Top 10 spa hotels in the UK for a couples’ massage

Nothing gives you quality time quite like a good massage, so what could be better than sharing that experience with your partner?

Massage is shown to have all manner of benefits for individuals, ranging from easing muscle tension to improved mental health - all of which can help us communicate better with our partners and be fully in the moment when we spend time with them. Here are some of our top recommendations.

Lifehouse Spa and Hotel, Essex

This elegant hotel spa, with a combination of history and contemporary design, really has all the elements for any kind of spa break, including a romantic break with understated decadence. The adult only spa area has a seductive, intimacy to it, but taking the concept of a dual treatment room to a whole new level, they have a Hidden Sanctuary that you can book, which has a private pool, a dual treatment room, and a sleep pod for two.

Alexander House Hotel Utopia Spa, West Sussex

This luxurious gothic country house hotel has a spa that’s all about decadence - a vibe that you get from the second you see it’s neoclassical pillars around the pool. For couples, the space is ideal, especially for a warming winter escape, and in addition to its five star status it includes 25 treatment rooms, three of which are dual suites - perfect for enjoying their good-enough-to-eat Temple Spa massages.

Elan Spa at Mallory Court, Warwickshire

This beautiful country house hotel is a peaceful, elegant and adult only retreat where the hotel offers opulence, and the spa, situated in the grounds, offers tranquility. Nestled into a glade in the gardens, the Elan Spa delivers a thermal suite, an outdoor vitality pool to luxuriate in together, and treatment rooms where you can have quality time together whilst having a well deserved ESPA massage.

Stapleford Park, Leicestershire

At this elegant hotel you can choose to stay in the historic main house or in one of the cottages in the grounds, but for romantic escapes, the main house is ideal. The spa sits in a converted stable block in the grounds, offering contemporary facilities in sympathetic surroundings and delivering sumptuous wellbeing treatments from Aromatherapy Associates and Neom Organics - sharing the experience of their Seventh Heaven treatment is definitely something that will make you both feel totally loved up.

Gaia Spa at Boringdon Hall, Devon

Fusing a spectacular historic hotel with the beauty of a brand new contemporary spa in the grounds, Gaia Spa at Boringdon Hall offers everything you could want from a romantic escape. The hotel itself has all the markings of a novel in a secret archways and furtive looks kinda way, while in the spa has a wealth of facilities that you can luxuriate in all day, as well as two dual treatment suites, where therapists use the spa’s own organic product line in its couples’ massages - bliss.

The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall, Lancashire

This dedicated spa hotel within the Ribby Hall holiday village, has all the facilities you could ask for and is an adult-only experience for ultimate tranquility. It centres around the aqua thermal journey and also has a spectacular Zen Garden which has been recently extended - so there are plenty of wellbeing experiences to enjoy together as a couple. The cherry on top are the spa treatments, using a fusion of ELEMIS, NEOM, ishga and Mii products. There is a mud rasul which is the perfect treatment to share with your partner, and in particular the hotel’s own signature rituals are ideal to share - for example, their Decadent Cocoa Ritual - a sumptuous antioxidant chocolate journey!

Rockliffe Hall, Durham

Having invested hugely in its spa in the last year, Rockliffe Hall, which was already a widely renowned and exceptional hotel, now has a reputation for being one of the best spas in the UK as well. It has an al fresco spa area as well as the rest of the 50,000 square foot facility, and it’s set in magnificent grounds. It is ideal for groups of friends because of its size, but its decadent vibe is ideal for a romantic break as well. While the hotel welcomes families, the spa is adult only, so it’s great particularly for parents looking for a little me-time!

Seaham Hall, County Durham

This hotel’s reputation for romance is deeply rooted in its history as the one time residence of Lord Byron. Today, the five star hotel continues to wow couples, as well as anyone else who visits, with its beautiful design, its location, its art installations, and its well appointed spa where details include the likes of an Asian herbal sauna, an Indian steam room with amethyst crystal, and treatments that focus on luxury and wellbeing, using natural product lines Temple Spa created in the UK and Ishga, created on the Isle of Lewis from Hebridean seaweed.

Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool

This sultry and seductive city hotel and spa is such a beautiful place for a romantic getaway. Being the 1860s Venetian palazzo facade, all of the facilities are carefully thought out, and the design is immaculate and individual. The spa is centred around a thermal journey, which includes a herbal sauna, Himalayan salt sauna, aroma steam room, experience showers complete with lights, music and fragrance, a tepidarium with heated beds, a 15-metre pool with underwater music, and a courtyard vitality pool. Then there are the treatments which feature a private rasul chamber - perfect for sharing mud treatments, and amongst the seven treatment rooms there is a dual suite for you to enjoy your treatment time together. Add a touch of the Mediterranean with their Temple Spa therapies, like their dreamy Drift Away ritual.

Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire

Hoar Cross Hall is one of those places that never goes out of style. It's tough to beat this five-star, Jacobean manor house when it comes to romantic spa breaks - they check every single box, from the beautifully designed rooms and suites to the immaculate gardens and exceptional food. The adult-only spa is a wellbeing playground in its own right with a 26-metre saltwater vitality pool, Kneipp pools, heated loungers, a Snooze Room, and a Slumber Lounge, amongst other things. However, their treatments go above and beyond. They have an extraordinary 41 treatment rooms, as well as a manicure/pedicure parlour and a VOYA bath treatment space. There are also two dual suites (pre-book to avoid disappointment), and a selection of couples treatment options including an Elemis full-body massage or an Elemis Superfood Pro-Radiance facial.