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Choosing where to spend a spa day can be tricky. Are you, for example, looking for infinity pools with a view of the city? Massage treatments with local techniques and products? You can search for the latest tech wellness equipment or the latest trends. Maybe you just want a quiet corner to curl up with a magazine as you go in and out of the thermal suites. There are plenty of decadent spa hotels in Scotland, but there are also a lovely handful in the capital city; From Hebridean seaweed treatments to candlelit snugs, there is something for everyone. Here is our selection of the best spa hotels in Edinburgh.
This modern hotel has everything you’d expect from the brand, bells and whistles on. Though it’s aimed primarily at business travelers, the location, variety of rooms and services, luxe spa, and well-regarded restaurant make it the perfect pick for travelers who like to know exactly what they’re getting. The wellness offering is brilliant, making it one of Edinburgh’s best spa hotels, with a 19-metre infinity pool, a thermal suite with seven treatment areas, ESPA treatments, gym, café and a spa pool absolutely relaxing rooftop. It is located in Festival Square on Lothian Road, overlooking the west side of Edinburgh Castle, within easy walking distance of the city center or Old Town.
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This Neo-Renaissance building with its massive clock tower has been an Edinburgh landmark for over a century. With elegant rooms and over-the-top marble bathrooms, and the Palm Court for champagne afternoon tea, this is a 21st-century version of a grand hotel. The exceptionally large spa offers Rocco Forte Rituals and ESPA treatments, and has a 15-metre lap pool, sauna, steam room and gym. It is next to Edinburgh’s main Waverley railway station, at the eastern end of Princes Street, and a short walk from the National Gallery and shopping areas.
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Driving down the long main avenue through over 50 immaculately landscaped acres, it’s hard to believe that Edinburgh Airport is only two miles away. It is a convenient starting point for flights or a quiet alternative to staying in the city. Housed in an impressive sunken glass building in the old walled garden, the splendid spa features lap pools and whirlpools, steam and sauna rooms, treatment rooms (including double friend/couples treatment rooms) offering a variety of treatments, all with Elemis and Ishga Products (made with seaweed from the Hebrides). The health club has a serious gym and exercise studio, and there’s a bright cafe-bar and outdoor terrace.
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Charles Dickens, once a guest at Edinburgh’s first purpose-built hotel, certainly wouldn’t recognize this latest incarnation. He shows his intent from the moment he enters the dramatically contemporary lobby: pale, glossy marble floors, deep purple walls, and elegant lighting. The Yu Spa, though a bit compact, has a gym, steam and sauna rooms, ozone pool, and a good selection of Elemis-based treatments including ‘Frangipani Body Nourish’ and ‘Lime and Ginger Salt Glow’.
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Imagine a gym with rooms and you won’t go far wrong. It’s a mix of faux hipster and strip mall, but with better upholstery. You can sweat, steam, swim, spin, and spa before heading to Starbucks, or the bar and grill, and then retire to pleasantly simple and comfortable rooms. The spa includes a 20-meter pool; a large gym filled with gleaming equipment; a spinning workshop with 40 bicycles; studies and classes; and a sauna, steam room and whirlpool spa. There is also waxing, wrapping, tanning and tinting (must be pre-booked) at the beauty spa.
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The Caledonian is an imposing, historic building in the heart of Edinburgh, with a Galvin restaurant, castle views, and a lovely spa, complete with fitness room, pool (actually overlooking Edinburgh castle), steam room, and sauna , as well as pampering massages, facials and beauty treatments from 111SKIN and Ground Wellbeing. The restaurant’s collaboration with London’s Galvin Brothers is one of the hotel’s greatest strengths along with its location in one of the best spots in the city, ideal for shoppers and tourists alike.
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