Forest Spa at Middleton Lodge Estate

The one thing

Six treatment huts stand apart from each other through a working walled garden and an orchard on this two hundred acre Georgian estate, two of them dedicated bathing huts with a tin bath and a wood burning stove each, and every drop of water used across the spa, from the huts to the pool, is drawn from the estate's own spring.

The verdict

Middleton Lodge sits on two hundred acres outside Richmond, a working Georgian estate with a Michelin starred restaurant, The Forge, and a spa built into the woodland and gardens rather than bolted onto a hotel wing. The Forest Spa takes its name seriously. Guests reach their treatment through trees and past apple, pear and plum trees they are invited to pick from, and the huts themselves sit far enough apart that the estate can genuinely call the spa peaceful rather than merely quiet.

The six huts split into two dedicated bathing huts, each with its own tin bath and wood burning stove, and four treatment huts used for massage, facial and body ritual work. A Finnish sauna looks out over the estate's own fields and woodland, and a tadelakt steam room sits alongside a stone plunge pool fed by spring water, the same spring that fills the fourteen by seven metre heated outdoor pool kept between twenty eight and thirty degrees. Two covered hot tubs and a pool lounge built around a real log fire round out a thermal offer that favours depth of finish over the size of the circuit, so this reads as a spa built for slowness rather than one built to be toured.

What sets the access apart is that there is no facility only ticket here at all. Every visit, whether a half day, a full day or an evening, is built around a treatment and a meal, so the spa is never sold as a straightforward day pass the way many hotel spas are. That is a deliberate choice by the estate rather than an oversight, and it keeps numbers genuinely low, with bookings capped at six guests so a party never has to share the huts, the pool or the fire with a stranger.

The water

The fourteen by seven metre heated outdoor pool anchors the spa, kept between twenty eight and thirty degrees and set inside a stone courtyard ringed by fruit trees rather than tiled to the edges of a hotel terrace. Two covered hot tubs, each large enough for a small group, sit close by, and a pool lounge with sofas and a genuine wood burning stove gives somewhere to sit before or after a swim rather than a plastic lounger row.

Indoors, a tadelakt steam room and a stone plunge pool work alongside a Finnish sauna with views over the estate's fields and woodland, and every one of these draws on water from Middleton Lodge's own spring rather than a mains supply, a detail the estate treats as central to the whole concept rather than a footnote. Two relaxation rooms complete the circuit, one smaller and set to face the pool, the other larger and used after hut treatments, both finished in timber with skylights and cushioned loungers. This is not an extensive thermal village built for a long solo wander, and it does not try to be. It is a compact, considered set of spaces built for a slower kind of visit, one treatment or bathing hut at a time.

Treatments

Two treatment houses run the menu, VOYA, the organic Irish seaweed brand, and Aromatherapy Associates, and both lean into the estate's forest theme rather than a generic international spa card. The Forest Therapy Treatment, an hour built around Aromatherapy Associates oils, sits alongside a longer Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience, while VOYA's Secret Garden Escape and Wild Garden Ritual both run two hours and combine a scrub, a full body massage and a bespoke facial into one longer session.

The two bathing huts are a genuine point of difference, a private tin bath and a wood burning stove each, used for standalone bathing rituals rather than folded into a longer massage, and the estate trains its therapists to work with guests through pregnancy, with a specific programme for mothers to be from twelve weeks through to thirty eight, and again afterwards for new mothers. Oncology trained therapists are also part of the team, with guests asked to complete a short medical questionnaire so the right therapist and treatment can be matched before anyone arrives.

Getting in

There is no day pass here in the usual sense. Every visit is built as a package, a Half Day Spa, a Day Spa with a two course lunch, a longer Day Retreat, or an Evening Spa that pairs a treatment with dinner at the estate's own Coach House or, on selected evenings, at the Michelin starred Forge itself. A bath hut experience or an individual massage or facial can also be booked without the wider package, but facility access on its own, the pool and thermal spa without a treatment attached, is not something Middleton Lodge sells.

Booking runs online through the estate's own booking platform, or by phone or email, and full payment is taken at the time of booking. The spa welcomes both day visitors and guests staying across the estate's rooms, from the Coach House and Dairy through to the exclusive use Main House, and every booking is capped at six guests, so larger celebrations are directed toward hiring the spa, or the wider estate, exclusively rather than joining a shared session.

What to know before you fall in love

There is no way to book the pool and thermal spa on their own here. Every visit comes bundled with a treatment and a meal, which suits a guest planning a proper spa day but will disappoint anyone hoping to drop in for a swim and a sauna alone. The spa runs a strict sixteen and over policy throughout, with sixteen and seventeen year olds needing an accompanying adult for any treatment, so this is not a spa for a family day out. It also sits well outside Darlington on a rural estate with no public transport link published anywhere, so guests without a car should plan the journey carefully. And because bookings are capped at six, a larger group wanting to spend the day together will need to arrange exclusive hire of the spa rather than simply booking in as a party.

Best for

For a couple or a small group wanting an unhurried treatment and bathing ritual built around a real fire and spring water rather than a fast paced circuit, for anyone drawn to a forest set spa over a hotel spa, and for a stay that pairs a treatment with dinner at a Michelin starred table on the same estate.