Historic thermal spa to unveil new wellness suite

The only day spa in the UK which has access to natural thermal waters, Thermae Bath Spa in the city of Bath will open its innovative new wellness suite next week (29 March).

Situated in the heart of the World Heritage Site, Thermae combines the best of the historic spa with contemporary design and facilities, including a selection of spa treatments.

Currently operated by YTL Hotels, the creation of Thermae Bath Spa was funded by Bath & North East Somerset Council, the Millennium Commission, Thermae Development Company Ltd (UK), the Bath Spa Trust, the EU Regional Development Fund and local subscribers.

The new wellness suite replaces the previous steam room pods and includes two new Roman and Georgian-themed aromatic steam rooms, a contemporary infrared sauna, an ice chamber, a new celestial relaxation room and chromotherapy showers.

The refurbishment was undertaken by sauna and steam room specialist, Dale Sauna.

“Thermae Bath Spa has now been open for over 10 years and it was time to reinvest in the facilities,” said Colin Skellett, chairman of Thermae Bath Spa. “The new suite really strengthens our offering. It has involved a significant investment – the largest that has been made in a decade in fact. It is extremely important to YTL to invest in the quality of Thermae Bath Spa to keep the experience original, relevant, and interesting – and to entice guests back for more.”

He added, “If it weren’t for Bath’s natural thermal waters, we wouldn’t have this unique spa for local residents and visitors to enjoy today. So it was important to us to infuse our new wellness suite with the very essence of the city, to honour the local culture and history. As such, many areas subtly evoke elements of the city, such as the mosaic of Sulis Minerva in the Roman steam room.”

The infrared sauna showcases the best in contemporary sauna design. The largest facility in the suite, it features a warm acacia and lime wooden interior, fragrant essences and infrared heaters.

The two steam rooms take inspiration from Bath’s history. The light-filled Georgian steam room features a fountain, muted colours and a bright floral fragrance. This room is heated to 45 degrees at 100% humidity.

In contrast, the Roman steam room has a bold design, which draws heavily on local Roman architecture. The predominant material used is natural stone, and all finishes are handcrafted by traditional stone masons. This room features fluted Roman columns, lion heads and an Italian crafted mosaic of the image of Sulis Minerva, courtesy of Heritage Services of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Featuring fibre optic lighting and an audio visual display of stars and planets, the celestial relaxation room was designed with relaxation in mind; guests lie on individual tiled heated loungers while breathing in a fresh scent. The lighting and music reference historical links with astrology, notably William Herschel’s discovery of the planet Uranus from his home in Bath.

The ice chamber features a blue-lit trough in the centre of the room, while a menthol fragrance finishes off the invigorating experience. The dominant colour is blue with mosaics, tiles, porcelain and tumbled glass. Blue LED lights illuminating the ice feature and reflective glass-like panels enhance light and space.

Once guests have indulged in the thermal and sensory experiences of the wellness suite, they can enjoy the experience showers, which include two sets of body jets and chromotherapy showers.

A spa session at Thermae Bath Spa includes full use of the wellness suite, bathing in the natural thermal waters of the indoor minerva bath and the open-air rooftop pool.