Luxury spa for all seasons

Rudding Park near Harrogate, which offers luxurious accommodation in a Grade One listed regency house, set in 300 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland, recently added a new luxury spa complex. 

Architectural practice Enjoy Design was appointed to design the spa, and the result is a three-storey complex that includes 11 treatment rooms, a 17m swimming pool, a juniper log sauna, indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pool, a restaurant and shop. 

A major feature of the design is its light-filled relaxation spaces, which can be used all-year-round, despite the colder winters and unreliable summers in the north of England. These include a ground-floor area surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling glass, as well as a fully glazed rooftop spa and garden. 

The rooftop spa features an indoor-outdoor infinity pool, where guests can swim between the open and enclosed areas via a waterproof automatic door. A herbal steam bath, luxury steam room, panoramic experience showers and relaxing foot spa enhance the spa, while outside a spa bath and cabin sauna complete the experience. 

The double-glazed sauna units incorporate Pilkington Suncool 66/33, a high performance solar control glass that helps to reduce transmission of energy from the sun to just 33%, while allowing 66% light transmission.

The glass was installed using minimalistic aluminium frames from manufacturer Metal Technology, which sit flush together and give the appearance of frameless glazing externally. 

Gregg Mitchell, director at Enjoy Design, said: “The high performance solar control glass from Pilkington has allowed us to create this amazing space without compromising on the energy performance of the building.”