AYU Reviews: The Gainsborough Bath Spa
What better way to recover from the pace of Miami Hedge Fund Week than a blissful stay at The Gainsborough Bath Spa.
We had the delightful pleasure of a stay at The Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel, 24 hours of blissful floating in roman waters and city hotel heaven. AYU has been a busy hive of activity over the last 6 months and events have been coming back thick and fast, with Miami Hedge Fund Week just completed on board AYU Yacht HQ and Switzerland Hedge Fund Week just around the corner, some much needed wellness and indulgence is required.
We pull up in front of the grand Bath stone façade, synonymous with the healing waters of this roman spa city, and I’m already feeling a delightful calm, pruniness coming over me. It’s the only hotel in the UK with direct access to naturally heated spring water from Bath's famous ancient underground springs. This place has firmly held its spot in the Conde Nast readers choice awards for the last 5 years for very good reason.
The Gainsborough Bath Spa is YTL's first Hotel in the United Kingdom. Paying homage to its colourful history, the hotel is designed by New York based Champalimaud Design and the first thing that strikes you about this place is the elegance of it all. The artfully crafted marble inlay lobby sets the tone for the buildings exquisite decor.
We’re shown up to our room - a junior suite (it’s worth it, I promise) and are greeted by a ginormous bed of the comfort levels you only dream of - pardon the pun. The suite boasts an elegant living space with glorious city views and the green hills that surround the city of Bath, along with yet another luxurious marbled haven in the bathroom, and a mini bar + coffee machine area - once again their attention to detail is top notch.
Now the Gainsborough has the same great service you’d expect from any 5 star hotel but they just do it so damn well here, seriously. From the attentive concierge with his selection of thoughtful dinner reservations to the personalised bath salts bestowed to us at the aromatherapy bar - starting to catch my drift?
The entrance to the spa is below ground and entering the golden glow of bath stone vaults instantly gives the feeling of being cocooned. We’re welcomed to the aromatherapy bar for personalised gifts and probiotics to kick start our wellness treatments. It’s the perfect balance for someone who is equally looking forward to the cocktail menu as is interested in health and wellness. We’re booked for a “Back to Vitality” treatment but glancing over the treatment menu I’m already mentally mapping out my next 6 visits.
It’s a glorious massage of dreamy, well kneaded and oiled bliss. Bleary eyed and grinning we’re led through to the relaxation area for refreshments of the wellness variety over looking the waters in the opulent 4 story glass atrium that houses the spa’s thermal pools. Floating with a sky view, lovely.
We drift into the bar happily pummeled, exfoliated and buffed, and settle again overlooking the waters that the central atrium of the hotel have been designed around. Now besides hot water and Austen, Bath is known for its Gin and yet another string to the Gainsborough’s bow, the cocktail menu and its extensive Gin selection is a dream.
This well appointed and chic bar is usually the perfect prelude to the Gainsborough’s Brasserie but sadly we are too early for its eagerly anticipated 2022 summer reopening so we will have to settle for one of Bath’s numerous fine dining offerings, Clayton’s Kitchen - a thoughtful recommendation from the afore mentioned genius concierge. Oh gosh darn, we’ll just have to come back when the Brasserie is serving dinner soon…luckily it’s still doing breakfast of the twinkly 5 star standard we’ve come to expect of this place by now. A wander through the Georgian streets is actually just the ticket though. You forget you’re in such an amazing city when you’re staying at the Gainsborough, it’s one of those hotels that doesn’t make you feel the itch to get out and explore as its so bloody good to be in, but delightfully reminds guests as soon as they emerge that Bath has boat loads more to offer and the Gainsborough is the ideal base for city exploration.
The following morning we return to “take the waters” in the circuit of natural thermal pools, saunas, a steam room and ice alcove. The hotel’s private water reserve bubbles to the surface at 47 degrees centigrade, packed full of rich natural minerals. And the water really is as magic as its made out to be, each bath takes you several degrees further into intense bliss. I don’t know about healing powers but the gin head definitely feels better, now where do I sign up for membership?
AYU members receive 15% off stays at The Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel, become an AYU member to take advantage of our range of AYU member perks.