Subrosa at The Grand, York

"A new city-based subterranean spa with a fascinating history, a wide range of facilities and a Speakeasy-style spa restaurant." Stylish Spy

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Grand York is a striking, Grade II-listed Edwardian building a five-minute stroll from York train station. Built in 1906 as offices for the North Eastern Railway Headquarters, the historic property became a hotel in 2010 after a sympathetic restoration - many of the original features (think parquet flooring, sweeping staircases, high ceilings and chandeliers) can still be admired.

When it comes to dining, the hotel delivers: Legacy is its upmarket 3 AA rosette restaurant; the Rise Restaurant, Terrace and Bar its more casual 2 AA Rosette option. The hotel’s cosy bar – aptly named 1906 - is the place to go for cocktails. The hotel’s rooftop bees produce honey for all the restaurants and bars, as well as the hotel’s own Gin. If that wasn't enough, The Grand York also hosts a popular Cookery School.

Housed in the basement, Subrosa Spa opened in December 2025.

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Head down the stairs to the right of main reception for Subrosa, latin for ‘beneath the rose’. A good proportion of the spa exists in the old vaults; look out for the heavy white doors with huge gold wheel-lock handles, behind which important documents and valuables were once kept.

Spa reception is one long corridor with a two-person check-in desk; to the right: one of the largest displays of products we have seen (showcasing Elemis, Seabody and marocMaroc). Having already adorned robes and flip-flops in the comfort of our room, we were handed a branded bag containing a caramel-hued towel, as well as a wristband to operate the lockers and doors. Invited to take a seat on comfortable chairs, we then discussed treatment options whilst sipping glasses of blackcurrant and raspberry tea before being taken on a tour of the spa.

Changing rooms mimic the colour palette of the rest of the spa: an attractive blend of deep green, bronze and neutrals. Change beside a dark green padded bench in the centre before storing your belongings in one of 24 dark wood, wristband-operated lockers. Your vanity bar – complete with four gold-edged oval mirrors, dual sinks with bronze taps, and Cloud 9 straighteners and dryers (from nearby Harrogate)- is opposite. Help yourself to Seabody cleanser, eye cream and moisturiser.

Showers – of which there are three – are backed by more of those deep green tiles, with shower large heads and Elemis amenities. There’s also a private changing room, an immaculate loo and a swimsuit drier.

A door from here leads to the thermal facilities. The star of the show is a 12-metre, all-singing-all-dancing hydropool with floor tiles making the water appear green, and twinkling ceiling lights above. Push buttons for bubbles to spring up along the bottom or top edge of the pool before pummelling shoulders under one of two swan necks or sliding under the wide fountain. The water is heated to a very toasty 35 degrees making wallowing a must. The central sculpture was commissioned especially for the space from York sculpture park.

Relax on one of nine rattan padded loungers afterwards with side tables on which to put your drink of choice, ordered from a passing spa host (Cameron was as much of a hit with our teenage daughter as the lychee and mint mocktail he served her poolside). Couples will love the dual cushioned window seats for post-dip tête-à-têtes.

All the thermal rooms – of which there are five - surround the hydropool, each behind a glass door and seating between four and six spa goers at a time. Use the bronze hooks dotted around to hang robes between experiences. There’s a Tirol Hot Sauna with alpine feels, a Herbal Steam Room bathed in blue with a heady eucalyptus scent, a Mineral Steam Room with mineral-rich steam coming out of a pretty central crystal, a Himalayan Salt Sauna with orange salt brick, and a cooler Herbal Lounge with sloped wooden seating. Grab handfuls of ice to cool  hot skin from the copper ice fountain or choose a cool setting in the experience shower. The pair of side-by-side foot baths - with thrones encased in shimmering green tiles - are a bubbly treat for the feet.

An immersive Sunlight Experience Room; a gym with Technogym equipment; and a relaxation room with water feature, beautiful wallpaper and nine Harmony fully adjustable loungers completes the list of facilities.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR TREATMENTS

We tried a range of treatments as part of a Rosa Full Day for Two package (£440).

Our first experience was a Rasul in a private room for two (30 minutes, £25 per person). After coating our dry bits (elbows; knees) in a nourishing marocMaroc scrub, we waited for the steam to warm us up before shrieking as rainwater fell down (despite being warned when this might happen). The second product – containing natural salt - was black in colour and more jelly-like in consistency: we used this all over and again sat in the steam until the shower came on. Exiting, we towel dried and drank glasses of water to hydrate.

Back in the relaxation room, our spa partner was led off to try a signature Grand Hammam treatment (90 minutes, £125) with added Tension Melting Back Massage, returning in an almost trance-like state with glowing skin, while we tried a Seabody Tailored Treatment (90 minutes, £140).

My therapist, Jasmine, met me in the relaxation room and led me to one of five treatment rooms. Asking me to don paper pants and settle on the treatment bed, lying face down, she began the treatment with a full body massage using a warm (almost hot) Seabody oil. She worked hard on my knotty shoulders before asking me to turn over so that she could massage my front.

The mini facial that followed included a double cleanse, a cold tingly mask, a firm scalp massage, some aqua-drench serum, dots of eye cream and a good slick of moisturiser. The result? Super smooth skin and a glowing face.

Our final treatment was an Immersive Sunlight Experience (30 minutes) which we experienced together. Entering a room with orange Himalayan salt bricks behind and large screen of Yorkshire landscape in front, we climbed onto S-shaped loungers and relaxed. Within minutes, the heaters in front of us gave us holiday feels; the sound of waves crashing transporting us to the coast.

FOOD FACTS

Arriving the night before, we dined at The Rise Restaurant, Terrace and Bar with its parquet flooring, theatre-style open kitchen, bank seating in deep greens, central tables and chairs, and Art-Deco lighting.

The menu of British classics is nearly as big as the restaurant itself with several pages of nibbles, starters, mains, burgers, pasta and risotto dishes, steaks and desserts, as well as mocktails, cocktails, wines, spirits and Champagnes.

After much deliberation, we decided to share all our dishes and ordered the Staal’s Salmon Tasting plate to start (beetroot-cured, smoked, caviar), a wild mushroom and pumpkin Risotto for mains, and two side dishes: truffle & parmesan fries and a house salad. After a breather, we ordered the sticky toffee pudding with Tarragon and apple ice-cream – and two spoons.

For lunch the next day, we dined at the Subrosa Restaurant where guests can relax in their robes. Low lighting, little tables with side lamps and a full bar make this feel more like a Speakeasy jazz club than a spa dining space.

The menu is Asian fusion - with a Yorkshire twist – via a choice of small or large plates. Our Thai red salmon curry with jasmine rice, chicken & black pudding Gyoza’s, vegetable Bao Buns, peanutty Buddah bowl and Thai Scotch egg all came at once, buckling the table with gorgeous plates. Defeated, we couldn’t bear to see anything go to waste and ordered boxes to transport leftovers.


SWEET STAY?

On arrival, we checked straight in to Suite 454 in the new wing of the hotel, which was created in 2016 to add a further 100 rooms. Modern and spacious, it had its own lobby, huge bathroom with tub and shower, floor-to-ceiling windows with city views, a King-size bed, a stocked mini bar and a generous lounge area with double sofa bed.

After sleeping like babies, we made coffee from the Nespresso machine, took hot showers, adorned our spa robes - neatly presented on the bed on arrival - and headed to the spa.

WE LOVED…

Our suite was spacious and light with fantastic city views from three sides (grab that ubiquitous snap of York Minister without stepping outside).

The thermal facilities at Subrosa are about as well designed as they come; the hydropool is a thing of beauty.

The food & drink: from breakfast to lunch and dinner to poolside drinks, everything that touched our lips was as pretty as it was tasty. Try the honey Gin courtesy of the rooftop bees.

WHICH BUBBLE RATING DID YOU AWARD THIS SPA?

We awarded Subrosa at The Grand York, the highest Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubble Luxury for its fascinating history, beautiful design, well-thought-out thermal facilities, good range of treatments and gorgeous grub.