The Cross Bath is a small, open-air thermal pool in its own historic building across the road from Thermae Bath Spa's main New Royal Bath, and it operates differently from the site most visitors know. Rather than general walk-in sessions, it's currently offered for exclusive hire, up to 10 guests at a time, at £800 Monday to Friday or £1,000 on Saturday and Sunday, including a 90-minute session, robes and towels, and Champagne or juice with savoury food.
What makes it different from the main spa
Most visitors to Bath's thermal waters head straight for the New Royal Bath, the modern building with the rooftop pool overlooking the city, covered in our Thermae Bath Spa guide. The Cross Bath is a separate, older building entirely, a single oval open-air pool set over the Cross Spring, one of Bath's three natural hot springs and a site with genuine ancient history: it's recognised as an official sacred site, associated with the Celtic goddess Sulis before the Romans arrived and built their baths around the same waters.
Where the New Royal Bath is large, modern and can hold a lot of bathers at once, the Cross Bath is intimate by design, a single pool in a quiet oval courtyard rather than a multi-level spa complex.
How booking works
As things currently stand, the Cross Bath is set up for exclusive hire rather than individual walk-in tickets, bookable Monday to Sunday at set times, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. A booking covers up to 10 guests for a 90-minute session, including towel and robe hire, and a small food and drink offering, Champagne or juice with savoury treats. Pricing is £800 for a Monday-to-Friday session and £1,000 for a Saturday or Sunday session, working out considerably cheaper per head if you fill the group than if you book it for two or three people. Children under 12 aren't permitted in the Cross Bath, and 12 to 15-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult on a strict one-to-one basis. You'll need to call Thermae Bath Spa directly on 01225 331234 to check availability and book, since this isn't a straightforward online add-a-ticket purchase in the way a New Royal Bath session is.
Cross Bath vs the New Royal Bath
| Cross Bath (exclusive hire) | New Royal Bath | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Private group, up to 10 people | Shared, general admission |
| Setting | Single open-air oval pool | Rooftop pool plus multiple indoor pools and steam rooms |
| Price | £800 weekday, £1,000 weekend, for the whole group | Priced per person, see our Thermae guide |
| Booking | Phone the spa directly | Book online |
| Best for | A private celebration or special occasion | A standard spa visit |
Is it worth it
For a couple, the per-person cost of exclusive hire is steep next to a standard New Royal Bath session. Fill the group closer to its 10-person capacity, though, for a birthday, hen do or other celebration, and the maths changes considerably, working out roughly comparable to a group spa package elsewhere once you account for the private setting, robes, towels and the drinks and food included. The historic building and the sense of having the water entirely to yourselves is the real draw here, not the price efficiency.
The honest take
The Cross Bath isn't a spontaneous add-on to a Roman Baths visit the way the New Royal Bath can be. It needs planning, a group, and a phone call rather than an online click. If you want to experience Bath's thermal waters without that commitment, the Roman Baths vs Thermae Bath Spa guide covers the more straightforward options, and our romantic weekend in Bath guide has more on building an occasion around it if a smaller group is what you're after.