Corks could be heard popping over London yesterday as the glitterati of the spa industry gathered at L’oscar’s to celebrate the 2025 Regional Good Spa Guide awards - in association with ESPA - with a festive afternoon tea.
Admiring the hotel’s fabulous Christmas trees on entering, specially-invited guests came in from the cold to sip glasses of chilled fizz and catch-up with fellow friends and colleagues.
Then it was time to be seated in the decadent Library for the awards ceremony of the year, hosted by Good Spa Guide's co-founder Daphne Metland.
After the first crop of winners were announced - to well-deserved whoops and cheers we might add - it was time for more fizz, lashings of tea and delectable delights shaped like Christmas trees, presents and snowflake baubles.
And here they are lovely readers, your 2025 regional award winners - congratulations to all (and to the finalists too).
Best New Spa sponsored by ESPA
Imperia Spa at Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort
From left to right: Robert Johal, Imperia Spa; Daphne Metland, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: Located on the banks of the River Clyde, Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort offers sweeping views of the estuary and the Renfrewshire Hills from every angle. The brand-new Imperia Spa - centred around a sleek and moody indoor pool - features a pink Himalayan salt sauna, aroma and salt steam rooms, an ice fountain, heated loungers, a hydrotherapy pool and a cold plunge. Don’t miss the panorama from one of the largest outdoor saunas in the UK. Treatments are delivered by Natura Bissé, Elemis, Temple Spa, and Ayurvedic specialists Tri-Dosha,
Best Spa in London, sponsored by Omorovicza
Guerlain Spa at Raffles London
From left to right: Amy Roberts, Omorovicza; Jake Manning & Filipa de Silva Rosa, Guerlain Spa; Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: The Guerlain Spa at Raffles London at The OWO is a serenely restorative spa, coupled with a contemporary fitness space that completes the transformation of this historic address. Spanning 27,000sq ft across four floors, the Guerlain Spa was conceived by interior design studio Goddard Littlefair. A calming and secluded space, it’s home to a 20-metre indoor pool, vitality pool, sauna, steam and experience showers. Guerlain takes care of treatments for face, body and mind.
Best Spa in Ireland
Galgorm
From left to right: Andrea Lamont, Galgorm; Chloe Perry, The Rabbit; Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: Galgorm is a grand estate set in 450 acres of Northern Ireland parkland, with the River Maine meandering through it. The Thermal Spa Village uses the four basic elements of nature, earth, water and fire to bring harmony to the spa journey. The idyllic woodland location lends itself to the indoor-meets-outdoor oasis, home to a smorgasbord of heated and cool spa experiences located across three garden settings. Expect tip-top customer service and attention to detail.
Best Spa in Scotland
Cairndale Spa
From left to right: Matthew Wallace Snr, Claire Primrose & Matthew Wallace Jnr, Cairndale Spa; Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: Located in Dumfries, the two-storey Cairndale Spa is centred around a serene hydro-pool with its mermaid tiles and reflective ceiling. A cool, glass-separated lounge features an herbal relaxation space with swinging bench chairs and a petite juice bar. An infrared sauna, herbal and aroma steam rooms and an enormous Himalayan salt sauna lines the perimeter. The brave can cool off in the Brass Monkey Ice Bath. Treatments use Tribe517, VOYA, Gaia and Cairndale’s own Annandale-inspired products, with a Rasul and Scotland’s only double hammam.
Best Spa in the South-East
The Spa at South Lodge
From left to right: Ian Mackie, The Spa at South Lodge; Daphne Metland, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: The Spa at South Lodge is ultra-modern, framed by expansive glass walls designed to showcase its South Downs setting. Its pools and south-facing outdoor terrace are perfectly positioned to catch the sun throughout the day. Staff are warm yet professional, the food is vibrant and imaginative, and the treatments are indulgent and effective. The spa’s sustainability credentials are industry-leading - it’s a certified B Corp - featuring a wave-form grass and sedum roof, a natural swimming pond and its own product line created using by-products from the vineyard (yes, they have one of those too).
Best Spa in the South-West
St Michaels Resort
From left to right: Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide; Jo Gilbert, St Michaels Resort
About the winning spa: St Michaels Resort Spa is built around the largest indoor hydrothermal pool in the South-West. Slip into the heated waters and enjoy 21 individual massage stations for the ultimate full-body pummelling. Beyond the hydrothermal experience, you’ll find an herbal sauna, heated loungers, experience showers, the world’s first Cornish sea salt steam room and a Moroccan Rhassoul. Outside, don’t miss the spa deck with its hot tub, Finnish barrel sauna and cold-plunge combo. For VIP feels book one of the four stylish Spa Lodges set within the sub-tropical gardens and complete with outdoor copper baths.
Best Spa in the West Midlands & Wales, sponsored by Spa Well
Hoar Cross Hall
From left to right: Sara Young, Spa Well; Carly Hacking & Lori Davis,, Hoar Cross Hall
About the winning spa: Set within more than 30 acres of Staffordshire countryside, Hoar Cross Hall is a Grade II-listed stately home turned luxury hotel and spa. This idyllic spa resort destination has recently unveiled a new £3 million spa terrace, featuring three large - and wonderfully warm - rectangular hydro-pools, two cold plunge barrels, and a sauna for post-dip heat. Inside, the spa is one of the largest in the region, offering two swimming pools, elegant relaxation spaces, inviting thermal facilities, a dedicated spa restaurant, and 41 treatment rooms where Elemis, Grown Alchemist, and Voya face and body treatments await.
Best Spa in the East Midlands & East, sponsored by Grown Alchemist
The Spa at Breedon Priory
From left to right: Helen Cain, Grown Alchemist; Elaine & Graham Blunt, The Spa at Breedon Priory; Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide
About the winning spa: The Spa at Breedon Priory is a contemporary, no-expense-spared glass-fronted spa sunk into the landscape in peaceful Derbyshire. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook an impeccably landscaped garden and 24 acres of countryside in the charming village of Melbourne (not of Australia fame). Highly skilled therapists provide treatments from Temple Spa, Tribe 517 and Proverb; service is top class with a dedicated spa host attending to your every whim.
Best Spa in the North-West sponsored by Elemis
Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa
From left to right: Victoria Elsey, Elemis; Gary Tennant & Beckie Talbot, The Spa at Low Wood Bay; Rebecca Holmes, Good Spa Guide
The Spa at Low Wood Bay Resort is the Lake District’s newest spa, offering luxury treatments and breathtaking views over Lake Windermere. Inside, five thermal experiences - a relaxation pool, bubble spa, Dry Salt Room, Coconut Steam and Herbal Lounge - create calm spaces to soak up the lake’s tranquillity. Outdoors, panoramic views of Windermere and the surrounding fells elevate the experience; sink into the heated pool or unwind in the hot tubs, perfect for sunset or stargazing. Set within an 18th-century farm-turned-resort, the spa blends rustic heritage with imaginative features.
Best Spa in the North-East sponsored by Comfort Zone
Rudding Park Spa
From left to right: Daphne Metland, Good Spa Guide; Megan Ainsworth & Sarah Johnson, Rudding Park Spa
About the winning spa: Rudding Park is a Regency country house hotel close to the spa town of Harrogate. Expect three floors of spa heaven with glass walls to show off the beauty of the surrounding gardens. Inside, it has an indoor pool, juniper log sauna, Rasul, and four ‘mind and sense zones’. The Roof Top Spa and Garden is a Spa Spy favourite, complete with a hydrotherapy infinity edge pool, a fabulous range of thermal experiences and a sun deck. Don't miss the new private Woodland Spring Bathing experience.
So that just leaves us - your Spa Spies - to heartily thank our sponsors, without whom this event could not take place. See you next year.
Stylish Spy
25th November 2025
Spy Likes:
Minimalist lines; organic products; facial massage; tranquillity; interesting people-watching.
Spy Dislikes:
Discarded towels on loungers; steam rooms that aren't steamy; mobile phones.
