Rudding Park Spa Review – Luxury Spa
We didn’t realise how popular this 12 Spas in 12 Months series would be but we hope we have impressed you with our latest spa review of Rudding Park Spa. It certainly has impressed us!
Disclaimer: This is a gifted review, but we did pay for my dad to come along (to chauffeur us), our visit happened to land on his birthday!
First Impression
Located on the outskirts of Harrogate, set back in its own stunning grounds, Rudding Park Spa is truly spectacular. A one hour drive from Sheffield with scenic views and picturesque grounds that are easy to navigate, you feel completely relaxed from the moment you enter. The disabled-friendly accessibility was immediately present with the option to be able to get dropped off and picked up right at the flat entrance.
Rudding Park Spa was only built two years ago and it looks as if it was built yesterday. This building is pristine, absolutely everywhere. It’s extremely modern, grand, and luxurious doesn’t feel like a big enough word for it. The staff are the most welcoming and accommodating, anything you need here throughout the stay is not a problem at all. Checking in was super easy and the real focus is starting your spa day as quickly as possible. We had the grand tour which they do for absolutely anyone who wants. I think this was a great personal touch as the spa is actually three floors! It’s huge and although it’s not complicated to get around, it does take a minute to get your bearings. The Spa Services Manager, Rob, was absolutely fantastic with giving us all the information on the spa and treatment rooms. We were fascinated to know that they had their own spring and therefore the spa is their own water. They have a gardener, they beekeeping, the water cups are vegware not plastic, anything you think of, they’ve already done. It’s seriously that forward-thinking and efficient.
We had the option to use the disabled changing rooms but we decided to use the main ones instead and they were so beautiful. Dyson fans, hairdryers, straighteners, toiletries, cleansers, toners, moisturisers, large cubicles so if you did have limited mobility but didn’t want to use the disabled changing room, you would still be comfortable. We did head into the disabled changing rooms towards the end of the day to take photos, and I think they speak for themselves but it’s safe to say we were seriously impressed. When you first walk in there is a bench, 4 lockers (because yes, more than one disabled person might be out at the same time!), and a full-length mirror. Through another door are the toilet (the red cord was all the way to the floor!), accessible walk-in shower and all the toiletries that you saw in the main room. The disabled changing room smelt amazing too, and that’s rare.
The Rooftop Spa
There are 3 levels to Rudding Park Spa, but I would say 4 spa zones altogether. These are the ground floor spa where you check-in, get changed, and then there’s the most beautiful full length swimming pool. On this floor, there is also the Juniper Log Sauna, Mud Rasul, and Bucket Shower. As well as Horto Cafe, a very fancy shop, nail and beauty studio, and finally, a hair studio.
You then head up to the Rudding Park Spa Rooftop Spa that has an indoor area and outside area. The indoor area has so many unusual and innovative spa rooms that I’ve never seen or heard of before. Like Oxygen pods, Sunlight Therapy room, Evo Loungers, and the star of the entire spa, the stunning Hydrotherapy Infinity Pool. This pool is actually quite deep which I adored and has several different types of hydrotherapy jets inside. The water surrounds your entire body and eases all your aches and pains. The Oxygen Pods were so interesting and on our tour, I knew those were what I wanted to try the most. They have increased oxygen levels of 27% pumped into the room that you’re meant to sit and inhale for up to 15 minutes. This can help with so many things, including strengthening immune systems! The Sunlight Therapy room is what I’ve seen be charged for at others spas, but instead, this is an extremely modern approach. Comfortable loungers that take you through the entire day through sunlight simulators in just 20 minutes! It’s completely safe to your skin and amazing for people with SAD. The Evo Loungers are huge heated beds with views of the ground to sit back, relax, and maybe take a nap in!
Other rooms inside the rooftop spa include the Luxury Steam Room which was absolutely huge. Herbal Bath Steam Room, using herbs picked from their own garden! Panoramic Sauna, as you can imagine, the most beautiful views. Relaxing hot and cold Foot Spas and a Snail Shower Experience too! Throughout the spa, there are water stations with ice cold water, and staff around in case you’d like anything extra. The staff are so friendly and cannot do enough for you!
After you’ve explored inside it’s time to head to the Rooftop Spa Garden which is truly so stunning. With its own fire pit in the Cabana, Outdoor Shower, Garden Cabin Sauna, Spa Bath and a Sun Deck! There are tonnes of comfy seating around to lounge back or enjoy a coffee. We ended up staying in the Spa Bath for so long as it’s quieter and more personal, with the hydrotherapy jets and completely surrounded by greenery.
The last area is for before and after you have a treatment, the Escape Zone, which is hands down the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen at a spa. You can use this area for up to 1 hour before your treatment and if you’re early you can explore them beforehand too. It has 4 zones, Audio for listening to relaxing sounds via headsets. The Visual room has a huge screen, comfy seating and a hanging pod. The Mind zone is all about clour therapy, puzzles and even books from their huge literary wall! The Relax room was my favourite. I was taken back when I walked in to see this dark room with twinkly lights on the ceiling, people were softly sleeping in the corner and the temperate was warm and toasty. A friend of mine pointed out how great this would be for any guest with Autism too because of all the sensory things they have there.
Horto Restaurant
The Rudding Park Spa Horto Restaurant is absolutely beautiful. The decor is so elegant and luxurious too. The staff there are so wonderful and because the staff at the entire spa love to get to know their guests, absolutely everyone knew it was my Dad’s birthday and were wishing him many happy returns and making his day special. This included a sparkler on his dessert and he was ever so embarrassed, it was brilliant and so thoughtful! On the spa menu you get the choice of any two, that can be two savoury or one savoury and one sweet. Mum and I both went for the duck wraps and Horto Super Salad, Dad had a two-person cheese board to himself. All of the food was absolutely delicious and even though we were early to our lunch slot, this was no problem at all. We were served quickly so that we could get the most of our spa day and we had the best bottle of Pinot Grigio, probably my favourite to date.
The Treatment
My treatment was booked for in the morning and I had the Relax Foot and Head Heaven and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. It includes a shoulder and neck massage and 2 days previously I had started with a trapped nerve and really bad pains in those areas. After my massage, it was completely gone! My treatment included a foot exfoliation, warm mask and acupressure foot massage, followed by a meridian head massage which was extremely relaxing. I’d highly recommend this treatment but if you are looking for something longer and full-body, then Rudding Park Spa has an extensive list of treatments including one where you’re in secluded Woodland Glade! The treatment rooms themselves are very roomy, the showers inside are accessible walk-in showers, the beds are wider than usual and my spa therapist, Lauren, lowered the bed right down for me and double-checked to see if that would be okay for me to get in. In the past, I’ve had to run and jump onto spa beds so I really appreciated this!
Accessibility
As I’ve touched on throughout this post that Rudding Park Spa is completely accessible but I just needed to truly repeat that because they have thought of everything. They have a pool hoist that can be used in 2/3 pools, the Spa Bath isn’t accessible as it has a few stairs but the main hydrotherapy pool is, as is in the full-length pool too. All of the spa rooms are big enough for a wheelchair user to be able to navigate in. If you do use a mobility aid but don’t usually take them to spas, like me, this is the place where you can take and use your aid with ease and you’ll benefit from using it. This is a large, luxurious spa with a lot to see and do. You don’t want to miss out on any of it, so take your aid or even, because I know how hard it is to get mobility aids, talk to the spa about borrowing one from them for the day. They truly want to make sure your day is the best it can possibly be and they do partner with someone nearby to be able to provide them. They did actually come and find me on the day as I mentioned I was struggling on my Instagram Stories and that really did show just what lengths they go to make your day special. The Spa Services Manager, Rob, actually gave us a demonstration of the pool hoist too (this now lives on Spa Days V2 on my Instagram Highlights) and already I’ve had a follower who is also disabled say it’s completely changed her mind on spas!
Fat Positive
I am extremely pleased to say that not only are Rudding Park Spa fat positive and have extra-large robes, but they have 4XL robes! They were actually big on us! This never happens. We’ve had robes that are our size, but never bigger than us. This is so fantastic to my fellow plus size spa-goers and so encouraging for fat people that avoid spas because they don’t feel welcome. Everyone is welcome at Rudding Park Spa and they really do make you feel that way.
It’s safe to say that this really is such a luxurious and stunning spa. Everything has been thought of and if there’s anything else that could make your stay better, they will make it happen. I cannot recommend Rudding Park Spa enough!
