Put me in a dark room — the inkier, the better. It’s the quickest route to relaxing into a spa treatment. With that in mind, when I had to pause and let my eyes adjust to the flickering candlelight in the scented treatment room before clambering onto the bed, I was already happy. OK, the candles were those LED lookalikes, but the atmosphere was pure wellness witchery — in a good way.
Welcome to Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort near Langbank, where my 60-minute treatment at the newly refurbished Imperia Spa immediately pushed the trafficky 30-minute journey from Glasgow straight into my brain’s bin. Just off the motorway, halfway to Greenock, it’s one of those locations that feels further from civilisation than it actually is — also in a good way.
The pool at Gleddoch’s revamped spa, which now also features a heated outdoor pool
Follow the narrow winding road that climbs from the A8 at Langbank to the hotel and suddenly you’re in the soft green folds of the surrounding hills — bunnies hopping, bees buzzing, golfers slicing — and bang in front of an imperious country house hotel with views of the Clyde estuary.
A bit of an architectural mixed bag, with big additions, renovations and repairs undertaken over the past century, Gleddoch House, the resort’s main building, nevertheless retains its original character. Built in 1926 for the shipbuilding industrialist Sir James Lithgow as a 12-bedroom family home, it remained a private residence until 1974, when it was reborn as a hotel. This was also when the golf course, originally a nine-hole layout but soon extended, was designed. Fifty years on, the impressive 18-hole championship course must be one of the prettiest in Scotland.
The spa’s rejuvenation is one of many additions and renovations at Gleddoch over the last century
Further renovations, completed in 2017, glammed up Gleddoch’s 75 rooms and suites, and introduced the Imperia Spa — which I’ve come to experience after yet another multimillion-pound facelift (the spa’s, not mine).
• Play king of the castle at the House of the Northern Gate
My husband and I start as we mean to go on, spending the night in the glamorous Royal Suite, which James Anderson, the affable general manager, tells us hosted Queen Elizabeth II on occasion. With views on three sides, one over the manicured lawn and outdoor drinks tables, it seems right for a royal.
The Royal Suite at Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort, where Queen Elizabeth II stayed
There’s a feeling of opulence to the Imperia Spa. Plush low-profile seating, gold and geometric accents — we’re suddenly out of country house hotel mode and taking design inspiration from 1920s Paris or New York.
A quick tour of the sparkly new spa, which reopened in June after nine months of work, spins us round a sensory shower (not as X-rated as it sounds), an aroma steam room, a Himalayan salt sauna and a tepidarium with heated loungers. The pool seems pretty standard until you look up at the mirrored ceiling that is reflecting your movements. It’s a fun detail that demands more backstroke.
The spa’s glass-fronted sauna
Outside, the view across Gleddoch’s lawns and forested grounds, over the Clyde, gives a squinting glimpse of Dumbarton Castle at those times of the year when leaf cover isn’t too lush. From this elevated terrace you can soak in the heated outdoor pool or sweat in the glass-fronted herbal sauna, which feels very Scandi and very healthy. And there’s the option to take an ice bath and yank a bucket of cold water over your head — something I will never understand. You can also just sit swaddled in your bathrobe with a herbal tea or smoothie and think about nothing.
• Is this Scotland’s coolest farmstay?
There are new changing rooms with loads of locker and mirror space, good showers, Dyson hairdryers and complimentary toiletries, not to mention the plush post-treatment relaxation rooms and the high-performance kit in the fitness studio. And there’s also the Wildflower lounge and dining room with its on-point healthy menu and perfect smoothies (confession: the chips are also very, very good).
The spa’s Wildflower dining room
But Imperia is not just a pretty face with zhuzhed-up facilities. What sets Gleddoch’s spa apart, and draws me back within a couple of weeks, are the treatments. Imperia’s manager has invested in skilled practitioners, continued training and luxurious product lines: Elemis, Natura Bissé, Templespa and Tri-Dosha for the spa’s menu of ayurvedic treatments.
Over two visits I had an Elemis Targeted Tightening wrap, during which I was painted with some kind of magical mud before being swathed in warm towels, massaged and given a mini-facial. Perfection. So I couldn’t resist booking my next treatment, a Natura Bissé Skin Comfort facial, expertly executed by a highly experienced therapist — and in a perfectly darkened room.
Kitty Finstad was a guest of Gleddoch Golf & Spa Resort (B&B doubles from £125, gleddoch.com). Imperia Spa day prices from £139, treatments from £65, spa memberships from £119 a month.
