Buxton Crescent Thermal Spa to open in October following 15-year saga
– Mark Hennebry
The long-awaited Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa in the historic spa town of Buxton in the UK will open its doors on 1 October 2020 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration, after plans were first submitted nearly 15 years ago.
Archer Humphryes Architects and Nicholas Jacob Architects have both worked on the project, which has revived one of the UK's first genuine spa hotels, the 81-key destination will re-establish Buxton’s wellness and hydrotherapy traditions by making use of the town’s natural mineral waters.
Buxton has been a thermal spa destination since Roman times and thanks to The Fifth Duke of Devonshire, who developed the town with grand architecture, the 19th century was a golden age, when ‘taking the waters’ was a fashionable pastime for notable high-society visitors.
The reopening will mark Ensana Hotels' first UK property – Ensana Hotels is a health spa brand owned by one of Europe’s largest health spa operators, Danubius Hotels Group.
Guests at Buxton Crescent will be able to experience the therapeutic qualities of the water for themselves, as hydrotherapy is at the forefront of Ensana Buxton Crescent’s spa offering.
The spa is home to three pools – the Thermal Pool, a refurbished Victorian pool using Buxton’s mineral-rich water, which is heated and left chemically untreated; a relaxation pool with an atmospheric dark ceiling pierced with shafts of light; and an indoor-outdoor rooftop pool.
Signature spa treatments will include the Thermal Mud Pack using mineral-rich mud sourced from Heviz in Hungary and a CO2 Infusion Mineral Bath.
The spa is home to a salt cave, bio-sauna, steamroom, infra-red sauna, ice fountain, Finnish sauna and gym, as well as eight treatment rooms, including a couples’ suite – some of which are completed with original stained-glass windows.
The projects’ completion follows significant support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council and other stakeholders.
Launched in 2019, Ensana manages 25 other hotels across the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the UK,has a wide collection of spa hotels located in some of Europe’s most historic spa towns.
The brand has developed an innovative integrative health concept, which combines healing natural resources with medical expertise and modern diagnostic methods, to help guests achieve their personal health goals.
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