Top 10 UK spa gardens: The Spa at Ribby Hall

Although limited in terms of available space, the Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall doesn’t fail to deliver when it comes to outside innovation. Its upper and lower ‘Zen gardens’ offer a number of external facilities to enhance and complement the indoor aqua thermal journey.

Since opening in 2011, the garden has received considerable investment and is now home to the Zen Garden Bar, a garden-view sauna, two hot tubs, a dual foot spa with heated seats, an experience shower and a glass-fronted Himalayan salt sauna. A purpose-built treatment room is used for product discovery sessions and seasonal treatments, while two enclosed areas – the heated snug and the rustic Breeze Hut – house bistro tables and seating.

“The Breeze Hut was created to maximise secondary revenue when we noticed footfall to the garden was increasing,” says spa manager Jane Tregonning. “It enables us to bring retail outside and involve the spa reception and host team – guests can try out products and we can maximise use of therapists in downtime. Because so many people are outside and demand is continually increasing, the Breeze Hut helps prevent any bottlenecks and gives guests more to do outside than congregate in the hot tubs.”

The spa has plans to expand its outdoor facilities further, including building a large glass-fronted covered area with heated loungers.

“We’ve grown the garden so we’re using all the space available to us,” says assistant spa manager Gemma Cartmell. “It isn’t the garden we opened with in 2011 – it now makes up 40% of the aqua thermal journey.”

SPA STATISTICS

The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hallwww.ribbyhall.co.uk/the-spa-hotel/ welcome-to-the-spa-hotel Instagram @ribbyspahotel Garden product partners Alexander Rose via Ellisons, DaleSauna, Neil Barnes, IMD Designs, Malcom King