The Edinburgh Spa Where Your Self-Care Helps Others, Too

A blissful massage at Manor House Therapies is the ultimate in self-care that also supports others.

Looking for a spa in Edinburgh with a difference? Tucked away in Trinity is a little oasis of calm offering blissful massage, facials and holistic therapies – where indulging in some much-needed self-care helps support others, too.

Set within a beautiful period villa in Trinity, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Manor House Therapies Edinburgh feels like one of those places you could easily walk past without knowing what lies behind its doors.

Step inside, however, and the pace immediately changes. Think cocooning treatment rooms, calming colours, beautiful botanical and marine products and the sort of atmosphere that relaxes you the minute you walk through the door.

But what makes this Edinburgh spa and wellbeing space particularly special isn't simply how lovely it is.

Manor House Therapies is a social enterprise created by St Columba's Hospice Care, with income generated reinvested back into the hospice, helping to fund free care for people with life-limiting conditions and those approaching the end of life.

In other words, if you're looking for somewhere to book a massage in Edinburgh, this is one indulgence you really don't need to feel guilty about.

Manor House Therapies is tucked away in Edinburgh’s Trinity and has beautiful views out to the Firth of Forth.

How Manor House Therapies Began

At the heart of Manor House Therapies is Manager and Holistic Therapies Lead Lisa Kerr, who welcomed me on my visit and whose connection to complementary and holistic therapies goes back more than 20 years.

It began when Lisa's mum was living with secondary breast cancer. Watching the comfort she found in treatments including Reiki and reflexology had a profound effect on Lisa and, after her mum died, she trained in Reiki herself before going on to study reflexology, aromatherapy, massage and, later, oncology massage.

"I always wanted to support people going through chronic illness, diagnosis, bereavement and loss," she told me.

In 2017, that ambition brought her to St Columba's Hospice Care, initially in a part-time role setting up its Complementary Therapy Service.

From there, the programme grew, as did Lisa's role, eventually expanding into a wider Wellbeing Service incorporating everything from complementary therapies to movement, breathwork and social connection.

Then came a rather bigger challenge.

The hospice owned a handsome building across the road which had previously been used for education and meetings, but there was potential for it to become much more.

CEO Jackie Stone approached Lisa with the idea of taking what had been developed for patients and families and creating an Edinburgh wellbeing and therapy space open to everyone.

Lisa effectively started with a blank page – quite literally. She went home with a large noticeboard, covered it in dark green wrapping paper and began creating the mood board for what Manor House Therapies might become: reception, waiting area, treatment rooms, lighting, colours, products and all.

The vision won the backing of the board and a £32,700 grant from the Wolfson Foundation helped fund the refurbishment and start-up costs.

The result is a space that feels far removed from anything clinical. During the refurbishment, Lisa asked one of the tradesmen what he thought of the colours. His response was that walking in felt like getting "a big hug".

I know exactly what he meant.

The tranquil treatment rooms are soothing and the massage beds are like sinking into a warm cloud Bliss

An Edinburgh Spa That's Open to Everyone

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Manor House Therapies is that it is for everyone.

Its roots may be in hospice care, and the team has specialist expertise in supporting people experiencing cancer, chronic conditions and emotional stress, but you don't need a referral or any particular reason to book one of its massage, facial, reflexology or holistic treatments.

You can simply need a massage.

That feels important to Lisa's wider philosophy around wellbeing. We can't control everything that happens to our health or in our lives, but there are things we can do to take ownership of how we look after ourselves.

Here, that might mean an Edinburgh massage, reflexology treatment, facial or counselling session. The team includes holistic and spa therapists trained in Advanced Cancer Touch Therapy alongside an accredited BACP counsellor, with treatments designed to be inclusive of different ages, stages and circumstances.

And every time somebody chooses to invest in their own wellbeing, that money goes back into supporting someone else.

The Massage Treatment You Need to Try

Of course, I couldn't visit without trying a treatment for myself.

The bespoke Manor House Therapies Signature Massage was co-created with two brands Lisa had long admired: Scottish marine skincare brand ishga and Made for Life Organics, known for its botanical products and cancer-safe approach to touch therapy.

The treatment brings together the spa's wider Land and Sea philosophy, inspired both by its position overlooking the Firth of Forth and the history of the house itself.

It begins with a choice of aroma, allowing you to gravitate towards what feels right for you that day, followed by a deeply calming inhalation ritual.

A warming foot ritual using sea salt and seaweed begins the experience, introducing the idea of land and sea.

From there, the massage has been designed to move with the flow of waves – gentle, rhythmic and wonderfully relaxing. Beginning at the backs of the legs, the treatment travels around the body before finishing, once again, at the feet, almost as though you are moving into the sea and then emerging from it again.

And yes, I floated out.

If you're searching for one of the best massage experiences in Edinburgh, this is one worth knowing about.

More Than a Spa

The creation of Manor House Therapies has been a very personal journey for Manager and Holistic Therapies Lead Lisa Kerr

There is something else happening here, too.

Manor House Therapies is part of a wider social-enterprise approach being developed by St Columba's Hospice Care. Nearby sister venture Studio15 offers hair, nail, brow and lash treatments, again with profits supporting hospice care.

Lisa is also continuing to build links with colleges, students, volunteers and external support groups, creating opportunities for training and employment as well as treatments.

It makes Manor House Therapies feel less like a conventional spa and more like a different way of thinking about wellbeing in Edinburgh: one in which looking after ourselves and looking after our community aren't separate things.

There are practical pleasures, too. It's tucked away from the bustle of Edinburgh city centre, there are gorgeous views across the water, beautiful grounds and free parking – a combination that anyone who has ever attempted to arrive relaxed for a central Edinburgh spa appointment will appreciate.

For Lisa, the journey to Manor House Therapies has been intensely personal. What began with seeing the difference complementary therapy made to her own mum has evolved into something capable of helping many more families.

And perhaps that's what stays with you after visiting Manor House Therapies. Yes, it's a beautiful Edinburgh spa in which to switch off. Yes, the treatments are blissful. But there's a warmth and purpose behind it that makes the experience feel different.

You arrive to take a little time for yourself.

And simply by doing that, you're giving something back to someone else.

Manor House Therapies, 17 Boswall Road, Trinity, Edinburgh. Treatments include massage, reflexology, facials, complementary therapies and counselling, with income supporting St Columba's Hospice Care.