spa

Disneyland Resort has laid off about 100 people in Anaheim, as Walt Disney Co. becomes the latest media and entertainment company to cut jobs.

The layoffs occurred Tuesday and came from multiple teams, Disney confirmed.

“With our business in a period of steady, sustained operation, we are recalibrating our organization to ensure we continue to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests, while positioning Disneyland Resort for the future,” a Disneyland spokesperson said in a statement. “As part of this, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a limited number of salaried positions.”

A person close to the company who was not authorized to comment attributed the cuts to an increase in hiring after the parks reopened once the COVID-19 pandemic waned.

Disney’s theme parks are a major economic engine for the Burbank media and entertainment giant.

Last year, the company’s experiences division — which includes its theme parks, cruise line and Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii — brought in nearly 60% of Disney’s operating income.

Earlier this month, the company announced price hikes on most of its single-day, one-park tickets.

The Disneyland Resort layoffs come as entertainment and tech companies have recently shed thousands of jobs.

On Wednesday, Paramount laid off 1,000 employees in a first round of cuts after the company’s takeover by tech scion David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Amazon, Meta, Charter Corp. and NBC News also have announced cuts.

CLOSE to Snowdonia National Park and the enchanting Isle of Anglesey, The Quay Hotel in Conwy is immersed in natural beauty.

Read on to find out more about the hotel.

Where is The Quay Hotel and Spa?

The Quay Hotel and Spa is on Deganwy Quay in Conwy, Wales.

Conwy is a walled market town with a rich history, and is a popular Welsh summer holiday destination.

The hotel has stunning views of UNESCO World Heritage Conwy Castle, and a terrace bar where you can soak up the serene waterside setting and sunset.

There’s also a luxury check spa, ideal for a laid-back check break away from the it out hustle and bustle of the daily grind.

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What is there to do there?

Head out to explore Conwy Morfa Beach and the local seaside, where you can treat yourself to fresh cockles and fish and chips.

The hotel is also close to Llandudno, Wales’ largest seaside resort. This town is home to a bustling high street, famous promenade and pretty pastel houses.

Guests looking to unwind can also visit the Quay Hotel Spa.

Here you can enjoy a thermal area, a spacious swimming pool, a vitality pool, heated loungers and foot baths.

If you’ve got cash to splash, the treatments here are fantastic, designed with skincare brand Oskia.

What is there to eat and drink at the hotel?

The hotel restaurant and bar offers stunning views of the surrounding scenery, and a relaxed dining atmosphere.

Dishes include a 24-hour slow-cooked beef that melts in the mouth, as well as salted caramel cheesecake.

The hotel restaurant is also well-known for its delicious seafood, including mussels and mackerel.

Swing by the Cove Bar afterwards and cosy down on one of the comfy sofas – the house red is excellent.

What are the rooms like?

Each of the rooms are bright, airy and beautifully decorated in calming, coastal hues.

Pick from Cosy Cove rooms, the smallest of the bunch, or Superior and Executive rooms, which have a bit more space.

Is the hotel family friendly?

The Quay Hotel and Spa offers some suites that have room for two adults and two children.

The hotel also offers dog-friendly stays in their ground floor Superior Rooms.

Just make sure to mention you’ll be bringing them when booking.

Is there access for guests with disabilities?

The Quay Hotel and Spa is fully wheelchair accessible.

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Guests should contact the hotel for any special requirements. 

One night’s B&B costs from £129. See quayhotel.co.uk.

Going to a beer spa sounds like a dream come true for many people, now one man recently tried out the experience for himself and was left speechless by the one small detail

Spa day with some beer, sure why not? It’s not unheard of that most places in Europe might offer some seriously cheap booze with £1.60 beers. But if you’re looking for pints with a bit of relaxation, you might want to visit this beer spa.

One man recently flocked to Czech Republic’s capital city Prague and booked himself a unforgettable experience at the Bernard Beer Spa. Beer baths have been one of the most popular types of baths since the Middle Ages with a very old and unique spa therapy that uses natural ingredients in the form of hops, yeast and other natural substances.

And at the Bernard Beer Spa, not only are you benefiting from the incredible effects, you also get unlimited booze that happens to promise “energy and health to your whole body”.

In a recent Instagram post, Blaine, who boasts 86,700 followers, had to try it out for himself and was very impressed by it all.

He wrote: “Soaking in a bubble bath full of beer with unlimited beer on tap is honestly the self-care that I think we all deserve.”

Recommending the Bernard Beer Spa, Blaine recalled how his skin felt “silky smooth” after dunking his body into the booze.

“I had this whole room to myself for an hour,” he added. “You have unlimited beer for the whole hour and you can have as many pints as you can physically drink. You just pour it yourself from the tap besides the beer bath.”

He went on: “They had a sauna and a bed for you to take a nap in and they give you the classic Czech pickled cheese with bread, this stuff actually changed my life bro. I literally came back the next day when they opened just to buy another jar.”

Detailing his first hour at the spa, Blaine said the resort takes you in for a massage then at the end, give you a little goody bag with some of their products.

He concluded: “This was a really cool experience, all the staff are really nice, they treat you well, perfect way to unwind and refresh during a trip.”

Since Blaine shared his experience on Instagram, many people rushed to the comments section as one said: “How is this not in Britain?”

Another added: “This is amazing! Where are the champagne spas!”

So what can you expect at the spa?

First of all, the workers take care of your body from the outside and inside in a “unique way”.

You also get unlimited beer for the duration of the event, guests can just tap their own beer as they wish.

There are also massages available, as well as refreshments and rental services, should you wish to try this out with a group of pals.

For the Beer Spa Bernard package, 60 minutes for 1-2 people costs €125 (around £108). Meanwhile, 90 minutes for the same amount of guests will set you back €189 (£164).

In addition to the Bernard Beer Spa, there is also a range of massages, with 60 minutes for one person costing €75 (£65), or €139 (£120) for two guests.

You can find out more about Bernard Beer Spa by visiting the official website.

If you came to stay on the tiny island of Styrsö (steer-shuh) in the Gothenburg archipelago in the late 19th or early 20th century, there was a good chance it was because you had tuberculosis. The island had already begun to appeal to city folk who came here for fresh air, sea baths and peace, but the sanatoriums set up by the renowned Dr Peter Silfverskiöld gained such a positive reputation that the isle became known as a health resort. Those glory days have long since faded but Kusthotellet, a new hotel dedicated to wellbeing, aims to tap back into the restorative vibe.

The conditions that first drew health-seekers to the island still pertain. It’s tucked away and protected from winds, but the lack of high ground nearby means the sun shines on its southern coast from dawn to dusk, and there’s no pollution. “This island is such a peaceful place – you can really relax and recharge your batteries,” Malin Lilton, manager of Kusthotellet, told my companion and me. “As soon as you get on the ferry your pulse rate goes down and you start breathing in the good air.”

In the spirit of slowing down, we had come by train from the UK with Interrail passes, stopping for the night in Hamburg. Arriving in the late afternoon in Gothenburg, we wandered the old town before heading to Styrsö via tram to Saltholmen harbour and speedy catamaran ferry. City centre to island hotel in just under an hour.

Right on the coast with views across to neighbouring Donsö island, the 40-room, 10-suite hotel is a sleek creation, decorated in the cool, calming colours beloved by Scandinavians, with a light-filled restaurant, wellness area and outdoor heated pool. Our room, one of the 20 with sea views – is a spacious, uncluttered affair with a balcony.

The hotel is designed with sustainability in mind – there are ground-source heat pumps and water-based underfloor heating – and it’s aiming for Green Key sustainability status. And everything has been kept as local as possible, from the staffing and food ingredients to the seaweed and salt used in the spa.

That spa – named Havskuren (“The Sea Cure”) – is split into two areas. The Salt Source offers foot baths, facial treatments and an area for relaxing. The Heat Source contains a sauna, steam bath and plunge pool. There’s also a small gym. “We’re planning to offer massages soon as well,” Malin said.

Malin also explained that cycling, walking, sea swimming and eating are also important elements in guests’ wellbeing, and presented us with two shiny new hire bikes. The 0.6 square mile (1.5 sq km) island is virtually car-free and as we explored over three days, the only vehicles we met on the smooth narrow roads were bicycles, golf carts and three-wheeled mopeds that resembled motorised wheelbarrows.

One morning, having stocked up at the island Co-op, we pedalled off for a picnic lunch on Lilla Lyngnskär, a tiny islet accessible from Styrsö by footbridge. We still somehow had room for fika – coffees with a cinnamon bun and a mighty chokladbollar (Swedish chocolate ball) – at Café Öbergska, formerly an inn owned by pickled herring barons.

Our walks on the island’s wooded southern side included a memorable crepuscular hike on a footpath to a bronze age cairn at Stora Rös, the island’s highest point with a 360-degree vista across the southern Gothenburg archipelago. We shared the path down in the dark with scores of frogs, some no larger than our fingernails. Doubtless many would find their way into the stomachs of the herons we had seen hunting during the day.

Back at the hotel, we dined in the high-ceilinged restaurant with views over the water. The menu features Nordic-influenced seafood dishes such as scallops, cured halibut, plaice and hake, as well as wholesome vegan options using locally farmed vegetables. We tucked into beetroot, chanterelle and oyster mushroom starters followed by charred cabbage and toasted hazelnuts over a mouthwateringly creamy potato base – all delicious.

One evening, after dinner we tried out the spa. Malin handed us a nose-pleasing set of creams and lotions she had made herself, and we luxuriated in the foot-baths, sauna and steam room, suffered in a freezing plunge pool, and relaxed again in the heated outdoor pool with a view across the ocean to the sparkling lights of Donsö.

A bridge has joined Styrsö with this neighbour for just over 50 years, so the next day we cycled over it for an al fresco lunch at the harbourside Popsicle cafe, owned by Donsö-born sisters Kristin and Klara. Their mixture of ingredients grown by friends, tasty bread and cakes made by Klara’s mother-in-law and weekly live music has proved a hit. We returned to the harbour for a delicious dinner featuring jerusalem artichokes, butternut squash and a cauliflower sauce at Isbolaget, a high-ceilinged building that was once an ice store for fishing boats.

Our final slow day was dedicated to a seaweed safari (£118pp) with potter-turned-naturalist Karolina Martinson. We began with a historical cycle tour of the northern part of the island, home to most of Styrsö’s 1,600-strong population. Karolina led us leisurely up and down miniature hills sprinkled with well-kept detached wooden houses, no two alike.

Arriving at Karolina’s chosen beach, we slipped into wetsuits and clambered over rocks into the pleasingly clear and even warm-ish seawater. So followed our introduction to finger kelp, sugar kelp, fork weed, dulse, mermaid’s necklace and good old bladderwrack – all of them good for us or the planet or both. We snorkelled around, watching as Karolina showed us how she picks the plants sustainably.

Our exploration done, we helped to prepare a homemade feast on the beach – traditional bread thins cooked on a stove, tofu wrapped in crispy mermaid’s necklace, light-as-air biscuits made with foraged meadowsweet, sweet bites of sugar kelp and much more besides. When we said our goodbyes, many hours later, we felt like old friends.

All too soon we found ourselves at the dockside waiting for the ferry back to the reality of the outside world. After a few minutes, a woman joined us – bare-footed and apparently clad in nothing but a Kusthotellet spa robe. For all our newfound relaxed state, we clearly still had a lot to learn from the Swedes about how to be laidback.

The trip was supported by the West Sweden tourist board and Kusthotellet Styrsö (double rooms from about £130). Rail tickets were supplied by Interrail; a Global Pass (four days of travel in a month) costs £187 (ages 12-27), £249 (ages 28-59), £224 (60+).

WITH the kids back in school and life just that bit calmer, could it be time for an indulgent parent pamper? On a budget, of course.

While a day spent lounging by the pool sipping a glass of prosecco might sound pricey, there’s some brilliant deals out there if you know where to look – with prices starting at just £9.50 and perks including two-course meals and extra treatments.

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This is the season for spa deals with some gorgeous retreats offering packages with big discounts for a post-summer chill. 

If you have a particular spa in mind, it’s always worth signing up to the newsletters of the spa you’d like to visit; you’ll get alerts about last minute deals, special offers, discounts and cheap off-peak slots. 

Offer websites such as Groupon often have cheap spa day deals, but check out the reviews first, as it can be a mixed bag.

While the kids are at school, you can also book in for a light afternoon slot or an evening chill – which gives you access to the facilities for a fraction of the price.

This means that from less than £10 per person a day, you can book yourself a bargain and unwind in some stunning spa resorts across the UK. 

Choose from a grand stately home with an outdoor pool, a cool Hackney hideaway or a truly tranquil spot in the Kent countryside, loved by celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Fern McCann.

This is our pick of the best UK spa days that you can book now for under £85 per person (prices correct at time of publishing):

Eden Spa at Down Hall in Essex for £20

This elegant stately home in Essex is set over a 110 acre estate and is a famous wedding venue as well as having two beautiful spas.

The Wet Spa is tucked away in the garden of the house and has a private, fenced area with relaxation beds, positioned under a Grand Fir tree. 

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You don’t need to be an overnight guest to book into the spa, which has a hydrotherapy pool, steam room and sauna.

Celebrities like Fern McCann and Vicky Pattison have also been spotted enjoying the facilities.

Two hours access to the Wet Spa on Monday to Thursday costs £30, or you can take advantage of a one-hour Twilight session at 6.15pm each night for only £20.

Book it: downhall.co.uk

The Netherwood Hotel in The Lake District for £15

Cheap spa deals in the Lake District are not easy to come by, which makes this even more of a bargain.

The boutique spa has a sleek thermal suite with hot and cold therapies and plunge pools, a salt room, ice fountain shower and a steam room with the uplifting scents of lemongrass, citrus, and cinnamon.

You can book into the day spa and use the thermal suite for 60 minutes for only £15 or 90 minutes for £20. Ideal if you’ve been out in the lakes boating, kayaking or hiking.

Book it: netherwood-hotel.co.uk

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Hackney Wick Community Sauna in London for £9.50

This simple spa is a not-for-profit Community Sauna,
is to make sauna and cold plunge affordable and accessible to everyone in London, even those on a lower income.

Set in a charming back garden in East London’s Hackney Wick, this micro spa feels like a hidden oasis.

There are six wood-fired saunas and a choice of trendy ice plunge pools inside old whisky barrels.

It’s fantastic value, with 90 minute sessions starting at only £12 off-peak, or if you’re an early riser, you can go to a one-hour morning drop-in for just £9.50.

Groups can also hire the 22-person sauna for the exclusive use, so why not get all the school mums together for a luxury afternoon and still have money left for a cheeky vino before school pick up?.

Book it: community-sauna.co.uk

Ocean Spa at Butlin’s, Bognor Regis for £25

If you didn’t already know, family-favourite Butlin’s at Bognor Regis has its own spa and – true to the brand – it’s great value too.

The catch here is that you already need access to the resort as an overnight guest or as a day guest (day passes start at £19 for adults and £1 for kids on selected days).

But, this boutique spa is fantastic for parents who have the opportunity to slip away for a few hours and have a much-needed pamper. Time to make the case to bring granny and grandad along with you?

A two-hour Spa Experience here starts at £25 per person and includes a Hydrospa, outdoor hot tub, sauna, relaxation pods, a crystal steam room and an outside sun terrace. You can also book individual treatments, but they are booked separately.

If you are visiting with teens, children aged 13+ -17 year olds are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Ideal for older kids to have some quality time with mum or dad, while siblings go wild in the playground.

Book it: butlins.com

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Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa, Leeds for £39 with a two-course lunch

Deal club Travelzoo often have fantastic spa deals, so if you want to make a lovely spa visit a regular trip, it could be worth signing up to the club (membership is £30 for the year and you will have access to holiday, entertainment and transport deals too). 

Right now, Travelzoo Members can save 38% at six Daniel Thwaites spas across the country.

The Simple Ritual spa package offer includes three hours of spa access and a two-course lunch to recharge. Members pay just £39 per person. It’s £63 for regular guests.

As well as the stunning Leeds location, you can access the deal at five other locations across the country, including Aztec Hotel & Spa, Bristol, Cottons Hotel & Spa, Cheshire, Kettering Park, Northamptonshire, the North Lakes Hotel & Spa, Penrith and Solent Hotel & Spa, Fareham.

Book it: travelzoo.com

Crutherland House Spa in East Kilbride, Scotland with a glass of prosecco, £25

Crutherland House & Spa is a beautiful country house in East Kilbride, surrounded by peaceful gardens. The tranquil setting is a perfect antidote to the busy city of Glasgow, which is close by. 

The spa offers a full day experience, but if time and money are tight, book into the twilight spa experience in the evening for just £25 per person. 

This deal is excellent value and includes a glass of prosecco on arrival, ideal for mums who don’t have masses of spare time but do need a little R&R after the school holidays.

The spa has a huge pool with relaxation loungers, a hot tub, sauna and steam room. Plus, those visiting during Twilight sessions also get 20% of individual treatments (these are priced separately).

Also available at other Macdonald Properties across Scotland and also at Boatley Park in Hampshire. Book it: Crutherland House

Book it: Crutherland House

Bannatyne Health Clubs, £34.50 with a 20-minute treatment

Bannatyne Health Clubs are offering a September Spa Saver that is aimed at frazzled parents who have finally packed the kids back to school. 

Until the end of October, you can book packages that involve a full day use of the club facilities, including the gym and fitness classes, swimming pools, jacuzzi baths, sauna and steam room, plus relaxation rooms in some locations. 

Plus, you get a 20-minute treatment as part of the deal. Choose from a 20-minute Swedish Back, Neck & Shoulder Massage or a Tailored Facial Express. 

The Spa Saver (£34.50) is on until the 30th September and the Refresh Express Spa Day is an on-going offer for £39.50.

Book it: bannatyne.co.uk

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Porchester Spa in London for £30

This one has been an internet hit, and for good reason.

After an £800,000 refurbishment, London’s oldest Spa, The Porchester Spa, has reopened in an iconic Grade 2* listed building, beautifully returned to its 1920s splendour.

Despite being in the centre of London, the spa offers affordable prices and excellent package deals from £30 per person. 

Inside the spa, visitors you can get a look at the traditional baths and original art-deco features. The spa has two steam rooms, Turkish baths (Tepidarium, Caldarium and Laconium), a sauna, a plunge pool and relaxation lounge. 

You can also book in for a range of spa treatments here too, but these are priced separately here

If you are staying all day, there is a Café on site providing hot and cold beverages, sandwiches and snacks.

Top tip: Remember to bring 20p coins to use the lockers.

Book it: everyonespa.com

The Spa at Potters, Five Lakes Hertfordshire, £75 for the whole day with a 50-minute treatment and afternoon tea.

If you have a whole day to devote to some ‘me time’, the Blossom Spa Day deal with luxury holiday park, Potters, is worthy of a mention. 

You can book a whole day here, using facilities such as an expansive pool and hot tub, outdoor sun terrace, relaxation rooms, sauna and steam chambers. 

Even better, this deal includes a 50-minute luxury facial and afternoon tea, which is excellent value for money. 

Set in a serene location, surrounded by rolling hills, this is the ideal way to spend the afternoon with friends or as a peaceful solo adventure. 

Book it: thespafivelakes.com

Champneys Springs in Leicestershire for £59 with a 20-minute treatment and a glass of bubbly

Luxury spa chain Champneys are also running a choice of spa-tember deals.

The beautiful resorts, which are located in country houses and stately homes around the UK, are loved by celebrities, including Kylie Minogue, Naomi Campbell and even Brad Pitt!

Full spa days here, which have stunning indoor and outdoor pools, zen-like relaxation rooms, sauna, jacuzzi, hydropools, cold plunge pools and ice fountains, start from £120 per person. 

However, slip in for a bargain session but booking a Twilight Spa Evening from £59 per person, with a complimentary 20-minute treatment.

As part of the deal, you also get a welcome glass of bubbly, plus flips flops and a tote bag to take home with you. 

Available at most Champney’s locations, including Eastwell Manor in Kent and Forest Mere in Hampshire, but prices do vary depending on the individual spa. 

Book it: champneys.com

Graffiti mars the crumbling walls of the main thermal baths in one of Europe’s oldest spa towns, Baile Herculane.

Yet after decades of neglect, a dedicated team of young architects is working to revive the picturesque Romanian resort that once drew emperors to its healing waters.

“Someone once said that if you drink water from the spring from Herculane, you never leave,” said 31-year-old architect Oana Chirila.

“I was struck by the beauty of the place,” she explained about the town in Romania’s southwest, nestled among mountains and bisected by a river. “And at the same time [I was] shocked by its condition,” she added, referring to the dilapidated state of the historic thermal baths.

Chirila first visited Baile Herculane eight years ago entirely by chance, she said.

Her group’s restoration project represents one of several recent civil society initiatives launched to safeguard Romania’s historic monuments.

Approximately 800 such monuments have deteriorated to an advanced state of decay or risk complete collapse. Some already pose significant public safety hazards.

Constructed in 1886, the Neptune Imperial Baths once welcomed distinguished guests seeking its warm sulphur treatments.

Among these illustrious visitors were Austria’s Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, commonly known as Sisi. Franz Joseph himself described the town as Europe’s “most beautiful spa resort”.

Today, the baths stand closed, their interior walls defaced with graffiti, floors littered with debris, and rain seeping through the ceiling.

Despite the deterioration, tourists regularly pause to admire and photograph the long, rusted facade, with some attempting to glimpse the interior through broken windows.

Currently, Chirila and her volunteer team can only perform conservation work on the baths’ exterior structure. Full restoration remains impossible until legal conflicts between authorities and private owners are resolved, she explained, adding, “There’s always this fear that it might collapse.”

“Most of the historical monuments are in their current state – meaning constant decay – because they are legally blocked,” preventing utilisation of public or European funds for restoration.

For now, along one side of the riverbank, visitors can enjoy three sulphur water basins – what Chirila calls “little bathtubs”.

Her team refurbished these basins and constructed changing booths and wooden pavilions, one of several projects they have undertaken throughout the town.

In recent years, Baile Herculane, home to 3,800 residents, has experienced a steady increase in tourism, according to local officials. Some 160,000 tourists visited in 2024 – up from 90,000 in 2020 – many seeking spa treatments, but also hiking and climbing opportunities.

“The resort has changed,” Aura Zidarita, 50, a doctor, told the AFP news agency. She remained optimistic that it could reclaim its status as a “pearl of Europe”.

‘Centuries ago people used to say, ‘In three days the Piešťany water will either heal you or kill you.’” My guide Igor Paulech is showing me around Spa Island – a hot-spring haven in the middle of the Váh River that runs through Piešťany, Slovakia’s most prestigious spa town. Just an hour north of Bratislava by train, the town and its spa-populated island are packed with grand art nouveau and art deco buildings.

There’s a faint aroma of sulphur in the air as Igor paces ahead, past peacocks and ponds full of lilies, imparting his home town’s history. The hot water that springs from beneath the island sandbank has created what we’re all here for: a blueish medicinal mud that’s rich in hydrogen sulphide and sulphur.

Slovakia is gaining an international reputation for its affordable and high-quality spa treatments. I’m here to visit three of its leading spa towns, travelling entirely by rail. The journey from London is straightforward and took less than 24 hours thanks to the new European Sleeper route that leaves Brussels for Prague three nights a week, and a direct train from Prague to Piešťany.

On checking in at the Thermia Palace, the history of this grand 113-year-old hotel and neighbouring Irma Health Spa is immediately apparent. Photographs of maharajas, politicians and singers who have visited are on display, and a painting donated by Alfonse Mucha, the Czech artist whose work defined the art nouveau style, hangs in the hotel’s dining room. His daughter came here regularly for the balneotherapy (mineral-water hydrotherapy), and there is a small museum on Spa Island dedicated to his work.

I’m assigned to Dr Alena Korenčíková, who immediately notices I have hypermobility and draws up a personalised programme that includes visits to the thermal bath, filled with sulphuric mineral water, and the hot-mud pool. I’m also prescribed daily CO2 injections. Known as carboxytherapy, this treatment is meant to help muscle recovery and tissue regeneration; my rock-hard shoulders feel noticeably looser afterwards. And finally, I’m prescribed a mud-pack treatment, which is recommended for reducing swelling and inflammation, and nourishing the joints. When I explain that I’m going to Trenčianske Teplice and hope to continue mud treatment there, Dr Alena says: “They have peat, it’s not the same as ours.” Time to fine-tune my mud knowledge.

As I submerge myself in the warm cloudy water, my toes squish into the mineral mud that is pumped directly from the mud kitchen (where it’s treated) into the vast circular pool. The building is as thrilling as the bathing. The 19th-century dome above the pool is the spa’s stunning centrepiece, with stained glass art deco skylight windows sitting high up on the art nouveau walls decorated with tiles, floral motifs and cherubs. Piešťany is just as much about architecture as about bathing, it seems.

Local architect Eva Rohoňová cements this theory the following day, when she shows me around the extraordinary House of Arts, a colossal piece of 1970s brutalism that houses the town’s concert hall and cultural centre. “It’s far too big a capacity for just people from Piešťany,” she says. “The Czechoslovakian government built it here as the town was full of international visitors. It was to demonstrate the culture.” She has been giving tours of otherwise inaccessible interior spaces to locals over the years, but anyone can arrange one through the Visit Piešťany website.

After three mud-packed days, I take a train north to Trenčianske Teplice just outside Trenčín, one of next year’s European Capitals of Culture. I’m instantly taken by the picturesque spa town with its mix of baby pink and peachy orange 19th-century guesthouses and angular 1960s concrete hotels. Daniel Oriešek from the tourist board shows me around. I point out the steady stream of visitors carrying walking poles. “It’s not the Tatras, but people come here for hiking,” he says, alluding to Slovakia’s West Carpathian range which forms a scenic backdrop to the town.

They also come to bathe at the Sina hammam, an ornate Turkish bathhouse that looks as though it could have been teleported here from Istanbul. It was in fact built in 1888 and designed by František Schmoranz Jr, an Austrian architect of Czech origin who had spent several years living in Egypt and was a leading expert on Islamic architecture and decorative arts.

I’m ushered in and shown to the pool, where an unexpected delight greets me: a huge socialist-era mural that covers one entire wall. I soak in the water and copy the locals, who splash their faces with water from the source in the middle of the pool. Afterwards, my skin looks and feels fantastic and, with an entry price of just £12.50, I’m already plotting my next visit as I exit the building.

The next day I catch a train to Žilina, a city in the north of the country, where I disembark to hop on a bus for Rajecké Teplice. It’s a village compared with Piešťany and only has the one spa, Aphrodite, but that spa is truly unlike anywhere else I’ve been. Lovingly maximalist, with Roman-style columns, mosaics and gold decor that glimmers in the crisp spring sunshine, this is the Vegas of spa resorts. “When you are lying on a sunbed on a hot summer day and take a cold dip in the pool, it’s like you’re not in Slovakia,” says staff member Radka Capkova. “Everyone knows Slovakia has lots of spas, but it’s usually older people who want to go. But our spa is so famous that we get younger people here taking photos.”

It’s a huge complex of 11 saunas, three restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool and Nature Land, where bathing is naked after 5pm. I feel far too British for this, but wearing a bikini to a sauna is a firm no in central Europe, so I collect a sauna sheet and tuck it around myself like a sarong. Capkova encourages me to attend one of their “sauna ritual” events (or Aufguss) and get over the nudity: “No one stares or looks,” he says.

I go to the hottest ritual, where the sauna master swirls around like a figure skater, splashing orange, lemongrass and yuzu water over the hot coals as pop songs blast out and everyone claps along – the camaraderie is so infectious that I quickly forget everyone is naked.

“My great-great-grandmother, my great-aunt, my mother, everyone worked here at some point,” Capkova tells me. Rajecké Teplice is the smallest of the spa towns I’ve been to, but it has a big community impact. Spas are just in the blood in Slovakia. “But in the UK you don’t go to the spa?” It’s a question I get asked a lot throughout this week. “We’re working on it,” I always reply.

The trip was provided by Visit Piešťany, Trenčianske Teplice Regional Tourism, Spa Aphrodite and Byway Travel (byway.travel). A bespoke 10-day tour of Slovakia costs from £2,012pp, including transport and some accommodation

A luxurious airport has many posh amenities to keep passengers entertained and relaxed during layovers, and one traveller shared what she did during her eight-hour stay there

While many of us have to grin and bare threadbare airports during long waits for flights, there are a select few that offer passengers a more luxurious experience. Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea, is a traveller’s paradise, boasting an array of facilities to keep you relaxed and entertained.

Its Spa on Air provides showers, sauna, and even a sleeping room. There’s also a cinema, ice skating rink, Korean cultural performances, exhibitions, the K-Culture Museum, rest zones, and nap rooms, all within the airport. Lucy Q, a New York content creator who relocated to London in 2023, found herself with an eight-hour stopover at Incheon and decided to indulge in a spa day.

However, Lucy opted not to use the airport’s on-site spa and instead headed over to Cimer Spa in the nearby Paradise City complex.

She chronicled her lavish experience on YouTube, showing off the spa that’s just a free shuttle bus ride away from the airport.

Cimer prides itself on blending traditional Korean jjimjilbang culture with contemporary comforts, featuring a variety of pools and even a tornado slide. It’s a hit among long-haul layover passengers like Lucy, looking to unwind before their next flight.

In her YouTube video, Lucy shared her journey: “From the arrival terminal I took the free Paradise City bus to Paradise City. I went through the hotel and out the other side and you’ll reach the spa.”

Lucy chose to buy the aqua spa ticket, which gave her a access to all pools and saunas over a six-hour period.

Adults can grab this ticket for 60,000 KRW (£32.24), or 70,000 KRW (£37.61) during peak season from July 1 to August 31.

She detailed the process, saying that once you’ve paid your entry fee, you’re given a wristband for access to a locker and all the aquatic attractions.

Lucy commented: “The pool portion of the spa had one main room with a bunch of smaller spa things off it, like this cave pool, the glass infinity pool, different temperature pools with a DJ booth, water slides and so much more.”

The American expat then highlighted a “massive variety of spa rooms” on offer, including an amethyst room, a salt room, and a light therapy room – where she nodded off for an hour or so.

In the locker room, you’re handed traditional bath house robes to wear but Lucy suggests choosing a larger size after finding the medium uncomfortably snug.

There’s even a spot to eat at the spa. While digging into a pizza – the “cheapest thing” available – Lucy observed: “This section is also where they had food. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and it was surprisingly really good.”

Wrapping up her review, she noted: “On the roof they have a foot spa, an infinity pool and these interesting coloured baths. There was also a gender segregated nude sauna where you obviously could not film but there were hot and cold pools and it was really nice alternating between the two.”

Lucy concluded her travel tale by expressing she “could not have found a better way to spend a layover”, detailing that her entire experience, which covered both entry and food, came in at a mere $50, amounting to roughly £36.79.

A woman visited Europe’s biggest spa and has offered her advice on how to make the most of your visit, as she claims this ‘bucket list experience’ has something for everyone

A woman has shared her go-to tips for anyone wanting to visit Europe’s biggest spa, which is just a £30 flight away from the UK. Therme București, located north of Bucharest in Romania, is one of Europe‘s largest wellness and relaxation centres, boasting a botanical garden, indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, saunas, mineral pools, relaxation areas, and plenty of spa treatments.

As it is only a £30 flight away from the UK, it makes for the perfect location for a weekend away. It has been inundated with five-star reviews on Trip Advisor and visitors have described the venue as a “tropical paradise”.

To see what all the hype was about, a British woman named Lorella took to TikTok to share her experience, urging everyone to put the spa on their bucket list. However, she did have some tips to help people make the most of their visit.

“Do not go to Europe’s largest spa without knowing all of these things first,” she said at the start of her video before explaining what her experience was like.

“Flights from the UK are around £30 and entry to all three areas of the spa is also around £30,” she explained. “It gets busy very, very quickly, so if you’re only able to come here on the weekend, just make sure you get here for when it opens.

“We did this and we had no issues with getting a sunbed. But within about an hour, there was none available,” she revealed, but urged people to go on a weekday if they can to avoid crowds.

“For an extra fee, you can book in a massage, but you need to book it the second you get there,” she said, one again highlighting the importance of getting to the spa early in order to not risk the massage slots be fully booked as you can’t book this in before getting there.

Next, Lorella suggested picking up a map of the spa as well as a timetable for the extra activities the spa is offering throughout the day to make it more easy for you to explore and know where you want to go.

“There are some things you do need to pay extra for, for example this water bed,” she said, clarifying that’s its completely optional. “But everything else is more or less included in your ticket price.”

Lorella then showed off the impressive food court where guest can enjoy as much as they want, including pizza, pasta, sushi, and salad. For this, guests get a wristband where you can tap as a ‘payment’ and then you get the bill of what you owe when you leave.

She went on to show the other attractions of the spa, including a separate are for waterslides with kid-friendly activities that’s away from the rest of the spa. Lorella also explained that the spa consists of three sections, and you can pay to get in to all of them or just specific ones.

“But my biggest tip if you can is to stay for the evening, cause it kinda turns into a bit of a nightclub vibe and it’s just immaculate vibes,” she said.

“It’s also a super quick drive from the airport, so if you wanted to do this in a day trip, it’s definitely doable,” she said.

When the Spa at Séc-he opened its doors in Palm Springs in 2023, it welcomed guests to a 73,000-square-foot facility with mineral-rich bathing waters, resort-style pools, salt caves, steam rooms and a slew of indulgent amenities, all without requiring booking a treatment.

Of course, massages, facials and the like are available, but a major draw of visiting Séc-he is simply to spend the day cocooned within its grounds.

The spa isn’t alone in selling day passes to visitors. North of Palm Springs in Desert Hot Springs, many hotels pump mineral waters from the ground into oasis-like enclaves where spa-goers can soak for the day without staying overnight.

And further south in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells, some of the splashiest resorts in the valley offer day pass admission to deeply impressive spas. Think aromatherapy showers, menthol-infused dry saunas, zero-gravity lounge chairs and secluded pools all for a fraction of the price of an all-too-short 50-minute treatment.

As a Coachella Valley resident, I’ve spent the day at many spas in the area. Most sell passes on the third-party website ResortPass, while a few are available to purchase directly. They range in price from $54 to $155 (inclusive of ResortPass fees, where applicable) and some include full use of the resort’s pools and amenities for exceptional value.

Just know that day passes are generally limited in quantity to save space for guests booking treatments and to avoid crowding, so if you have a specific date in mind, book far in advance. Some properties also enact time limits, have age requirements and may or may not include parking or food for purchase. And if you’re a local, speak up. Many spas grant discounts to those residing within the valley.

I’ve soaked, steamed, swam and relaxed as hard as humanly possible at every property listed below. If all you have is one day to chill and don’t want to fork over hundreds of dollars for a treatment that never seems long enough, these spas will leave you feeling nearly as blissful as if you had. Just plan to clear your entire day. Two, three, four hours — at all of these properties, I promise you it won’t be enough.

Off the lead at Gunwalloe, Cornwall

Recently, Cornwall Council lifted the season-long dog ban on many of the county’s beaches, restricting it to just July and August rather than the six months or so it had been previously. The council publishes a list of beaches, with all restrictions listed, that it’s important to check before heading out (there are still 11 beaches where dogs are banned between 10am and 6pm, and there are three protected wildlife areas where they are banned at all times). One of the best beaches, we think, is at Gunwalloe where visitors can stay at the National Trust holiday cottage right by the beach and the cafe has water bowls for dogs. Church Cove is restricted for dog owners in July and August but Dollar Cove next door is dog-friendly at all times. The coast path runs right along the beaches and takes you over to Poldhu or Porthleven, so there are plenty of options for walkies.
Layla Astley

Dog-friendly inn in the Lake District

The four-star hotel Inn on the Square (doubles from £100 B&B) in Keswick is very dog-friendly. It provides a dog spa – very useful after a lovely walk in the fells – dog beds, and tips on green spaces for dogs to do their business. Keswick is a beautiful town with fantastic pubs on gorgeous Derwentwater. The hotel charges a nightly supplement of £25 a dog. Up to two dogs can stay in your bedroom.
Dee

A castle fit for a canine in South Ayrshire

North Firbank Cottage (from £700 a week, sleeps four) in the Culzean Castle and Country Park Estate near Maybole is a delightful cottage with two sizeable secure gardens for your dog. It is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is on a short private road that leads only to a couple of rentable cottages. A few minutes’ walk in one direction is the estate’s public car park, lake, cafe and children’s adventure park, while a few minutes’ in the other is the huge sandy Maidens beach (dogs welcome all year) with views of Arran and Ailsa Craig. Included in the price are miles of footpaths in the Culzean Estate and admission to the castle (but no dogs inside).
David Gilmore

Isle of Man’s best friend

The Isle of Man has miles of lead-free walking around the sandy beaches at the top of the island. There are 18 preserved national glens all suitable for off-lead walking – with clean rivers to splash in – and several have a lovely beach at the end. Dash around Gansey Bay beach (dogs welcome all year) in the south, then sit with your well-behaved dog in the bar of the Shore Hotel overlooking the bay.
Sue

Pamper your pooch in Norfolk

East Ruston Cottages in north-east Norfolk are totally devoted to dogs, providing everything you need for you and your dog. All cottages take at least three dogs. The cottage we stayed in earlier this year had a dog shower and toys, towels, treats and even a birthday card for our border collie. It was lovely for us as well. The company will even provide dog sitters if needed.
Margaret Dennis

Bracing beach walkies on Anglesey

Ynys Môn (Anglesey) is the sort of place where you wake to gulls not traffic. We booked a cottage above Red Wharf Bay then spent each tide-out morning striding sand to Traeth Lligwy, dogs off lead (there are no dog restrictions there) and noses full of salt. Lunch meant fish and chips outside the Ship Inn where water bowls appear before menus. For rainy days there is the dog-friendly cafe at the Oriel Môn museum and arts centre or woodland walks in Newborough Forest where red squirrels flit overhead. Every evening our spaniel snored beside the log burner while we planned tomorrow’s ideal beach.
Pamela

Pooch on the loose in Pembrokeshire

Explore ancient oak woodlands and secret beaches at The Little Retreat in Lawrenny (domes sleeping four from £120 a night), Pembrokeshire. Nestled in the walled garden of a 12th-century castle, these luxury domes are fully dog-friendly and overlook the Daugleddau estuary – perfect for wild swims and kayak adventures. Nearby, stroll to hidden coves or visit Carew Castle’s dog-welcoming (on the lead) grounds. It’s a wildly peaceful escape packed with history, beauty and charm.
Rosa

Set tails wagging in the Cotswolds

We really enjoyed a visit to the De Vere at Cotswolds Water Park with our dog. Our ground floor room had doors opening out on to a wide wetland panorama and a boardwalk to pootle along with the dog. The usual extras (beds etc) are provided, you can take your dog to breakfast and use the spa. Nearby towns such as Cirencester are fantastic for dogs, and the biggest hit of all was the Cotswold Wildlife Park nearby, a superb dog-friendly (dogs must be kept on a lead) animal park and gardens.
Jenni

Beach heaven at Ballymastocker, County Donegal

We spent our childhood summers at Rita’s chalets in Portsalon in County Donegal. The accommodation was basic and cheap. There was no heating, TV or shower but they allowed Sandy, our faithful dog, to stay every year. We still go back but the accommodation, now called the Pier Apartments (from €310 for two nights, two apartments, sleep 5 each) has been massively upgraded. But some things have stayed the same. The harbour is still full of kids jumping into the sea from the pier. The views are as spectacular as ever, and dog-friendly Ballymastocker beach is still the best in the world. And Sandy has been replaced by Benji.
Keiran

Winning tip: Mull – the isle of dogs

The Isle of Mull is the most dog-friendly island I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. George the labrador was welcomed with open arms on the ferry crossing from Oban – where they even had a special dog seating area with bowls of water and treats available. All the beaches are breathtaking, and dogs can roam off-lead to their hearts’ content. We even managed to take him on the tiny foot ferry over to The Boathouse restaurant on Ulva, where he made best friends with celebrity pooch Grampa, owned by the well-known interior designer Banjo Beale.
Hywel Sedgwick

Before our appointment at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, a peaceful retreat off the Bodega Highway in West Sonoma county, a friend and I popped into a nearby gift shop. We told the owner that we were destined to try Osmosis’ storied treatment — a so-called “cedar enzyme bath” — and her eyes widened with excitement.

“You’ll feel like you’re a plant being composted,” she said, adding that the spa’s recycled bath materials lined the path of a neighboring garden.

When we were eventually led into Osmosis’ tidy changing rooms to disrobe, I smelled what she meant before I saw it. A dank, earthy odor hung in the air, as if mounds of fresh pencil shavings had been scattered over a newly excavated farm plot.

FREESTONE, CA — MARCH 29, 2025: A Koi pond at Kyoto-style Meditation Garden. Wellness Editor Alyssa Bereznak in an enzyme cedar bath at the Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone, California on Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Andri Tambunan / For The Times)

It’s the signature scent of a spa whose marquee treatment involves being blanketed up to your neck in a box of steaming compost. Known in Japan as an ion bath, it combines many spa treatments in one: a heated, weighted feeling to relax and soothe the body and a calming aromatherapy to pique the senses. Much like the mud baths of Calistoga, the experience is just as much about a novel brush with natural elements as it is an opportunity for release.

“I like to say that what’s going on in there is a fundamental impulse in biology,” Osmosis owner Michael Stusser said. “All these microorganisms get a chance to talk to each other. They all have infinite wisdom. They all communicate. So there’s this energy going on. There’s a whole flow.”

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Stusser estimates that Osmosis has slung compost onto half a million guests in its 40 years of business. For much of that time, it was the only place in North America where you could consistently book a cedar enzyme bath, currently priced at $155 a person or $127.50 per person for a shared two-person vat. (In May 2023, Tahoe Forest Baths opened in Lake Tahoe and began offering them in partnership with the Japanese company Ohtaka Enzyme Co. Though Santa Monica’s Willow Spa once gave cedar enzyme baths, it has discontinued that service.) Now the creekside 5-acre spa is expanding its offerings, which include sound therapy sessions in zero-gravity loungers, meditation workshops and all-day retreats.

Healdsburg resident Simone Wilson and Wellness Editor Alyssa Bereznak in an enzyme cedar bath at Osmosis Day Spa. The warm, fragrant treatment originated in Japan.

(Andri Tambunan / For The Times)

The smell that permeates Osmosis’ halls is the byproduct of a very intentional process, said Stusser. The enzyme bath concoction is a mix of fragrant Douglas fir and Port Orford cedar (a tree that the native Karok people of northwest California once used to construct sweat lodges) and rice bran, which activates the composting process.

“There’s literally billions of organisms in there feeding on nitrogen and generating heat with their bodies, breaking down carbon,” Stusser said. “That’s what they do.”

The spa’s staff is responsible for keeping the mixture from becoming hygienically dubious both by replacing it and churning it multiple times a day, thus ensuring there’s enough oxygen to keep that activity moving. We observed the process before our personal meeting with the mulch. Our spa attendant for the day, Samundra Sutcliffe, lodged a large pitchfork into the vat shavings and turned it over on top of itself as steam emanated from the pile.

Attendant Samundra Sutcliffe churns the cedar enzyme shavings at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary.

(Andri Tambunan / For The Times)

“If it doesn’t get fluffed enough, the material starts to compact and it starts to break down, what’s called anaerobically, which is without oxygen,” said the spa’s general manager, Heather Bishop. “Sometimes we’ll end up with less appealing smells.”

Stusser, 78, has a deep education in biodynamic gardening. He studied Agroecology at University of Santa Cruz under organic gardening and farming pioneer Alan Chadwick, who founded the school’s “French-intensive” garden in 1967. (Stusser went on to film a 1971 documentary, “The Garden,” about the project.) As Stusser got more into the bio-intensive gardening scene, he became enamored with compost.

“I saw the alchemical power of compost to transform not only the soil, but everything that was put into it,” he said. “And I had a secret wish that I never was willing to admit to anyone, which was to be buried in a compost pile.”

Osmosis serves a special enzyme-infused tea before guiding guests to its signature cedar enzyme bath.

(Andri Tambunan / For The Times)

After living on and tending to the land at the Farallones Institute Rural Center (now the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center in Sonoma County), Stusser traveled to Japan in 1981 to become a landscape gardening apprentice. The program, a seven-days-a-week dawn-til-dusk grind, proved to be far too intense, so he quit and went to live in a Zen temple in Obama-shi. There Stusser developed a serious case of sciatica and went on a quest to heal himself. He ended up on the island of Kyushu, where he stumbled upon an enzyme bath center where people of different ages and ailments had come to heal.

“As soon as I saw what was happening, I realized this is actually the same dynamic that exists in compost,” Stusser said. “I said, I’m going to finally get my wish.”

A farmer in southwestern Hokkaido named Noboru Ohtaka came up with the idea for a so-called “ion bath” after stepping on a sawdust enzyme fertilizer he’d developed and noticing it felt pleasant. His company, Ohtaka Enzyme Co. opened its first ion house in Sapporo City in 1964, said company President Seiichi Imai. Seven years later, when the city hosted the Winter Olympics, organizers built enzyme baths for athletes to use in the Olympic village.

“As the facility was continuously featured in newspapers and on television, the concept of the enzyme bath spread across Japan,” Imai shared in an email.

The enzyme bath Stusser tried was consistent with the original practice. It involved undergoing the treatment two times a day for a week, during which he fasted save for an enzyme drink, and received ashiatsu massages (in which a practitioner walks on your back). He said the treatment resolved his sciatica. He also had a spiritual experience.

“I was in the enzyme bath and as part of that experience, like in a millisecond of this vast experience, I saw the whole creation of Osmosis unfold before my mind’s eye in an instant, crystal clear, undeniable, and I knew it was my calling to do this,” he said.

He returned to the U.S. and got to work. On May 21, 1985, he opened Osmosis. At first, he said, it was hard to persuade people to live out the same wish of being composted that he’d held for so many years.

“I could barely give it away in the beginning,” he said. “But once they did it and discovered how much better it made them feel, we have had a lot of people coming for decades.”

As my friend and I sat robe-clad in a tea room staring out at a glass door that opened to a private Zen garden and sipping a hot enzyme herbal tonic with yarrow, red clover and peppermint, I contemplated my imminent encounter with the compost. I’m an avid gardener who has dusted my plants with compost and brewed her own kombucha. But even I felt a trickle of hesitation at being smothered in a bacteria-laden mulch.

Before I could give it a second thought, our attendant, Samundra, led us into a separate room with what looked like an adult sandbox. Two human-sized seats had been carved into the enzyme cedar mix to ensure we had sufficient support as we gazed out onto another private zen garden. We were left alone briefly to settle in and cover ourselves in the mix. When she reentered, she began shoveling it on to both of us until only our heads were visible.

“If you do get too hot, you can always pull out your arms, and I’ll just be coming out to check on you,” she said.

Up close and personal, the musk of the odor dissipated, and I breathed in the grounding spice of the cedar and the energizing citrus notes of the Douglas fir. It felt as though my body was wrapped in a hot compress. I tend to overheat easily in jacuzzis and hot springs but the enzyme bath felt breathable. (I later learned that this is because wood has a lower thermal conductivity than water, and the cedar enzyme mix allows for more aeration.)

As my friend and I began to sweat, Samundra arrived with cold compresses and draped them across our necks. With our arms still buried under the compost, she brought ice-cold waters with straws up to our mouths so we could hydrate — a truly luxurious part of the service.

The allotted 20 minutes went quickly. And when our time was up, she dug us out enough for us to break free. We used special grated mittens to wipe the mixture off of our bodies in the private zen garden, then rinsed off in the shower. My body was warmed from within, my typically tight-and-achy lower back and shoulders, slack and painless. After a trip to a spa I can sometimes feel like I’m on the verge of a nap, but in this case I felt invigorated and present, ready to tour the gardens that awaited outside.

When I later relayed my journey of skepticism to convert to Stusser, he said it was a common one.

“You can’t really explain it to somebody until you’ve done it,” Stusser said. “A lot of people will be very inquisitive on the phone. They go, ‘Well, can you tell me something more about what is it really doing?’ Then they get here and they look at it, and they’re not even sure they want to go in. And then they get in and get a big smile. ‘Oh, this is what it is like.’”

It was true. I had been composted like a plant — and I liked it.

The swan fountain and the Mistley Towers are the only remaining physical reminders of an ambitious plan to turn the town of Mistley into a saltwater spa in the 18th century

At first glance, the charming riverside town of Mistley in Essex might not seem particularly remarkable. However, two enduring symbols of an ambitious yet ultimately failed 18th-century project to transform the town into a saltwater spa still exist – the swan fountain and the Mistley Towers.

According to English Heritage, Richard Rigby’s father accumulated significant wealth and influence when he was appointed Paymaster General of the Forces by George III in 1786. Back then, the village of Mistley consisted of warehouses, a granary, a malting office, quays and a medieval church – only the porch of which survives to this day.

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There was also a more recent church, built to the north of the village in 1735 at the request of Rigby’s father. However, when Rigby dreamt up his grand plan to turn Mistley into a fashionable spa, the simple brick structure of the church didn’t fit with his vision.

Initially, Rigby commissioned Robert Adam to design a saltwater bath by the river, but this idea never materialised. Instead, the architect was assigned to work on the church around 1776, reports Essex Live.

In a departure from the norm, Adam’s design broke away from the traditional 18th-century parish church blueprint, featuring towers at both the east and west ends and semi-circular porticoes to the north and south.

It’s been suggested that Adam may have drawn inspiration from Roman tombs, giving the structure an unusual flair. Regrettably, Rigby’s grand plans to turn Mistley into a bustling spa destination never came to fruition.

The central part of the church was demolished in 1870, making way for a newer, trendier place of worship nearby.

Despite the original plans falling through, the remaining towers found a new purpose as a “seamark” and were sold off to local families who had aspirations of converting them into opulent mausoleums.

Yet, this idea too did not take hold, and over time, the towers were left to deteriorate. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the towers saw a revival, thanks to architect Raymond Erith and the efforts of the Georgian Group, who meticulously restored them.

The surrounding churchyard is peppered with monuments dating from the early to mid-18th century, including an eye-catching polished black granite mausoleum in the Egyptian style, erected in memory of the Norman family.