Spas, wellness and retreats
Glastonbury has been a place of healing for two thousand years, and the tradition is very much alive. Between the hot tub in the garden, the freestanding bath in the master suite, therapists who come to the house and some of the best spas in the west within an hour, Hunter's Moon is a natural base for a wellness break or a small retreat.
Wellness at the cottage
Start with what is already here: a large private hot tub in a sheltered garden, the freestanding bath and walk-in shower in the master suite, Elemis products in every bathroom, an acre of quiet garden with a stream, and the pod, a thirty-foot room with underfloor heating that makes a perfect yoga or meditation studio for a group. We can arrange massage, reflexology, reiki, facials and yoga or Pilates teachers to come to the house, and several small retreat organisers return to Hunter's Moon every year; see celebrations and groups.
Spas within an hour
Thermae Bath Spa (27 miles)
Britain's only natural thermal spa: bathe in the same mineral-rich hot springs the Romans used, in a rooftop pool looking over the Abbey, with steam rooms, an ice chamber and treatments. Book sessions in advance. visitbath.co.uk
Charlton House, Shepton Mallet (7 miles)
The closest hotel spa to the cottage, now Montigo Resorts Somerset: a purpose-built thermal spa with pool, sauna and steam, five treatment rooms using Elemis products, and spa-day packages with lunch. spabreaks.com
Middlewick, Glastonbury (6 miles)
Holistic therapies at the foot of the Tor: massage, aromatherapy and reiki in shepherd's-hut treatment rooms, with a cafe and farm shop on site.
Homewood, near Bath (25 miles)
A country-house spa on the edge of Bath with an outdoor hydro pool and hot tubs looking over the valley, plus treatments and a good restaurant.
The Newt in Somerset (10 miles)
The Newt's spa is for hotel guests, but the gardens, Cyder Cellar and the Story of Gardening museum make a restorative day out on their own.
Bath's day spas
Bath has a cluster of day spas around the centre, from the Gainsborough's own thermal pools to smaller boutique spas; combine with the Roman Baths and shopping. See Bath.
Glastonbury's healing traditions
Glastonbury High Street has more complementary therapists per yard than anywhere in Britain. Drop-in treatment rooms, sound baths, crystal healing, reflexology, herbalists and astrologers sit among the shops, and the Glastonbury Experience courtyard is home to the Goddess Temple and its healing sessions. The Chalice Well gardens, with their healing pool and quiet corners, and the candle-lit White Spring across the lane, are places of contemplation whatever your beliefs, and there is a labyrinth to walk at St John's Church.
Yoga classes run daily in town, and Glastonbury and the villages around it host residential retreats throughout the year. For a group of eight to ten, Hunter's Moon offers the same thing with more privacy and a hot tub.
A wellness weekend from Hunter's Moon
- Friday: arrive at four, hot tub as the sun goes down, supper delivered
- Saturday: sunrise on the Tor, breakfast at Middlewick, a walk through the Chalice Well gardens, massage at the cottage in the afternoon, film in the pod
- Sunday: yoga in the pod, a slow morning in the garden, a soak in the master-suite bath before the drive home
- With an extra day: Thermae Bath Spa and lunch in Bath, or a spa day at Charlton House
Rest, restore, repeat
Check availability at Hunter's Moon, or ask us about hosting your retreat.
Check availability Ask about retreats