Thermae Bath Spa – enjoy a steamy soak in the open-air rooftop pool in warm mineral-rich waters whilst admiring the beautiful city and green rolling hills.

No visit to Bath is complete without experiencing the spa town’s famous natural hot springs which are, as a matter of fact, the only natural hot springs in the UK. Since opening in 2006, the Thermae Bath Spa, Britain’s only natural thermal spa, has become a popular attraction for visitors wanting to enjoy the long tradition of ‘taking water’ just like the Romans and the well-to-do used to do during the Georgian era. With its rich history dating back to 863BC (when the City of Bath was founded around the springs), I was intrigued to learn that the ancient Roman baths in Bath are thought to be amongst the largest outside Rome. In addition to a relaxing steamy soak, I also learned that the word SPA is related to the Latin phrase ‘Salus Per Aquam’ or ‘health through water’ which turned the Thermae Bath Spa experience into an interesting history lesson as well.

Location

Located above the famous hot springs in the middle of the historic city of Bath only 200 yards from the towers of Bath Abbey the Thermae Bath Spa is within walking distance of all the major attractions and can easily be accessed by foot from the train station.

The natural springs

Before sinking into the pools filled with the 33.5° warm mineral-rich waters (containing 42 different minerals to be exact) it can be useful to know there are in actual fact three separate springs in Bath with Thermae Bath Spa drawing water from all three springs. The King’s Spring which rises within the Roman Bath Museum is the largest and perhaps most significant followed by the smaller Hetling Spring (feeding the Spa Village of Gainsborough) and Cross Bath Spring (used for the separate Cross Bath) which are both located approximately 150 m to the west of the King’s Spring.

The New Royal Bath experience

The impressive building is spread across several floors taking advantage of 1 million litres of the mineral-rich water flowing into the spa daily which is coming directly from the springs.

Upon arrival, guests are being provided with bathrobes and slippers together with a magnetic wristband which is used to lock the changing room locker.

Guests enjoying the New Royal Bath experience are advised to either start at the bottom of the building at the Minerva Bath – the largest of the thermal baths named after the Roman Goddess of health and wisdom and work their way up all the way to the very top to the open-air rooftop pool, alternatively the other way around. The Wellness Suite is located on the middle floor providing a multi-sensory experience with its Roman Steam Room, Georgian Steam Room, Infrared Room, Ice Chamber, Celestial Relaxation Room and Experience Showers.

One of the top experiences is the beautiful Georgian-inspired Steam Room which is decorated with Georgian-style gardens and has a floral rose fragrance adding to the relaxing experience. For the brave, the Ice Chamber is a great pit-stop for those looking for the ‘complete’ experience and with the health benefits of alternating the body temperature between hot and cold, this gets the circulation going and is certainly refreshing to say the least. The Celestial Relaxation Room with 5 heated tile loungers is the perfect spot to calm the mind and, as the name suggests – relax!

For the ultimate grand finale, the absolute highlight is soaking in the open-air rooftop pool featuring whirlpools, neck-massage jets and air-benches whilst looking out across the beautiful city to the green rolling hills.

The Cross Bath

The Cross Bath is located in a separate spa building across the street from Thermae Bath Spa and is a unique venue perfect for guests looking for a more private experience and can be enjoyed exclusively for small parties of up to 10 people. Individual spa sessions in the Cross Bath can only be booked within 48 hours of your visit unless you are booking exclusive use.

When to visit?

Not surprisingly, the day spa is incredibly popular and can get busy at certain times of the day hence visitors are advised to plan their spa visit in the morning if possible.