The Lake District Guide

Your guide to the best Lakeland spa hotels, therapy breaks, therapy practitioners and Lake District complementary therapists

The Lakes hasn't traditionally been associated with holistic spa treatments, but if you look for them, you can find a whole range of practitioners, both within and outside hotels, who offer wonderful treatments that can add a real touch of luxury to your holiday. Alternatively, you may find (as we've done a number of times!) that a deep tissue massage is exactly what you need after a long day on the fells......or maybe a session of reflexology to relax you? See what the Lakes has to offer below.

Lake District Hotels with spa or therapy facilities or Spa Breaks in the Lakes

The Lodore Falls Hotel on Derwentwater near Keswick, part of the Lakes Hotel Group, offers a new health and beauty facility where you can try practical treatments like beauty therapies, a range of pampering pleasures, and complementary therapies including back, neck and shoulder massage, Indian Head Massage and a whole panoply of skin treatments. Since this hotel happens to have a waterfall in its own grounds, it can also offer the fun of a Waterfall Therapy Package. This includes a drenching under the lovely Lodore Waterfall followed by a massage or other treatment of your choice. After a drenching under the falls, a deep tissue massage with rosemary, pine and fennel oils might be just the ticket! The hotel also has a swimming pool and sauna in the Leisure Club.

The Lakeside Hotel at Lakeside (at the south end of Lake Windermere) offers spa packages and breaks with treatments tailored to your requirements. Although the stay-over spa break sounds wonderful, they also do day packages and treatments on a one-off basis. Beauty treatments include a wide range of facials, dry skin brushing, body wraps and exfoliation, and facial massage. Whole body treatments on offer include body massage (one using hot basalt rocks and cold marble to massage the entire face, body and scalp), aromatherapy and back treatments. The hotel also offers a 17m pool, steam room, sauna, poolside Jacuzzi and a gym.

The North Lakes Hotel The North Lakes Hotel near Penrith offers a wide variety of treatments and spa packages, including some treatments specially tailored for men. They have a wide variety of massage therapy, including hot stone therapy and aromatherapy, and an equally wide selection of beauty treatments. If you're exploring the northern Lakes and Yorkshire this could be a good base for a holiday in which you increase both your health and your fitness. They also have a well-equipped gym and a 13 m swimming pool.

Armathwaite Hall Hotel, near Bassenthwaite, a most beautiful location for a holiday, has qualified beauty therapists who can advise you on the best treatment for you. They provide skin treatments which utilise aromatherapy and botanical ingredients. In addition they offer one of our own favourite treatments - hot stone therapy. Perfect after a day on the fells.

Holbeck Ghyll near Windermere has a spa which you can use as a day guest, or you can book a night there, where the Michelin starred dinner will take the edge off the fitness and health therapies you enjoyed during the day!

The Whitewater Hotel near Newby Bridge offers a pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, and the services of professional beauty therapists. They provide a wide range of treatments including facials, manicure and pedicure, cathiodermie, aromatherapy, body wraps, and full body massage.

The Damson Dene The Damson Dene Hotel near Kendal, tucked away in a delightful valley, offers a heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room, gym and beauty salon where beauty treatments and massage therapies, including aromatherapy, are available.

Ivy Bank Bed and Breakfast at Windermere has the inestimable advantage of having an owner who is also a qualified sports and remedial massage therapist and aromatherapist. She can offer aromatherapy and remedial massage treatments in the afternoons and evenings. Booking in advance is advisable to avoid disappointment.

You may be interested in holistic practitioners in other parts of the UK besides the Lake District.

In Somerset we recommend the following complementary practitioners: for shadow work try Rod Boothroyd

If you're more interested in shadow work training try this practitioner.

And if you want to train as a Reiki healer, why not take a break in Somerset or, more specifically, Frome and undertake Reiki Training in Somerset, Bath and Frome with the beautiful Somerset and Devon countryside nearby as a base.