Morrissey throws 67-yard TD pass to Calwise Jr. to lift Eastern Kentucky over North Alabama 21-15Morrissey throws 67-yard TD pass to Calwise Jr. to lift Eastern Kentucky over North Alabama 21-15Cion investment's co-CEO Michael Reisner buys $4,999 in stock
The Indianapolis Colts could show up to the stadium on Sunday with nothing to play for. Or the scenario may call for a victory so they can remain alive in the AFC playoffs. Either way, the Colts' postseason fate hangs on other teams as they enter Sunday's game against the lowly New York Giants at East Rutherford, N.J. Indianapolis (7-8) is mathematically alive in the playoff hunt but trails the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos by two games with two contests left. The Chargers and Broncos both have games on Saturday. If both nine-win clubs win, the Colts will be eliminated and miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is well aware of the team's predicament and scenarios entering the game against the Giants (2-13), who have lost a franchise-record 10 straight games. "We still have an opportunity, with some help from other people," Richardson said. "But we just taking it one game at a time because it doesn't do us any good if everybody else does what they have to do to help us out and then we don't go out there and take advantage of it." Richardson (back/foot) sat out practice all week, and head coach Shane Steichen said Friday he is questionable to start Sunday, though he fell short of ruling him out. If Richardson is not ready to go, veteran Joe Flacco would be in line to start against New York. Flacco was just 1-3 as a starter when Richardson was sidelined or benched earlier this season. But Flacco (nine touchdowns, five interceptions) has a superior touchdown-to-interception ratio than Richardson (eight TDs, 12 interceptions) and has completed 66.5 percent of his passes compared to Richardson's 47.7 percent. No matter who starts, the game plan will revolve around star running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 218 yards and three scores on 29 carries during last weekend's 38-30 home win over the Tennessee Titans. It was Taylor's second-most rushing yards in a game behind the club-record 253 he put up against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2020 season. The Giants are starting Drew Lock at quarterback for the fourth time in the past five games. Lock underwent an MRI exam on his passing shoulder Monday but no damage was found. He hurt it during Sunday's 34-7 road loss against the Atlanta Falcons. Lock is 0-3 as a starter this season and has completed just 52.7 percent of his passes. He has one touchdown and four interceptions in 129 attempts. "As a quarterback, the ball is in your hands every play and one or two bad plays can change a game," Lock said of his miscues. "You try to look at them individually, try to learn from each play individually and go onto the next week. Learn from what you did and just have a heavy emphasis on taking care of the ball." Giants coach Brian Daboll opted for Lock over Tommy DeVito, who is 0-2 as a starter this season. Daboll said he made the decision to continue the continuity from last week. Meanwhile, star rookie wideout Malik Nabers (toe) missed practice Thursday and called himself a game-day decision. Nabers has 97 receptions for 969 yards and four touchdown catches as one of the bright spots of the horrendous season. "It's tough on everybody. It's not just tough on me. It's tough on everybody," Nabers said of the team's troubles. "I'm continuing to keep my mental (attitude) strong, continue to move forward, continue to try to better the team, better myself. Lead by example. I feel like that's really all we can do in this state of mind that we're going through." In addition to Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle), defensive back Dee Williams (knee), defensive lineman Cory Durden (shoulder) and offensive lineman Greg Van Roten (knee) were limited in practice on Friday. Center John Michael Schmitz (ankle), linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), and defensive backs Raheem Layne (knee) and Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) sat out practice. Richardson was one of three Colts to miss practice on Thursday. The others were tight end Mo Alie-Cox (toe) and linebacker E.J. Speed (knee). In the most recent meeting, the Giants routed the Colts 38-10 late in the 2022 season. --Field Level MediaNEW YORK — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin, gold and other investments also drove higher. Here’s a look at some of the numbers that defined the year. All are as of Dec. 20. 1998 Remember when President Bill Clinton got impeached or when baseball’s Mark McGwire hit his 70th home run against the Montreal Expos? That was the last time the U.S. stock market closed out a second straight year with a leap of at least 20%, something the S&P 500 is on track to do again this year. The index has climbed 24.3% so far this year, not including dividends, following last year’s spurt of 24.2%. 57 The number of all-time highs the S&P 500 has set so far this year. The first came early, on Jan. 19, when the index capped a two-year comeback from the swoon caused by high inflation and worries that high interest rates instituted by the Federal Reserve to combat it would create a recession. But the index was methodical through the rest of the year, setting a record in every month outside of April and August, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. The latest came on Dec. 6. 3 The number of times the Federal Reserve has cut its main interest rate this year from a two-decade high, offering some relief to the economy. Expectations for those cuts, along with hopes for more in 2025, were a big reason the U.S. stock market has been so successful this year. The 1 percentage point of cuts, though, is still short of the 1.5 percentage points that many traders were forecasting for 2024 at the start of the year. The Fed disappointed investors in December when it said it may cut rates just two more times in 2025, fewer than it had earlier expected. 1,508 That’s how many points the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by the day after Election Day, as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world. The more widely followed S&P 500 soared 2.5% for its best day in nearly two years. Aside from bitcoin, stocks of banks and smaller winners were also perceived to be big winners. The bump has since diminished amid worries that Trump’s policies could also send inflation higher. $100,000 The level that bitcoin topped to set a record above $108,000 this past month. It’s been climbing as interest rates come down, and it got a particularly big boost following Trump’s election. He’s turned around and become a fan of crypto, and he’s named a former regulator who’s seen as friendly to digital currencies as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing someone who critics said was overly aggressive in his oversight. Bitcoin was below $17,000 just two years ago following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. 26.7% Gold’s rise for the year, as it also hit records and had as strong a run as U.S. stocks. Wars around the world have helped drive demand for investments seen as safe, such as gold. It’s also benefited from the Fed’s cut to interest rates. When bonds are paying less in interest, they pull away fewer potential buyers from gold, which pays investors nothing. $420 It’s a favorite number of Elon Musk, and it’s also a threshold that Tesla’s stock price passed in December as it set a record. The number has a long history among marijuana devotees, and Musk famously said in 2018 that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 per share. Tesla soared this year, up from less than $250 at the start, in part because of expectations that Musk’s close relationship with Trump could benefit the company. $91.2 billion That’s how much revenue Nvidia made in the nine months through Oct. 27, showing how the artificial-intelligence frenzy is creating mountains of cash. Nvidia’s chips are driving much of the move into AI, and its revenue through the last nine months catapulted from less than $39 billion the year before. Such growth has boosted Nvidia’s worth to more than $3 trillion in total. 74% GameStop’s gain on May 13 after Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” appeared online for the first time in three years to support the video game retailer’s stock, which he helped rocket to unimaginable heights during the “meme stock craze” in 2021. Several other meme stocks also jumped following his post in May on the social platform X, including AMC Entertainment. Gill later disclosed a sizeable stake in the online pet products retailer Chewy, but he sold all of his holdings by late October. 1.6%, 3.0% and 3.1% That’s how much the U.S. economy grew, at annualized seasonally adjusted rates, in each of the three first quarters of this year. Such growth blew past what many pessimists were expecting when inflation was topping 9% in the summer of 2022. The fear was that the medicine prescribed by the Fed to beat high inflation — high interest rates — would create a recession. Households at the lower end of the income spectrum in particular are feeling pain now, as they contend with still-high prices. But the overall economy has remained remarkably resilient. 20.1% This is the vacancy rate for U.S. office buildings — an all-time high — through the first three quarters of 2024, according to data from Moody’s. The fact the rate held steady for most of the year was something of a win for office building owners, given that it had marched up steadily from 16.8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. Demand for office space weakened as the pandemic led to the popularization of remote work. 3.73 million That’s the total number of previously occupied homes sold nationally through the first 11 months of 2024. Sales would have to surge 20% year-over-year in December for 2024’s home sales to match the 4.09 million existing homes sold in 2023, a nearly 30-year low. The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. A shortage of homes for sale and elevated mortgage rates have discouraged many would-be homebuyers.
For a top-to-toe wellbeing boost , some time out from the daily grind or a slow-paced getaway with your nearest and dearest, there’s nothing quite like a spa break for a recharge and reset. For those who don’t fancy the faff of heading abroad for an R&R fix , there are plenty of exceptional spa hotels right here in the UK . Spas have come a long way in recent years. No longer simply offering a whirl in a singular jacuzzi followed by a cream tea, wellness spaces are now equipped with the latest innovations designed to boost longevity and reset the mind and body. Whether you’re more partial to swimming laps or lazing poolside, lavender-scented thermal suites or bespoke facials, the pampering properties on our list all have serious credentials. You’ll find plenty of fine dining, healthy spreads and local and seasonal produce on offer – some hotels even have a Michelin star or two. From blowout country house breaks to eco-friendly finds and slick urban retreats, we’ve rounded up the best UK spa hotels below. So get ready to don a fluffy robe and relax. If cosy is what you crave, Dormy House is the one. This handsome 17th-century farmhouse-turned-39-room-boutique-hotel just outside Broadway village sits inside the 400-acre Farncombe Estate and serves up Cotswolds conviviality in such abundance that it’s impossible not to leave with a spring in your step. Flagstone-floored lounges with sofas draped in blankets by log fires invite guests to kick off their wellies and stop for a cuppa. It makes for a lovely spot to retreat to after yomps to Broadway Tower. At the House Spa, there’s a candlelit indoor infinity pool, a hydrotherapy hot tub fringed by pots of violet fauxliage, a gym, and thermal suite, salt steam room, lavender-infused number and experience shower, which mimics being caught in a rainforest downpour in the loveliest of ways. A raft of treatments using Temple Spa and Proverb products range from a sugar buff scrub and warm oil massage combo to body massages. Also on offer are mani-pedis, flotation tank experiences and therapist-free ‘wave touch’ massages – a lie-on waterbed with choose-your-own-strength jets. As well as a spa cafe with sun terrace, there’s the slow-food Back Garden restaurant. For slumbering, bedrooms blend Scandi-style interiors with wooden beams, floral fabric walls, and glinting roll-top bathtubs. Ianthe Butt Read more: Best spa hotels in the Lake District for outdoor saunas and forest views As famed for its honey-hued Georgian buildings as the ancient thermal waters it was founded on, Bath makes for a brilliant wellness break. The place to bed down is the Gainsborough Bath Spa, which has 99 bedrooms with monochrome palettes and is the only hotel with a spa directly fed by Bath’s mineral-rich spring water. A handful of spa bedrooms even have the thermal water piped straight into roll-top bathtubs, while for blowout group getaways, there’s a four-floor Georgian townhouse set adjacent to the main hotel. The Spa Village’s centrepiece is a dramatic mosaic-tiled thermal pool set underneath a glass atrium and surrounded by Romanesque columns. Offering a more boutique experience than the city’s popular Thermae Baths, the Gainsborough Spa also has two smaller soaking pools, an ice alcove and relaxation terrace, which form an invigorating self-guided bathing circuit. Unknotting aromatherapy, Swedish essential oil and thermal candle massages are on offer in 11 treatment rooms, alongside rejuvenating Hungarian mud detoxes. IB Set in the New Forest National Park, where wild ponies meander through woodland and violet-tinged heather scrub, Lime Wood is the ultimate rural retreat. The 13th-century lodge, transformed into a country house hotel with glorious grounds, has lounges with roaring fires, an Italian restaurant helmed by Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder and 33 rooms with botanical artwork, antique furniture and bloom-festooned cushions. Facilities at the calming, three-level Herb House spa nail serenity, with a 16m indoor lap pool (floor-to-ceiling glass windows mean front crawl comes with a side of dappled sunlight and forest views), two hydropools, an outdoor hot pool set underneath olive trees and 10 treatment rooms. The spa menu includes massages using seaweed-infused VOYA or Bamford products, reflexology sessions and OPI mani-pedis. Plus, Lime Wood is the first spa in Britain to offer Ground treatments, created by wellness expert Peigin Crowley, this series of rituals targets the likes of anxiety and hormone change, combines Gua Sha, breathwork, cold-stone therapy and lymphatic drainage. Personal trainers are on hand in the Technogym to ramp up fitness regimes, there are energetic aqua resistance sessions in the pool, plus pilates and yoga in the herb-filled rooftop garden. Afterwards, there’s healthy grub – freshly pressed greens and ginger juices and seasonal soups – on offer at spa restaurant Raw and Cured. IB Price: Doubles from £419, room only, including spa access. Spa days from £185pp Book now Read more: Best spa hotels in Edinburgh - Where to stay for luxury rooms and rejuvenation Surrounded by 380 acres of parkland by the tranquil River Maine, 40 minutes from Belfast, the atmosphere at the 125-room Galgorm is refreshingly relaxed and jolly (it has a 500-strong gin library for one thing). Accommodation – with all lodges dog-friendly – ranges from business-style bedrooms to Scandi-style cottages and rustic log cabins. There are four restaurants, including laidback AA Rosette-awarded Italian joint Fratellli plus rousing live music each night at Gillies Grill. The property’s award-winning Spa Village is one of Europe’s largest thermal spas, with a whopping six acres in which to bliss out, including a trio of gardens (alpine, walled and riverside) and a raft of facilities, including an indoor infinity hydrotherapy pool, riverside hot tubs, an indoor pool, snow cabin, salt room, aroma grotto and herb caldarium. Massages use Aromatherapy Associates oil or CBD-infused OTO products, plus there’s an only-available-at Galgorm iDome Detox Therapy – a touchless treatment that uses colour and plasma therapy to rejuvenate skin. For post-relaxation fuel, order pho and virgin watermelon lemonades at timber-dome restaurant Elements. It’s a good pick for golfers, as there’s a par-72 championship course on the grounds of the nearby Galgorm Castle Estate, a six-hole pitch and putt, and a golf academy. IB A seaside break is an instant reviver, and the adults-only Scarlet, with its cliffside setting above Mawgan Porth’s butterscotch sands, eco-architecture and wonderful spa, is a breath of fresh air for the soul. The 37 rooms – all pale wooden floorboards, decorated in mossy green and dusky blues inspired by wildflowers and sea mosses – each have a sea view, be it full-facing or from an upper-level sitting room. Popular with couples, the spa is heavy on wild-at-heart romance, with blue-on-blue seascape panoramas from the indoor pool, outdoor natural pool (a bracing, freshwater number, filtered by a living reed bed system) and a clifftop barrel cedar wood sauna. Ayurvedic treatments, including Shirodhara and Mukhabyanga facial massage, offer a taste of longer, four-hour ‘journeys’ (solo, couples, pregnancy) alongside hot herb and oat-filled poultice massages and Tula facials. Hands-on DIY hammam experiences for two, which involve slathering one another with mineral mud and an aromatic scrub atop a heated ceramic bed, are a hoot, and leave skin silky-smooth. Afterwards, laze in slumber-inducing hanging canvas pods, do outdoor yoga and tai chi, or head out surfing. A visit to the restaurant is a must – it’s overseen by chef Jack Clayton, known for his focus on sustainable, responsibly sourced cuisine, and good-natured sommelier Nick Bryant. Pick from seven-course fine-dining suppers or afternoon cream teas; just be sure to layer jam before clotted cream, in keeping with the Cornish tradition. IB Read more: The Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel review Historic Rudding Park, a quick drive from former spa town Harrogate, will suit spa junkies looking for a retreat with a modern, unstuffy vibe. The Georgian Hall-turned-90-room-hotel has comfortable rooms with colour-pop touches, 300 acres of gardens, a cinema, two golf courses and Horto, where the likes of courgette and feta tarts and white chocolate and passion fruit fondants are served. It’s the innovative spa, fed in part by natural spring waters, that’s the real masterstroke. Alongside an indoor pool, juniper log sauna, rasul (for mud masks and scrubs), nail studio and gym, there are audio meditation pods, an AV relaxation room and Mandala colour therapy zone. Outside, on the shrub-filled rooftop, there’s even more: a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, a tranquillity space with heated Evo loungers, glass-fronted sauna with astonishing panoramas of the Yorkshire countryside, sunlight therapy room and oxygen pod. Treatments run the gamut from Natura Bissé facials to hot stone massages, and spa rates include a daily Aufguss session – 15-minute sauna rituals where an Aufguss master uses water, essential oils and clever towel movements to circulate the heat to lift endorphins. The property also caters for those with accessibility needs, with level access across the spa, a pool lift for indoor and hydro pools, and an adapted treatment room and accessible shower/changing room. IB In 1990, long before it became de rigueur , Chewton Glen was one of the first country house hotels to create a purpose-built spa, and it has been winning accolades ever since. The straight-out-of-Austen hotel sits in 130 acres of grounds on the fringe of the New Forest National Park, and many ingredients used at the Dining Room come from the kitchen garden. Rooms range from traditional affairs with mallard-print cushions, mahogany furniture and rose colour palettes to high-in-the-canopy tree house suites with balcony hot tubs. The 1,350sq m spa has a 17m Roman-style indoor lap pool, a hydrotherapy pool, outdoor whirlpool and cold drench showers. On the spa menu are Mii gel mani-pedis and oil massages. Can’t decide? Book a slot and the therapist will craft something bespoke. Also on offer are brand new body rituals using CBD brand OTO products, which are tailored to ramp up energy levels or rebalance, as required. Mindfulbuffets are served in the Pool Bar, for those watching their PH balance, and junior spa treatments, a nine-hole par three golf course, dance and fitness studio, tennis courts, and a cookery school – recently taken over by Chef Gerard Molloy – make Chewton a good family pick. IB Read more: Why this Caribbean island is the perfect place for a female-focused wellness break Want a spa break with a horticultural hit? This ivy-covered, buttermilk-stone Jacobean country pile in West Sussex has it covered, with 93 acres of beech and oak woodland, rhododendron-filled ornamental gardens and breathtaking South Downs panoramas. The old-world main house – all ornate peacock ceiling carvings, dark wood panelling and 18th-century oil portraits – also has excellent restaurants Camellia and The Pass, overseen by Ben Wilkinson. Suites are relaxing spaces with velvet throws, fireplaces, bold striped wallpaper and mosaic-tiled bathrooms. The real serenity, however, is at the 4,087sq m, green oak-clad, meadow-roofed spa, which blends into the South Downs scenery beautifully. There’s plenty to keep swimmers happy, with a trio of dipping spots – an indoor infinity pool, an outdoor hydrotherapy number, and a back-to-nature 18m wild swimming pond too. Unwind-in-an-instant body massages use bespoke products and take place in nature-inspired treatment rooms, there’s a beauty bar for glam Jessica mani-pedis, a spin studio and gym, and plant-based food on offer at the Botanica restaurant. IB Not many spas are akin to immersive art, but that’s exactly the case at Beaverbrook’s Coach House Health Club and Spa. Offering a zeitgeist-y foil to the 19th-century Victorian mansion and its sprawling Surrey Hills grounds, the spa’s vivid stained-glass ceiling, designed by artist Brian Clarke, makes you feel as though you’re wrapped up in a rainbow. Wellness here focuses on the power of nature, with a roster including tailored, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV vitamin infusions, Therapi facials and osteopathy as well as a calendar of experiences ranging from winter signatures to full moon ceremonies, The pretty indoor pool is a delight – with a design that looks as though there are flowers bobbing on the water’s surface – plus there’s a splash pool, Coach House Spa, thermal suite, gym, and relaxation room. Spoiling spa aside, Beaverbrook is all polished razzle-dazzle – in keeping with the spirit of its former owner, press baron Lord Beaverbrook, who was renowned for his Gatsby-esque parties. Some of the bedrooms, decked out with abstract art prints and antiques, are named after Lord Beaverbrook’s pals, including Rudyard Kipling and Elizabeth Taylor. Evenings can be spent in the cinema, feasting on sushi at the Japanese Grill or rustic Mediterranean at the Garden House, before lemon, ginger ale and peach Spitfire Collins cocktails at Art Deco style Sir Frank’s Bar. IB Price: Spa escapes from £992 Book now Read more: The world’s best hotel tennis courts Moments from the Thames, and a hop, skip and a jump from Trafalgar Square, this five-star hotel has an unrivalled riverside setting, and is home to ESPA Life at Corinthia. Spread across four floors, the 3,300sq m spa is all high-drama Game of Thrones sultriness. Curved, gold corridors and a marble staircase descend to a thermal floor, where midnight black Italian marble rubs up against a vitality pool lit by a flickering fireplace. As well as a mosaic-tiled steam room, ice fountain and 9m stainless steel swimming pool – embedded with golden lights that create swooshing patterns as you swim – there’s a roomy, amphitheatre-style glass-walled sauna soundtracked by classical music. Even the changing rooms are a thing of beauty – the women’s have heated marble loungers, a sauna and steam room, the men’s a sauna and tepidarium. The range of expert-led treatments – performed in 17 pods – is second to none. ESPA therapies – including a full body vitality massage, featuring a warm rose quartz crystal scalp massage, ‘natural facelift’ facials inspired by Japanese Kobido – reflexology, and Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments are just a handful of what’s on offer. The cutting-edge gym has small group personal training sessions led by AMP coaches, and a Daniel Galvin Hair Salon ensures locks look as good as the swish surrounds. Plus, just opened is a new partnership with The London Regenerative Institute, for consultations with regenerative medicine practitioners for the likes of oxygen therapies and aesthetic treatments in a dedicated Lab Room. As for the rest of the hotel? Expect a wow-factor glass dome ceiling and Baccarat chandelier, two occasion restaurants – Kerridge’s Bar and Grill and European-style brasserie The Northall – sexy cocktail bar Velvet, and bedrooms that channel smart London residences, with leather furniture and Calacatta marble bathrooms. IB For a pampering getaway rooted in sustainability smarts, this eco-spa in the Pennines is the one to book. Housed inside a beautifully restored 20th-century textile mill in Huddersfield, it’s powered by solar photovoltaic roof panels and uses its own natural borehole for water. Single-use plastic is banned, appliances are energy-efficient, and Titanic is working towards becoming carbon neutral too. The well-equipped spa has a 15m indoor pool, given a gentle glow by blush rose lighting, as well as a heat and ice circuit, including herbal infusion and aromatherapy rooms, crystal steam bath, sauna, foot baths, ice room, plunge pool and experience showers – plus a sunken hot tub on the patio for outdoor soaks. While this isn’t a boutique experience (the spa can get quite busy), treatments – ranging from Decleor and Elemis facials and massages to reflexology, reiki and hopi ear candling – are spoiling, and there’s a beanbag-filled relaxation lounge to retreat to afterwards. Aparthotel-style accommodation – 33 contemporary-looking, one- or two-bed apartments (sleeping up to six with additional sofa beds) with kitchen-dining rooms – in the Titanic’s former mill makes self-catering a breeze. That said, there’s good grub on offer, with dishes at The Titanic Bistro – such as cumin spiced sweet potato and dal – made using seasonal, locally sourced, organic or Fairtrade ingredients. It’s hard to beat Titanic in terms of value for money; three-hour twilight packages start from £55pp. The £199 Green Futures package includes a £38 donation to a local charity that helps to empower young people to create positive environmental change. IB Price: Doubles from £189 B&B with spa access. Spa experiences from £45pp. The Green Futures package is from £199pp (Monday to Thursday, including meals, 25-minute body scrub and spa access) Book now Read more: This is what it’s really like on a silent meditation retreat – and it might terrify you This ritzy countryside crashpad meets 2500sq m spa opened in late 2021, and swiftly established itself as top of the list for many dedicated spa-goers. While the property’s Jacobean-style exterior is in keeping with its English countryside locale, with 40 acres of gardens next to Windsor Park, interiors are more-is-more opulent. Think mirrored corridors, a triple-height atrium, striking bar with a sunbeam ceiling pattern and a fine-dining restaurant – 1215 – adorned with hand-painted forest murals. The spa has more of a sanctuary feel, with silvery floral mosaic walls, a 20m indoor pool lined by waterside loungers, and tucked-back daybeds to curl up in. At one end, a Japanese Ashiyu foot ritual bath sits in a bower of everlasting cherry blossom, while, outside, there’s a courtyard hydro vitality pool – lovely during sunnier months. As well as a Himalayan salt room and thermal suite with Finnish sauna, steam room, ice fountain and hot tub, a relaxation room is kitted out with Aeyla weighted blankets to snuggle under. Other flashpoints include a six-person hammam, sports massage therapy, gym with reformer Pilates studio, padel and tennis courts and a cryotherapy chamber. As well as 18 rooms for treatments using Comfort Zone and Natura Bissé and La Sultane de Sabana products and Nailberry manicures. IB Another Surrey spa hotspot with oodles of facilities is long-established Pennyhill Park. Ringed by 120 acres of parkland, with a whopping 4,181sq m spa to explore – spa-ing here is a laid-back, all-day affair. As for swims, there’s a pic ’n’ mix of dipping possibilities – from an elegant 25m indoor pool in the columned ballroom, which has music piped underwater, to an 18m outdoor pool and indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool, next to a trio of outdoor Canadian-style hot tubs. Another highlight is the fragrant thermal circuit, a mix of saunas, steam rooms and the like at varying temperatures, it includes a fig and vanilla-scented laconium, rose steam room and a Thai basil and eucalyptus-infused herbal sauna to warm up in, as well as drench buckets, an ice igloo, bracing plunge pool and bubbling foot spa. Despite there being 21 therapy rooms, it’s best to book ahead, as treatments are in hot demand, from Natura Bissé’s famed diamond energy facials to the pro-sleep ritual using warm oil applied in gentle brushstrokes. On the whole, the property’s 124 individually styled bedrooms are contemporary and colourful, the most plush have their own spa touches – a private cedar hot tub on the terrace, sunken Roman-style shower or copper roll-top tub. Pennyhill’s also a strong choice for foodie travellers, thanks to Michelin-starred Latymer restaurant, where Steve Smith magics up inventive, modern fine-dining in historic, oak-beamed surrounds. IB Read more: The best spas in Eastern Europe for an affordable, yet luxurious, break A haven for the wellness crowd, Calcot and Spa is replete with two buildings dedicated to fitness, recovery and relaxation. The spa and the Grain Store bookend the impressive Cotswolds manor house, fronted by a croquet lawn and leafy avenues to roll through on rented bikes. The classic country house hotel alone provides enough cosy nooks, green terraces and an excellent cafe, restaurant and bar in which to while away the hours, but you’d be remiss to swerve the spa and fitness centre as these facilities are perhaps most deserving of the awards the venue has won. The spa building houses a large heated pool, a traditional sauna and steam room, three beautiful relaxation rooms and individual treatment rooms These encircle a bright cafe with lofty ceilings and huge windows that look out at the star of the show – an outdoor hot tub banked by lavender and hydrangea bushes with a log fire offering the comforting scent of woodsmoke. Though if sipping your matcha latte with a view of the tub isn’t for you, there’s also a cosy library area offering views of the grounds in which to relax. Treatments are tailored to your individual needs – ideal for working out stressed muscles or topically treating skin concerns with a range of products from Comfort Zone and Caci. By contrast to the hyper-modern facilities, the rooms are refreshingly rustic. Exposed beams and farmhouse-style furniture provides a classic Cotswolds vibe to settle into. Designated family areas and individual cottagesque suites ensure total privacy and peace and quiet too. The Grain Store – a huge barn kitted out with dance, fitness and spin studios, a gym and cafe – is possibly the best hotel gym in the UK. With a giant gym floor lined with top-of-the-range Technogym machines and personal trainers on hand to offer assistance, fitness enthusiasts will not be disappointed. Classes here range from Pilates to boxfit and sound healing. Emilie Lavinia Price: Spa experiences from £110 pp. Book now If a ramble through an idyllic national park followed by a trip to a tepidarium sounds like your idea of a good time, Carey’s Manor blends the soothing art of the woodland walk with a fabulous mix of spa facilities. The 18th Century New Forest manor house boasts a great deal of character, complete with Victorian wood panelling and open fireplaces. Though be advised that many of the rooms and suites are housed in a modern annexe. Regardless, the rooms are comfortable and decked out to complement the hotel’s country heritage aesthetic. Many look out onto private gardens with individual terraces and booking a specialist package will see you greeted with a gift box of wellness products from the likes of Dirtea and Pure Earth and Scentered in your room. The SenSpa is laid out across two floors with an abundance of therapeutic rooms to suit all tastes. Guests can move between the herbal sauna, laconicum and tepidarium to a crystal steam room and sensory showers that mimic tropical rain and thunderstorms. Swimming pools and hydropools are banked by relaxation areas and treatment rooms – in which the best Thai massage to be found outside of Thailand can be booked at the spa reception. The gym is small but well equipped with a variety of machines and a separate fitness studio offers a bright space for yoga classes. These aren’t the only events on offer, though. Carey’s Manor offers sensehacking spa days, retreat weekends and an upcoming wellness festival in 2025. Though you could spend days enjoying all the spa has to offer, the surrounding woodland populated by wild ponies and winding trails is too good to be missed. The concierge team can help with wellingtons, picnics, walking maps and advice on the best walking routes. Beautiful dining areas, including a Thai restaurant, French brasserie and the Cambium restaurant serving locally-sourced fare and an impressive breakfast spread, provide an opportunity to refuel. Though of course, there is the option of a cream tea in the gardens between meals. EL Read more: Finding the secret to why Sardinians live to 100 Set in 12 acres of grounds, Sopwell House marries the classic features of an imposing Georgian manor with its spa’s ultra-modern architecture and facilities. The interiors are modern too, with comfortable rooms and cosy public sitting rooms decked out with plush velvet furnishings, ambient lighting and eclectic wallpapers. The Cottonmill spa is a warren of pools, saunas, steam rooms and treatment areas, all beautifully decorated. The spa areas can get very busy and you’ll likely find the small hydropool filled with people sipping bubbly. But for a little space, head outside through the novel glass pool door to enjoy the heated waters in the brisk air. The crystal steam room and panoramic sauna are also well worth visiting. Access to certain parts of the spa is reserved for those who’ve booked specific packages or rooms so bear this in mind when booking. However, a large swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna are available to all guests. If you’d like to make sure you nab a lounger or a seat by the fire in the more exclusive areas at Cottonmill, visiting during a weekday or off-peak hours is recommended because booking a particular package or room won’t guarantee you a space to sit down. Though with that said, there are some beautiful relaxation rooms away from the pool area. There’s an impressive treatment menu of advanced skincare and body treatments, from relaxing bespoke facials to recovery-focused massages. Therapists rely on Elemis and Aromatherapy Associates for soothing scents and hardworking results. The gym is excellent too and a hit with visiting football teams – one of the Sopwell’s corridors is lined with the shirts of players who frequent the hotel for a spot of R&R. For food and drink, guests can visit the brasserie, the Octagon bar and Omboo – an opulent pan-Asian restaurant. Breakfast is a fabulous serve-yourself spread with a range of healthy, continental and fully loaded options. The spa also houses the Pantry offering light lunches and drinks for those enjoying a spa day without the overnight stay. For those who are staying over, the rooms come equipped with a secret mini bar stocked with everything you’ll need to whip up a G&T whenever you fancy one. EL If the bracing draw of the outdoors is just as vital to your wellbeing as a dip in a heated pool, the location of your spa hotel will no doubt matter as much as its facilities. Perched within an estuary of the Irish sea, The Quay hotel and spa embraces the wilder aspects of wellness bearing witness to coastal winds and golden sunsets. The Welsh coastline offers beaches and hills for those keen to hit their 10,000 steps and the nearby marina provides a vista of bobbing boats and the soothing sound of lapping waves. The newly renovated spa is small but well equipped with a hi-tech infrared sauna, steam room and Himalayan salt room, along with footbaths, relaxation areas and a hydropool – the ideal recovery method after a long walk. Treatments, which are carried out in a separate wing, range from personalised massages to soothing facials with Oskia products. The gym is also very good, housed in the main hotel building with plenty of fitness machines and PTs on hand to help with your workout. The hotel itself offers spacious modern rooms and suites with large windows and balconies offering views of the estuary and marina. The decor isn’t a maximalist slap in the face – though if that’s your preference there are plenty of hotels on this list that offer more outlandish design features – it’s pared back, neat and comfortable with considered touches. Blue hues are a nod to the nautical and the stone-toned bathrooms are minimalist too. The Cove bar and Ebb and Flow restaurant are also in-keeping with The Quay’s seaside theme, serving up local flavours via an award-winning chef. You’ll also find Welsh ales on the drinks menu and an impressive wine list. Mornings are brightened by views of the historic Conwy Castle whilst enjoying a well-stocked buffet and à la carte breakfast menu. EL Read more: The best health and wellness retreats across Europe A manor house steeped in history, Seaham Hall houses eclectic rooms that have played host to the likes of Lord Byron before becoming wards for a military hospital and later, a secret whiskey dispensary. Today the Georgian manor house is the epitome of luxury, surrounded by grounds that meet the sea on the north east coast. Suites and the hotel’s self-contained lodges are plush, comfortable and offer every amenity – including super king beds, a pillow menu and private hot tubs with views of the North Sea. The Serenity Spa houses a 20-metre pool, Hammam, hydrotherapy and plunge pools and relaxation areas. There’s also a range of therapy rooms ranging from a salt sauna to a eucalyptus steam room. An ambient walkway over indoor ponds filled with fish leads the way from the main hotel to pools and treatment rooms where an Ishga seaweed wrap or hot stone massage come highly recommended. If the weather permits, the outdoor infinity hydropool and food terrace are worth spending a little time in too. Fitness fans will be pleased to hear that the Seaham Hall gym is expansive, offering a range of machines. There’s also a fitness studio with TechnoGym spin bikes and a host of classes to book, from HIIT to body pump. But if you’re more interested in food than fitness, you’ll eat well. The menu in The Dining Room is seasonal and locally sourced, inspired by what the north east has to offer, including beautiful views of the gardens. There’s also an alternative restaurant, Ozone, serving pan-Asian fare and excellent cocktails. EL Price: Spa experiences from £99pp. Book now