The long-awaited Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa will open its doors on 1 October 2020 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration, after plans were first submitted nearly 15 years ago.

The opening in the historic spa town of Buxton will mark European health spa brand, Ensana Hotels, first UK property.

As one of the country’s first genuine spa hotels, the 81-key destination will revive Buxton’s wellness and hydrotherapy traditions by making use of the town’s natural mineral waters.

Thanks to The Fifth Duke of Devonshire, who developed the town with grand architecture, the 19th century was a golden age for Buxton when ‘taking the waters’ was a fashionable pastime for notable high-society visitors.

Soon, guests at Buxton Crescent will be able to experience the therapeutic qualities of the water for themselves, as hydrotherapy is at the forefront of Ensana Buxton Crescent’s spa offering.

Mark Hennebry, Ensana Hotels chair, spoke exclusively to Spa Business about the upcoming opening.

“We’re delighted to bring the Ensana brand and its unique treatments to the UK for the first time, especially to Buxton, which is such an exciting yet relatively unexplored wellness destination.

“We look forward to reviving the wellness traditions of Buxton by harnessing the therapeutic quality of the mineral-rich water which cannot be found anywhere else in the UK.”

The spa is home to three pools – the Thermal Pool, a refurbished Victorian pool using Buxton’s mineral-rich water, which is heated and left chemically untreated; a relaxation pool with an atmospheric dark ceiling pierced with shafts of light; and an indoor-outdoor rooftop pool.

Signature spa treatments will include the Thermal Mud Pack using mineral-rich mud sourced from Heviz in Hungary and a CO2 Infusion Mineral Bath.

The spa is home to a salt cave, bio-sauna, steamroom, infra-red sauna, ice fountain, Finnish sauna and gym, as well as eight treatment rooms, including a couples’ suite – some of which are completed with original stained-glass windows.

The projects’ completion follows significant support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council and other stakeholders.

“So much more than just a spa, we’re proud to be helping to put this historical gem of a town back on the tourist map by opening a hotel within one of the most significant Georgian architectural buildings in England,” commented Hennebry.

Launched in 2019, Ensana manages 26 spa hotels across the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the UK, and has a wide collection of spa hotels located in some of Europe’s most historic spa towns.

The brand has developed an innovative integrative health concept, which combines healing natural resources with medical expertise and modern diagnostic methods, to help guests achieve their personal health goals.