Harrogate, Helmsley and Huddersfield are three of the places to go in the UK if you want a relaxing spa treatment as they all host award-winning spas.
Harrogate’s Turkish Baths won the award for the Best UK Natural and Thermae Spa – beating off stiff competition across the country from Oban in Scotland to Bath’s World Heritage Spa in the Southwest. Harrogate’s Turkish Baths Manager, Graham Holman, is absolutely delighted to have won this award. He said: “We already know we are world-famous but are now proud to say that we are definitely world-class.”
This result vindicates the £1m refurbishment undertaken by Harrogate Borough Council in 2004 which restored them to their Victorian splendour. Additional investments of cash this year and in 2009 have seen further improvements by way of an extension, redecoration, mood lighting and a new steam room.
Councillor Caroline Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Cultural Services, added her congratulations to the hardworking team at the Turkish Baths, “The Turkish Baths really can compete against their competitors in this ever growing market. Not only are the Baths popular with residents and tourists, we are also seeing a growing corporate hospitality market too. It is still one of my favourite places to relax in. If you haven’t been for a while go along and enjoy a real treat.”
The Verbena Spa at the Feversham Arms Hotel in Helmsley excelled itself. It not only won the Award for the Best Romantic Getaway, but it was also runner-up in the Spa Cuisine category. It too faced stiff competition from across the whole of the UK. And the Titanic Spa in Huddersfield was voted the Best Day Spa.
So all in all it was a spectacular Yorkshire hat trick.
What makes all these awards special is that they were voted for by The Spa Traveller’s readers – people who know spas from the user’s perspective. For six months, readers were asked to visit the Spa Traveller website and nominate their favourite spa, treatment, therapist, cuisine and even most breathtaking spa view – and the votes poured in from right across the world. As Janet Brice, Director and Managing Editor of The SPA Traveller, put it, “These awards have established an international benchmark of excellence for everyone involved in the Spa industry and users of spas.”
The SPA Traveller is a digital magazine for the luxury lifestyle – and it offers an objective guide to the world’s finest day spas, resort and hotel spas, treatments and spa-at-home products. It currently has over 65,000 readers and gets more than a million page impressions per month – so its readers’ views matter.
Nominations for next year’s awards have already started.
For holiday accommodation in Harrogate, Helmsley or Huddersfield, check out Hello Yorkshire’s listings pages.