Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Picture bliss – a day at the spa: Lovely Stobo Castle offers luxurious relaxation

Post Thumbnail

As we followed the meandering country roads that would lead us to Stobo Castle in Peeblesshire, the transition from stressful city life to uninterrupted relaxation was already taking place.

Just an hour from Edinburgh, the hotel is still far enough from Scotland’s big cities to give a sense of escape and total immersion.

Pulling up outside the 200-year-old castle, you can’t fail to be impressed by its grandeur and the impressive conversion of its courtyard area to become a contemporary spa which includes gym, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, 25-metre infinity pool and hydrotherapy pool.

My husband and I were booked in for the Stobo Spa Day, which included unlimited use of the spa, two 25-minute pampering treatments and a three-course lunch.

On arrival, we were issued with white towelling robes and slippers.

Within the spa, you are welcome to wear your robe throughout the day, and you can seamlessly move from treatment rooms to dining and thermal experiences without having to think about what to wear.

Once changed, we headed for the three outdoor hot tubs, each offering charming views over the surrounding countryside – the perfect start to our spa day.

Next we went for a swim in the indoor infinity pool which is ozone-treated, a system designed to create clear water without the harsh chemicals. The combination of the ozone-treated water paired with a really pleasant temperature made for the ideal swim.

After that we dried off, popped on our robes and slippers and headed to the central atrium, where there is a cluster of comfortable sofas on which you can enjoy a drink while you wait for your next appointment, or just enjoy some downtime.

I had opted for a back, neck and shoulders massage together with a ZenSpa foot treatment and was called exactly on time by my therapist, Emma.

It was great to switch off and enjoy the feel of my stiff muscles being worked on.

I was taken into the nail salon for my second treatment, where I had my feet filed and massaged with a microdermabrasion scrub before being soaked, then couched in warming slippers which left me in the most relaxed state possible.

Silkening lotion was massaged into my feet which felt suitably smooth by the time I put them back into my spa slippers and headed to the atrium to meet my husband for lunch.

Surrounded by others in their white robes, we didn’t feel at all out of place seated in the more formal dining room where we ordered a deliciously warming sweet potato soup to start, then the cold salad buffet which was both tasty and nourishing.

In the afternoon we were free to enjoy the pool and thermal experiences, first spending time in the sauna, where the dry heat felt exquisite after a winter of battling the elements.

The mosaic-tiled steam room had a luxurious feel, and I found myself revisiting it several times over the afternoon.

We also made the most of the sizeable hydrotherapy pool with swan fountains jetting water on either side for an instant neck and shoulder massage, and loungers that you can lie on for a full-body air massage.

We spent our time in the shared facilities, but there are female-only spa areas in the Ladies Health Suite which includes an aromatic steam room and experience showers.

We nodded off on the pool loungers overlooking the grounds where rabbits gently hopped by in front of us and the world of work and hectic schedules felt a million miles away.

Then, to round off a perfect day, we got dressed and took a wander through the Japanese Water Gardens within the beautiful grounds.

We stopped in the afternoon sunshine to admire the waterfall and the deep greens of the shrubs and trees around us.

Once back in the warmth of the spa atrium, we finished a blissful day with a latte from the little coffee shop which sits within the central hub area, and sells a nice selection of healthy and slightly more indulgent snacks too.

We arrived home an hour later, rested, refreshed and certain of a good night’s sleep.

Facts

Spa Day packages at Stobo start from £115pp for a Relaxing Spa Day, including water massage, express facial and lunch. The Stobo Spa Day is priced from £140pp.
For more, visit stobocastle.co.uk or call 01721 725 300.