Christmas spa treatments with seasonal sparkle

Creating calm cocoons within the chaos of Christmas, spas are masters at making space for gentle, soul-soothing self-care, whether it's for you, given as a gift, or made to be shared.

Scents of cinnamon, sweet orange, and vanilla are the aromatherapy heroes of choice at this time of year, bringing with them nurturing restoration, while hot stone massages, saunas, steam rooms and spa pools relieve stress, boost circulation, and support the immune system.

It is also a time to have fun with spa treatments, putting a spa twist on celebratory traditions, with therapies that prove indulgence and wellness can go hand in hand.

A festive rasul at Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel and Spa

Putting a festive twist on an ancient classic, Bryn Meadows imbues their mud rasul with limited edition seasonal scents for a head-to-toe festive treat.

A self-administered therapy in a dedicated steam chamber, you start with a salt scrub - applying it all over the body in circular motions and paying particular attention to dry areas. You then add a dedicated mud over the top of the salt and activate the steam so it effectively becomes a steam room. It's on a timer and stays on for 20 minutes, and then a rain shower starts to rinse off the products. By the time you leave your skin is left soft, exfoliated and moisturised.

What makes this mud rasul different is the aromatherapy addition. The vanilla mud contains a lot of minerals that replace the ones we lose, and where this treatment is a little different is with the use of limited edition oils that have a festive smell and are particularly warming for the muscles - orange, cinnamon and clove.

The Prosecco Spa at Norfolk Mead Hotel

Known for their unique therapies, from the UK’s first-ever Beer Spa to their Pig in Mud Spa Experience, Norfolk Mead Hotel explains everything we need to know about their unique treatment.

Their Prosecco Spa experience sees you bathe in bubbles in a self-led therapy for two. There are two wooden hot tubs available, each lined with mosaic on the inside, but with this authentic barrel appearance on the outside.

They fill the tubs with fresh warm water and then add our special ingredients, including Champagne Leaf Extract, caviar extract, grape leaf and pearl extracts, as well as jojoba, apricot kernel and sweet almond oils, all of which help to make the skin glow.

You also get half a bottle of Prosecco (per person) to add to the luxury experience. It's a 45-minute experience, and really makes you feel rejuvenated.

The Sunlight Therapy Room at Rudding Park Spa

While not technically a festive experience, lots of us struggle with variations of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and The Sunlight Therapy Room at Rudding Park Spa is a restful way to boost your mood.

The spa is contemporary space alongside the grandeur of the historic hotel, it's set over three floors, guests can revel in the variety of experiences. One such offering is the Sunlight Therapy Room, which allows guests to benefit from sunlight simulators that recreate the same spectrum of light as the sun. However, it also removes the harmful UVA and UVB rays of natural sunlight.

Large enough to take small groups, it is set to a 20 minute cycle. For 10 minutes the sun rises to its peak. Then it spends 10 minutes going to sunset. To add to the sensory experience, there's an underfloor heating system as well as heated beds, so the temperature rises and falls with the light cycle.

The Comforter? At LUSH Spas nationwide

Not designed specifically as a festive treatment, but perfectly paired to the holiday vibes, The Comforter? from LUSH Spas is characteristic of their unique therapies.

An indulgent 60-minute treatment, it features a hot chocolate full-body scrub and rose serum massage, welcoming you into a world of pure imagination. Sink into an hour of nostalgic relaxation, polished off with silky smooth skin and a warm fluffy duvet, against a backdrop of bespoke music by LUSH Fresh Handmade Sound including an orchestra and English bird song.

A Black Soap Hammam with a peppermint sugar scrub at Laceby Manor

Another treatment that's not just for Christmas, but which has a distinctly refreshing feel thanks to its peppermint sugar scrub reminiscent of candy canes, is the Black Soap Hammam at Laceby Manor.

Guaranteed to make you feel fresh and ready for the holiday season, this unique journey is inspired by the traditional Turkish hammam. On a heated, stone slab so you remain warm throughout the experience, they apply black soap to the skin, and it stays on throughout the treatment. Then they do a full-body scrub, before lathering you in the most luxurious bubbles, which helps break down the salts and nourish the skin, leaving it instantly hydrated. They then remove the soap with a mitt at the end to reveal totally rejuvenated skin, and finish the experience with a rosemary and mint shampoo and scalp massage.

Black soap's main ingredient is olive oil, which is super hydrating, nourishing, and healing, while eucalyptus and peppermint are detoxing and great for any aches and pains making it perfect for winter body care.