A full hotel spa day beyond the Thermae Bath Spa will cost you roughly £135 to £240 depending on the hotel and package, and that price usually buys a treatment, food, and several hours of pool and thermal-suite access rather than just a swim. The Gainsborough Bath Spa, the Bath Priory and the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel are the three worth comparing, and each does something different enough that picking the right one matters more than picking the cheapest one.
Thermae Bath Spa and the Cross Bath are both pay-as-you-go: turn up, pay for a session, use the pools. A hotel spa day is a different product. You book a slot in advance, you usually get a treatment included, and several throw in lunch or afternoon tea as part of the price. That makes them a genuinely different choice for a special occasion rather than a rainy-afternoon dip.
How the three compare
| Hotel | Package | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gainsborough Bath Spa | Spa Day (Renew / Revitalise / Back to Vitality) | £195 Mon-Thu, £215 Fri-Sun, per person | 50-minute ELEMIS treatment, 4-hour Bath House access (three natural thermal pools, steam room, ice alcove, saunas), aromatherapy blend, welcome drink, afternoon tea |
| The Bath Priory | Summer Spa Day | £165 Mon-Thu, £175 Fri & Sun, per person | 60-minute treatment, two-course lunch, seasonal spritz, full use of indoor/outdoor pools and thermal areas |
| The Bath Priory | Ultimate Indulgence Spa Retreat | £240, Mon-Fri | Two treatments (roughly two hours), two-course lunch with Champagne, full spa access |
| The Bath Priory | Saturday Morning Escape | £135, Saturdays 9.30am-1.30pm only | 30-minute treatment, two-course lunch, full spa access |
| Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel | Spa Day for Two | £142 total for two people | 25-minute treatment each, leisure facilities, robe/towel/slipper hire, £5 product voucher (£20 supplement Fri-Sun) |
Prices were checked in September 2026 direct from each hotel's own booking pages and confirm what's included on the day; hotel spa pricing moves with the season and demand, so check the current rate before you book.
The Gainsborough Bath Spa: the only one with real thermal water
This is the one genuine point of difference in Bath. The Gainsborough is the only hotel in the city licensed to draw on the original hot spring, so its Bath House pools are filled with the same naturally warm, mineral-rich water that feeds the Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa, not heated mains water. If that's the specific thing you're paying for, this is the only hotel spa day where you actually get it. Spa days here are for over-18s only, and you'll want to book a few weeks ahead for a weekend slot.
The Bath Priory: the widest choice of formats
The Priory, in four acres of gardens on Weston Road, runs three different spa day formats rather than one fixed package, which makes it the most flexible option here. The Saturday Morning Escape at £135 is the cheapest way into any of these hotel spas, built around a short morning session and lunch rather than a full afternoon. The Summer Spa Day is the middle option, and the Ultimate Indulgence Spa Retreat at £240 is the one to pick if you want two treatments and Champagne rather than one treatment and a spritz. All three include the same indoor and outdoor pools, rock sauna and aroma steam room.
Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel: the value option for two
Set in seven acres just outside the centre near Sydney Gardens, the Macdonald's Spa Day for Two is the cheapest way to do a hotel spa day as a couple, at £142 for both people including a treatment each. It's a shorter treatment (25 minutes) than the Gainsborough or Priory offer, and the leisure facilities are a 15-metre pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and ice room rather than natural thermal water, so treat it as the accessible option rather than the luxury one. Book ahead for weekends, since a £20 per-person supplement applies Friday to Sunday.
How this compares to Thermae Bath Spa and the Cross Bath
If you just want to be in warm water for a couple of hours without a treatment or lunch attached, Thermae Bath Spa is still the cheaper, simpler option at around £42.50 for a two-hour rooftop pool session, open to anyone 16 and over, no advance package required beyond booking a slot. The Cross Bath is smaller and quieter again, and doesn't offer treatments or food at all. The hotel spa days above are worth the extra cost specifically when you want a treatment, a meal, and a few unhurried hours built around it, rather than just a swim.
FAQs
Do I need to be a hotel guest to book a spa day? No. All three hotels sell spa days to non-residents, but you need to book a slot in advance rather than turning up, and weekend dates fill first.
What's the actual difference between a hotel spa day and Thermae Bath Spa? Thermae is pay-as-you-go access to a public rooftop thermal pool with no treatment included. A hotel spa day is a pre-booked package that bundles a treatment, food or afternoon tea, and several hours of pool and thermal-suite access into one price.
Is the Gainsborough's spa water really from Bath's hot springs? Yes. It's the only hotel in Bath with a license to draw on the original thermal spring, which is why its Bath House pools are filled with naturally warm mineral water rather than heated tap water.
Are these spa days suitable for under-18s? The Gainsborough's spa days are 18 and over only. Check current age policy directly with the Bath Priory and Macdonald before booking if you're planning to bring a teenager.
Which is the cheapest hotel spa option in Bath? The Bath Priory's Saturday Morning Escape at £135 is the cheapest full spa day found here; the Macdonald's Spa Day for Two works out to £71 per person, which is the cheapest per-person price if you're going as a couple.
Do these packages include lunch? The Bath Priory's packages all include a two-course lunch. The Gainsborough includes afternoon tea with prosecco instead of a sit-down lunch. The Macdonald's Spa Day for Two does not include food beyond the treatment and facilities.