall, The Scarlet hotel overlooks the sandy bay of Mawgan Porth. The spectacular views can be enjoyed with a clear conscience, as the whole spa is founded on eco-friendly principles. If you can bear to leave the cosy bedrooms, built using sustainable wood, and the wonderful Ayurvedic spa, Newquay is 15 minutes away by eco-taxi (run on chip fat and petrol) and a magnificent 45-minute clifftop walk takes you to Watergate Bay, a prime kite-surfing spot and the site of Jamie Oliver's latest Fifteen restaurant.
Spa USP Eco-chic, Ayurvedic medicine and a dash of Cornish magic. Swim alongside tiny fish in the natural outdoor non-chlorinated pool (kept clean by reed beds) or plunge into the more conventional indoor pool, which commands a sea view. Retreat to the tiled rasul bath to cover yourself or a friend in Cornish clay (playful mud slathering is encouraged) and drift off, gravity-free, in one of the cocoon-like pods swinging gently from the ceiling.
Décor Warm wood, pretty hanging tea lights, tent-like treatment rooms and, as all over the hotel, delightful Cornish artwork.
Treatment The spa's signature Journey treatment starts with a detailed Ayurvedic Q&A to determine your 'dosha' (body type) then a personal prescription. The therapists are highly effective muscle manipulators, intuitive and knowledgeable (mine had a degree in sports therapy and reflexology). Products are by Voya and Tri-Dosha, all organic and plant-based, using Eastern herbs such as neem, amla and amni-haldi, as well as sandalwood, cinnamon and sea salt. Voya seaweed bath, £45; Rasul mud experience, £55; Tri-Dosha facial (60 minutes), £60.
Rooms from £180 B&B. The Scarlet, Tredragon Road, Mawgan Porth, Newquay, Cornwall (01637 861 861; scarlethotel.co.uk). HE

BARNSLEY HOUSE
Where Barnsley House is a Grade-II listed mansion in Gloucestershire, owned by the team behind Calcot Manor in nearby Tetbury. The 18 bedrooms retain many traditional features, such as wooden floors, beams, wrought-iron windows and log fires cleverly fused with contemporary design. Our bathroom had an oversized Jacuzzi, a plasma TV and a disco ball. The hotel has a restaurant, Potager, or you can borrow wellies for the three-minute walk to The Village Pub, also run by the hotel.
Spa USP Found at the end of a twisted woodland path, the Garden Spa sits in four acres of formal and kitchen gardens created by the gardener Rosemary Verey in the 1950s. The spa uses Aromatherapy Associates products, made using natural oils and herbs. There is a steam room, a sauna and a heated outdoor hydrotherapy pool.
Décor Dry-stone walls and floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Cotswolds. The relaxation room has wooden sun loungers, limitless tea and a TV screen showing lemongrass and other Aromatherapy Associates' ingredients.
Treatment I tried the heavenly Garden Spa Signature Treatment which is more like a full-body MOT and includes a body polish, an aromatherapy massage and a facial with a scalp massage (£140 for 115 minutes). My sister's Age Repair Facial left her glowing, thanks to a thorough cleanse, two masks and 30 minutes of facial massage with potent oils and serums, the delicious scent of which lingered until the next morning; £90 for 85 minutes.
Rooms from £234. Barnsley House, Cirencester, Gloucestershire (01285 740 000; barnsleyhouse.com). SG

BABINGTON HOUSE
Where The Somerset outpost of Soho House is a bolt hole for weary media types, bankers and expectant mothers wearing Hunter wellies. Most of the 32 rooms have free-standing baths and LCD TV screens. Our Walled Garden room, next to the spa, had an outdoor hot tub, open fireplace and mezzanine-level bed.
Spa USP The spa is divided into Cowshed Active, with a steam room, sauna, aroma room, gym, fitness studio and two vast pools (the heated outdoor pool is hidden in the woods), and Cowshed Relax, boasting dry and wet treatment areas where you can scrub, soak and unwind.
Décor Treatments take place in a converted original cowshed, which still has many of its quirks such as exposed brickwork and flagstone floors. The manicure and pedicure stations have old-school mini televisions and products are carried around in farming crates. My sister and I bumped into Cameron Diaz in the waiting area, which is fashioned like a snug living room complete with floral sofa.
Treatment We had the Scrub, Soak, Massage package for two. Our full-body brush and skin polish took place on a heated sandstone slab: we were covered in sea salt crystals and spearmint essential oil by jolly therapists wearing elbow-length rubber gloves and waterproof chaps. We then moved to an iron soaking tub for two with views over the Victorian walled garden, each armed with a lemongrass, sage and lavender poultice. Our final full-body massage was on adjacent heated beds in an all-white treatment room with a dressing table, a shower and fluffy towels. Cowshed products are handmade using essential oils and Babington herbs. 120 minutes, £140 per person.
Double rooms from £215 for non-members; members from £190. Babington House, Babington Near Frome, Somerset (01373 813 860; babingtonhouse.co.uk). SG

LUCKNAM PARK
Where Surrounded by a 500-acre estate, Lucknam Park, an 18th-century mansion, is a 20-minute drive from Bath. In addition to the spa, the hotel offers croquet, tennis and riding. The hotel's Park restaurant is run by Michelin-starred chef Hywel Jones. The Brasserie, which uses only locally sourced ingredients, is also a highlight.
Spa USP Recently opened, the spa boasts 40 different treatments, a large pool, a Japanese salt room and a sauna. There is an outdoor hydrotherapy pool overlooking the gardens.
Décor The spa is impressive, with a marble floor and glass, teak and mahogany trimmings complementing the traditional style of the Georgian house. Between treatments, guests can relax in the relaxation room, with soothing music and fresh tea. A glass roof covers the pool, so the space is light and airy, and a poolside fire is lit in the evenings.
Treatment I tried the Carita Ideal Controle Facial, £90, which started with a thorough cleansing using a gentle massage machine with sponges. Carita products are made of natural ingredients such as phonolite from extinct volcanoes, pearl powder and blossom extract; my skin was instantly softer and smoother. Facials and massages from £75.
Rooms from £295; minimum stay two nights. A Spa Day, including one treatment and dinner at The Brasserie, starts from £120. Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire (01225 742 777; lucknampark.co.uk). SM

Chewton Glen
Where On the edge of the New Forest and a short walk from the sea, Chewton Glen has 130 acres with tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, croquet lawn, clay-pigeon shooting, archery and kite flying. Our room had a balcony, sitting area and lots of Molton Brown products.
Spa USP Offering 60 different treatments, it is the only place outside London where you can receive Linda Meredith facials. There is also the requisite hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and personal trainers on tap.
Décor The treatment rooms are smart and discreet with heated beds and endless hot towels. Linda's lotions are combined on site according to your skin's requirements.
Treatment My friend and I had a 60-minute Haute Couture facial (£90) which includes a deep cleanse, steam and extraction; a blissful back and shoulder massage, and a glycolic fruit acid peel that gently resurfaces the skin so you are left glowing. Or opt for the oxygen facial to plump and smooth.
Rooms from £329 midweek. Chewton Glen Hotel, New Milton, Hampshire (01425 282 212; chewtonglen.com). SG