Unwind with a spa weekend at Blythswood Square
Whether it’s a couple’s weekend or a getaway with the girls, a weekend lazing in the sumptuous surrounds of The Spa at The Blythswood Square Hotel will keep you smiling, as Hood’s editor, Jen Crichton-Gibson, finds out…
I have this thing about people watching. Unsurprisingly, given I am a professional nosy-parker, I find it fascinating. As such, I am both delighted and concerned to find, upon checking into The Blythswood Square Hotel, that my room overlooks the square itself – a prime spying location that calls my desire to leave the room into question.
Still, as comfortable as it is to snuggle up on an armchair in the huge bay window, it turns out that the hotel itself offers up plenty of people watching opportunities of its own. This, it seems, is where Scotland’s most stylish go to take afternoon tea, to soak in the spa and to laze over a leisurely breakfast.
The Spa itself is, without doubt, a key draw of any stay at the Blythswood. The chic space is a popular choice with groups of girlfriends and couples alike, but despite being busy the day we visit, the clever layout, spread across 10,000 square feet, is full of private nooks and crannies to ensure there’s plenty of peace and privacy on offer for those seeking true relaxation. The hydrotherapy pool and crystal steam room are beautifully low lit and relaxing in the extreme, the stylish mosaics adding to an ambience of quiet luxury, while the thermal suite is an ideal place to kick back and relax with a book, the heated relaxation beds being particularly hard to leave.
Thankfully, the super soft and luxurious bed in my private spa suite proves similarly relaxing, while my Ishga hot stone massage (£87 for 55 minutes) is among the best I’ve ever received, the volcanic stones working wonders to relieve my tired muscles and, in particular, a back, neck and shoulders that live in constant tension thanks to being hunched over a laptop much of the week.
Keen to remain truly unwound, we opt to eat in the spa’s own cafe – why get dressed if you can don a robe all day long, after all? – and find the afternoon tea to be the perfect, light, late afternoon option, the peanut butter brownies and coconut macarons proving a particular highlight.
Retiring to our suite, still in robes, we find arguably the world’s most comfortable king size bed, a super-deep roll top bath stocked with Elemis toiletries in which to maintain our pruney fingers, and a little plate of delectable chocolates and miniature whiskies to keep us thoroughly in the ‘treat yourself’ mindset.
A mindset which, we admit, continues into breakfast when, after a fairly special night’s sleep we emerge from the cloudlike linens just in time to order up full Scottish breakfasts featuring the very best bacon, sausages, haggis and eggs in addition to the (healthier) options up for grabs at the buffet table. And that people watching? That it turns up plenty of cheery faces at brekkie is of little surprise. After all, the only frown-inducing factor here is checking out…