2 days ago
Inside luxury Scottish hotel's epic new spa, which includes the country's largest outdoor sauna
As wellness travel demand continues to grow, the four-star Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort - situated on a 350 acre estate near Glasgow - has just unveiled its vast new Imperia Spa.
The glamorous multi-million-pound addition has been inspired by the hotel's history, as it was the former home, built in 1926, of shipbuilding magnate Baron Lithgow.
This has translated into bling interiors that are inspired by the golden age of travel, with luxury materials including black marble and crystal.
They even have a swimming pool that's finished in shades of antique gold and obsidian black. It's flanked by sun loungers, with golden tables that look like they've been designed for the deck of a cruise ship.
The pool may be impressive, but the piece de resistance at this new attraction, which is open to hotel residents or guests, must be their Scandinavian dream of an outdoor sauna. It's the biggest in Scotland and, they say, probably the largest in the UK. It sits 18 people, so you could probably get a rugby team in there, without it turning into a game of sweaty sardines.
While you toast in here, you can take in the soothing green views down to Ben Lomond. And, whenever you're ready to cool down, there's a cold plunge pool nearby, as well as an al-fresco Jacuzzi.
In addition, guests can benefit from other immersive thermal experiences inside the spa. Highlights include the aroma steam room and sinus-clearing salt steam room alongside a pink Himalayan salt sauna. On the terrace, the heated loungers, on a checkered tile floor, offer views across the estate to the estuary.
Their other new attractions include a plush and flatteringly low-lit changing rooms, an ice fountain, sensory showers and a boutique-y wellbeing studio, which offers various classes including Pilates and yoga, plus a gym with Peloton bike and free weights, among other things.
In the seven treatment rooms, you can experience therapies from beauty brands Natura Bissé, Elemis, Temple Spa, and Ayurvedic specialists, Tri-Dosha. These range from a Natura Bissé Quiro Golf Massage (£120) to the Samvahana Synchronised Four-Hand Ayurvedic Massage (£185), which involves a pair of therapists working their magic.
Gleddoch Spa's current entry level packages include a Twilight Spa Experience, from 7-9pm daily. It incorporates use of their new facilities, plus a one-course dinner, for £75. Or the top-of-the-range Signature Spa Day is £299 and includes two 60 minute treatments, a two-course lunch and use of the facilities all day from 9.30am until 4.30pm.
You can also experience the new Palm Room orangery, which is filled with the eponymous plant, and The Veranda lounge, where Chopin plays and the air is scented with Persian jasmine.
Both are inspired by the destinations that were visited by Lithgow's ships.
As spa resort general manager, James Anderson, says
'Every detail of Imperia has been designed to surprise and delight, creating an escape unlike anything else in Scotland. This is not just a spa; it's an experience where indulgence, heritage, and contemporary wellness meet'.
