It takes more than a good therapist to woo consumers over the spa threshold. Nowadays, when it comes to indulging in some downtime, we want brands we know and love.

It is this loyalty to our favourite labels – from high street to designer – that sees more household names moving from handbags to head massages and from the retail shelves to relaxing rituals. Following in the footsteps of hotels, spas are launching with big names behind them, yielding a feelgood experience that’s on familiar ground.

Here at britainsfinest.co.uk, branded spas are proving more popular than ever. Check out our shortlist below and follow the link at the end for the long list.

britainsfinest.co.uk’s spa expert Julie Vuong says, “Here at Britain’s Finest we have seen an increase in branded spas across the 300 luxury destinations we list. From the success of spa stalwarts including Champneys and The Sanctuary, who are all bestsellers in the treatment rooms and retail shelves, to an influx of recent openings such as Bamford Haybarn at The Berkeley and Guerlain Spa at The Caledonian.”

1. Cowshed at Babington House
http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/spas/spas.cfm/searchazref/820011001330

People have flocked to Somerset’s Cowshed since the brand’s original site opened in1998 at Babington House, drawing hopeful hedonists in search of the ultimate pampering playground. There’s a tennis court, cinema and a football pitch alongside a heap of glamorous treats including the cheekily named Slender Cow Total Body Treatment for a trimmer silhouette. It was only a matter of time before it hit our beauty shelves, opening mainstream audiences to its animated products and formulations (the Bullocks Soothing Facial Scrub is a hit) that stay true to its British roots of homegrown botanical ingredients.

2. Bamford Hay Barn at The Berkeley

http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/spas/spas.cfm/searchazref/820011001275

Having amassed a huge following from its first spa in the Cotswolds, Bamford Hay Barn recently took its hushed holistic philosophy to the heady heights of London’s Berkeley Hotel. It has turned this Knightsbridge rooftop spa – a magnet for the metropolitan A-list crowd – into a picture of sophisticated country cool. A muted colour palette adds depth to this white light-filled contemporary interior, dotted with piles of rustic haystacks in the treatment rooms, pretty stone heart shapes on the welcoming reception floors and rows of ambient candles in every tranquil shelf and corner.

3. Missoni Spa at Hotel Missoni

http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/spas/spas.cfm/searchazref/spa-missoni

Adorned with the brand’s iconic multi-coloured zig zags and stripes, Missoni Spa in Edinburgh Old Town is a mecca for lovers of the Italian designer label, marrying the Scottish capital’s historic stone walls with cosmopolitan cool. An extension of its five-star couture clothes, accessories and home wares, this rainbow-coloured retreat features two treatment rooms offering premium skincare lines such as Natura Bisse and Eve Lom. Lie back on your treatment bed and bliss out surrounded by the hero colours of the brand, from teal walls and yellow floors to purple doors.

4. Guerlain Spa at The Caledonian
http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/spas/spas.cfm/searchazref/guerlain-spa

After an extensive restoration, The Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh re-opened as the new home of French beauty brand Guerlain, whose sparkling new spa is an embodiment of its prestigious, no-nonsense skincare philosophy. From the waiting room lined with opulent perfume bottles to six chic and stylish treatment rooms that look runway ready, this is as couture as it gets. Among the standout spa jewels in their crown is the Orchidée Impériale Prestige Treatment, which uses deep luscious strokes and soft and deluxe ingredients to leave your face and upper body velvety smooth.

5. The Spa at Gleneagles by ESPA

http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/spas/spas.cfm/searchazref/820011001322

Among the world’s leading spa brands is British behemoth ESPA, the brainchild of Susan Harmsworth whose sophisticated and sensuous product skincare line moved seamlessly into fully-fledged branded spas – most notably this flagship location at Gleneagles. Not merely a refuge for weary world-class golfers looking for a foot rub, this destination spa comes with all the luxury trimmings: take a dip in the sleek vitality pool with swan necked fountains, relax in the crystal steam room or sauna cabin and chill out pre- and post-treatment in the reclining loungers in the lovely courtyard. What’s more, the menu is filled with a huge host ESPA’s most popular face and body treats, whether it’s a top-to-toe massage, holistic ayurvedic ritual or an age-defying facial.

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Notes to Editors:

britainsfinest.co.uk is a luxury British travel website, we list hotels, small hotels, bed and breakfasts, self-catering accommodation, spas, golf courses, restaurants, gardens, attractions and activities, museums and art galleries and historic houses, with the aim to assist users in their plans for the perfect break in Britain.

Please contact Ellie at britainsfinest.co.uk for more information and images, ellie.neville@tomorrows.co.uk, 01488684321