Wow. Just wow. The location of the Titanic Spa Huddersfield is unlike anywhere I’ve been before. It’s set in Linthwaite and, for a London dweller like me at least, it’s a truly jaw dropping area of.. I guess they're called hills and dales, with houses that look like bungalows from one side but turn out to be three stories high when viewed from the other. It’s a spectacular drive, and we got spectacularly lost on the way.
The spa itself is at the bottom of a valley and is an old textile mill turned into ‘the UK’s first eco spa’. Check in is from 10:30am – 11:30am and I would recommend getting there at the early side of that as by the time we rocked up following our unexpected detour around the streets of Yorkshire all the lockers were gone. However, the super friendly staff said we could leave our bags with them at reception.
Top tip: ask for a large robe. You won’t regret it. So roomy.
We pretty much arrived at lunchtime, so after a trot 'round in our robes to work out where things are, we went to the bistro for the ‘light lunch’ that’s included in our package. The word ‘light’ is always ominous when paired with food I my opinion, so we ordered two reasonably priced sides to go with our hummus sandwiches: a hearty green salad and broccoli that had been drenched (in a good way) in garlic butter. Yum yum yum.
The spa has been sympathetically designed to the architecture of the old mill which is a way of saying that things aren’t always where you’d expect them to be. The bistro is a good example, it’s open plan and in the middle of the spa meaning that there’s quite often a smell of food around. And to get to the pool you need to walk past the kitchen door which was always open. Not a negative, just not something I’ve experienced before.
The pool itself is lush, and large enough to do some gentle laps. It’s salt rather than chlorine regulated in line with the spa’s eco-credentials. And there are a couple of saunas poolside. One thing that’s lacking though is loungers. There’s only eight and while there is a sign asking guests not to reserve loungers, if you dare to move a stranger’s towel / belongings then you’re a braver woman than me.
In fact, I’d say that the spa is lacking in places to sit, at least in winter when we visited. One of the things I’d have liked to do is sit with my book and look at the scenery and there was nowhere to do that. My sister and I ended up sitting in the retail area simply because here was nowhere else to perch unless you were in the relaxation area (too dark to read) or in the fire and ice experience (too wet for reading).
The fire and ice experience is fun though, and entry is included in your package. There are a number of saunas and steam rooms, plus an ice room in which we threw crushed ice at each other (optional), and a plunge pool that we egged each other on to use. Fair play to the women we saw sitting in here and chilling, quite literally.
We’d both tagged a hot stone massage into our day and phew, it’s true what they say, those stones sure are hot.
Overnight accommodation is in apartments situated above the spa and ours was – honestly – glorious. It had huge windows and a small balcony so we could get our fix of bracing winter air. The beds were enormous, the kitchen had everything you could need including a washing machine (bring your own laundry detergent), the bathrooms sizeable and a small number of toiletries were provided. The only thing I was a bit disappointed by was the continental breakfast that came with the apartment: Alpen or Weetabix, an apple, and a pot of low-fat yogurt. I liked the pint of milk in a glass bottle in the fridge though, like in the past.
And the stair situation was a bit odd: the only way up to and down from the apartments to the spa was a lift. There was, of course, a fire escape staircase too but it connected to the car park. As the spa doesn’t open until 8am, if you wanted to go for an early morning run or stroll, you couldn’t. Well, not if you wanted to get in before 8am.
We had dinner in the bistro, two courses are included in the overnight package but no drinks. There’s one low alcohol beer and one low alcohol cocktail on the list if that’s your vibe. We plumped for spring green risotto to eat, and it was good.
Check out of the apartment is at 10am which felt a bit tight. You could ask to extend the stay at a cost of £25 per person per hour. And an extension of use of the sap facilities is available until 2pm including lunch at a cost of £50 per person.
Offers at Titanic Spa, Huddersfield
A one night break with dining and treatment for two at Titanic Spa is £355.
Georgina Terry is the editor of Closer online and has been with the titles since 2018. She's a mum of two and would happily turn her back on the glittering world of showbiz and become a spa reviewer full time, if anyone's offering.