We were nearing the end of our two-week stay in Scotland, which had included grand manor houses, a week aboard the Hebridean Princess in the Western Isles, and Michelin-starred dining in Edinburgh. The only indulgence we had yet to try was a spa, and Blythswood Square in Glasgow seemed the perfect place to do so.
We added Glasgow to our itinerary to see the works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and chose a hotel a five-minute walk from the Willow Tea Rooms and the Glasgow School of Art, both landmarks of the architect credited with helping launch the Art Nouveau movement. Location was just the beginning of the hotel’s appeal.
True to Glasgow’s cheeky spirit, the hotel’s recent redesign avoided the usual tartan-and-stag clichés. Instead, the marble and oak lobby and public spaces showcase elegant Moderne furnishings with playful details — former elevator shafts beside the grand staircase have been transformed into cozy nooks upholstered in cherry-red velour. The décor also nods to Scottish fiber arts with touches of Harris Tweed.
On the afternoon of our spa appointments we returned to our room to shower. The guest room was large and stylish, a black-and-white scheme softened by dark purple upholstery and bronze silk pillows. Above the king-sized bed hung a photo of the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally’s starting line, which began at the hotel’s front door when the building housed the Automobile Club of Scotland. Memorabilia and historic photos are displayed throughout the hotel. Wrapped in the soft robes from our closet, we took the elevator down to the two-level spa beneath the lobby.
Blythswood Square hotel lobby © Blythswood Square
The spa’s 10,000 square feet feels understated and quietly confident — very much in keeping with Glasgow. A large relaxation lounge with deep chairs, low lighting and subdued music creates an intimate atmosphere. Rather than lying in lounge chairs, we spent a few minutes in the relaxation pools before our therapists led us to treatment rooms. Guests can opt for the three-hour Thermal Experience — a self-guided sequence of hot, cold and wet/dry therapies that includes a 140-degree laconium, sauna, ice fountain and steam room — but the pools were just what we needed without taking too much time from the city.
Because the spa has earned acclaim as one of Britain’s finest new facilities, we had booked treatments well in advance. Weeks before traveling, we reviewed a tempting menu of massages, facials, scrubs, wraps and other therapies.
We ultimately chose facials and massages, our usual favorites. The options were many and all used organic ingredients: facials ranged from ilā Rainforest Renewal to Elemis Tri-Enzyme and Pro-Collagen, with an even broader selection of massage styles available.
Still, we wanted treatments that reflected the place we were visiting — as we had picked grape-seed therapies in wine country and maple-sugar scrubs in Vermont. Imagining a Scottish signature, we pictured exfoliations with steel-cut oats or shortbread crumbs. Instead, the menu featured ishga treatments, developed on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and based on hand-harvested Scottish seaweed.
Seaweed, rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and antioxidants, has a long history of topical use for its healing and hydrating properties. The ishga line includes a seaweed body wrap, Hebridean sea-salt scrubs, baths in fresh seaweed and a range of facials. The promise of repairing and protecting the skin from environmental damage made the seaweed facial a natural choice for my travel-worn complexion.
My husband chose the ishga Hot Stone Massage: a full-body treatment combining heated basalt stones, a seaweed-based oil and notes of lavender and juniper. It felt quintessentially Scottish — native stones warmed and smoothed by the sea, together with seaweed gathered from the Western Isles.
The facial replenished my skin after two weeks of wind, sun and salt spray on the Hebridean Princess, a sunlit day kayaking at the Isle of Eriska and blustery walks in Edinburgh. The sequence of creams, scrubs, warm compresses and massage felt familiar, but the marine algae ingredients imparted a distinct, soothing richness. Each layer of treatment renewed my skin while the rhythm of the therapist’s touch eased neck and shoulder tension caused by luggage and a heavy camera bag. I drifted in and out of a dreamy, contented sleep, time blurring between minutes and hours.
So relaxed was I that it wasn’t until I boarded my flight to London the next morning that I realized I couldn’t remember the name of the kindly therapist who had transformed my skin.
My husband’s experience was equally restorative. The warm, tide-smoothed stones relieved the tightness around his shoulders and neck, leaving him refreshed and light. After our treatments we met in the Salon, a lovely room above the lobby with tall windows that frame the 19th-century merchant mansions around Blythswood Square.
The spa offers a café, but for tea time we chose a more traditional indulgence. Relaxing on a sofa, we shared a plate of Scottish artisan cheeses with oatcakes and a cream tea featuring freshly baked apple and sultana scones served with strawberry preserves and clotted cream. Rejuvenated and content, we enjoyed the peaceful view and the lingering benefits of our treatments.
The Spa at Blythswood Square
11 Blythswood Square
Glasgow, G2 4AD Scotland
tel 44 141 240 1622
townhousecompany.com/blythswoodsquare