Best spas to take your pal to

Stylish Spy rounds up the best spas to take a pal to (gal or otherwise…)

A friendship can be more powerful – and infinitely more beautiful – than any other relationship in your life, including (at times) family members, partners and offspring. We actively choose these people to be by our side, after all, to support us through life’s ups and downs, the break-ups/make-ups and the tears/laughter, often over decades. Whether it’s a new friend you feel a strange kinship with or a high school pal of 35 years, chums make the best spa partners, too. Here’s where to take them.
 

Best for… the great outdoors
The Spa at Carden



Few spas offer as many outdoor facilities as The Spa at Carden, making it a perfect choice for a day with your bestie, whatever the weather. Bubble away in the many hot tubs and vitality pools, get the goss over a glass of fizz at the poolside Champagne bar or warm up in an alfresco pod complete with fire pit. The Welsh hills and serene Cheshire plains provide the perfect backdrop for those quiet moments of contemplation. End the day with side-by-side Supreme Manicures at the Beauty Bar.


Best for… beach bums
Source Spa & Wellness, Saunton Sands



If screaming at the sea really does relieve frustration, a walk across the beach with a friend-in-need can be therapy in itself. Add a swim in the outdoor pool, lunch on an outdoor terrace with a view and a dual treatment in a room for two – where floor-to-ceiling glass almost puts you back on that beach – and you’ll be feeling on top of the world. Book in for the Twilight Spa and Dine package and extend your together time through to dinner, ending with a tipple in the roof-top relaxation room.

 

Best for… city slickers
The Lanesborough Club & Spa



Combine a day of sightseeing and shopping with some high-end pampering at The Lanesborough Club & Spa, a larger-than-average city spa with an opulent feel. A hydro-pool with poolside butler (summoned by a bell), sauna, steam room and spa lounge await pals in need of a catch-up. Treatments don’t come cheap but are worth every penny – get the city muck off your face with a results-driven Tata Harper facial or book in for a Happy Feet treatment for nails with a side of natter.

Best for…. lakeside laughs
Y Spa at Wyboston Lakes Hotel

You can’t go far wrong with a spa set in acres of green open space with a glittering lake. Grab a stripy deckchair in the Y Spa’s redbrick courtyard garden and get the lowdown before continuing the chatter in the warm hydro-pool. There’s a Kelo sauna for warming up in, a good range of treatments and two relaxation rooms – one with warm water beds. End your day with a Mezze Sharing platter and a glass of Bottega Gold Prosecco in the Y Bistro, with its calming fish tanks built into the walls.
 

Best for… value-for-money
H Spa at Horwood House

In these financially testing times, an offer can mean the difference between spa-ing and staying at home. The brand-new H Spa at Horwood House has a Summer Escape package where you pay for your treatment, and that of a friend, in exchange for free use of the facilities (gym, indoor pool, sauna, steam room) and two-course lunch (from £225 for two). Not got long? Book in for Tea & Treat instead: afternoon tea, use of spa facilities and a 50-minute Mani or Pedi (from £80 per person).