A thermal suite is the part of a spa that groups multiple heat, steam, and cooling experiences into one circuit. Most Lake District spas have some version of one, but the specific facilities inside vary between properties. Knowing what each element does helps you choose the right spa and get more from your visit.
How a Thermal Suite Works
The design follows one principle: heat up, cool down, rest. Each cycle pushes blood toward your skin during the heat phase, then draws it back toward your core when you cool off. This repeated expansion and contraction improves circulation, loosens tight muscles, and triggers endorphin release.
Heat Experiences
Finnish saunas are the most common, using dry heat between 80°C and 100°C. Your heart rate rises to around 100-150 bpm during a session, similar to moderate exercise, while the heat works deep into muscle tension. At Lodore Falls, the Finnish sauna reaches 85°C with views over Derwentwater through its glass front. Low Wood Bay takes a different approach with three distinct saunas: a dry salt sauna with halotherapy benefits, an infrared sauna that uses light panels to warm your body directly at a lower ambient temperature, and an outdoor Fellside Sauna with panoramic Lake District views.
Steam rooms operate at lower temperatures, typically 40-50°C, but with near 100% humidity. The moisture makes them feel hotter than the thermometer suggests and opens your airways as you breathe. Lodore Falls runs two: an aroma steam room at 45°C infused with essential oils and a salt steam room at 40°C for respiratory benefits through halotherapy. Armathwaite Hall features an Amethyst Crystal Cave steam room, while Low Wood Bay offers a coconut-infused version.
A laconium is based on ancient Roman bathing. It runs at roughly 55°C with gentle radiant heat from the walls and floor. You lie on heated stone and the warmth builds gradually rather than hitting you immediately. Lodore Falls includes one in its nine-experience thermal suite, and it makes a comfortable starting point before moving to hotter experiences.
Infrared saunas work differently to traditional ones. Rather than heating the air, infrared panels warm your body directly, penetrating deeper into muscle tissue at a lower room temperature. Low Wood Bay's infrared cabin is worth trying if standard saunas feel too intense.
Herbal lounges sit at the gentler end. Low Wood Bay circulates warm herb-infused air in its herbal lounge. Lodore Falls takes a different approach with heated ceramic loungers that radiate warmth through the surface beneath you, ideal for resting between heat sessions.
Cooling Experiences
The cooling phase after heat is where the main physiological response kicks in. Shifting from 85°C air to cold water causes blood vessels to constrict rapidly, flushing metabolic waste from muscles and triggering a strong endorphin release.
Ice fountains dispense crushed ice to rub across your skin. Lodore Falls has both an ice fountain and a cold drench bucket positioned outdoors for contrast cooling between sauna sessions. Experience showers offer a gentler transition. At Lodore Falls, three settings (Forest Rinse, Tropical Rain, and Thermal Sensation) use different water temperatures, pressures, and scents. Low Wood Bay provides multi-sensory experience showers both indoors and outdoors.
How to Use a Thermal Suite
Start with the gentlest heat source available: a herbal lounge, laconium, or infrared cabin. Spend 10-15 minutes warming up, then move to a Finnish sauna or steam room for a more intense second round. Cool down with an ice fountain, cold drench, or experience shower. Rest on a heated lounger for five minutes. Repeat the cycle two or three times, increasing heat intensity each round.
Drink water between each cycle. Saunas and steam rooms cause significant fluid loss, and most thermal suites have water stations nearby. Allow 90 minutes to two hours for a full thermal circuit.
Lake District Spas with Thermal Suites
Lodore Falls in Borrowdale has nine thermal experiences, the most extensive thermal suite in the Lake District. The outdoor infinity-edge vitality pool with underwater bubble loungers, volcano fountain, and hydromassage neck jets overlooks Derwentwater. Suite guests receive two hours of complimentary spa access per night. Standard room guests pay £35 on weekdays or £40 on weekends for a two-hour session. Day spa packages start at £75 for the Twilight Spa. The spa is 18+ only.
Low Wood Bay on Lake Windermere pairs six thermal experiences with outdoor and indoor infinity pools, and multiple outdoor hot tubs. The sauna with fell views and the Himalayan dry salt sauna make it distinctive. Hotel guests get access to the Resort Leisure Area (indoor pool, infrared sauna, jacuzzi, and steam room) complimentary during morning and evening hours. The full thermal journey, covering the outdoor and indoor spa areas, is a separate booking, with hotel guests receiving 25% off Monday to Thursday. Day passes start from £60 for the Twilight Thermal Journey on weekday evenings, or £85 for a three hour weekday session.
Armathwaite Hall near Bassenthwaite Lake focuses on fewer thermal facilities with a Finnish sauna, Amethyst Crystal Cave steam room, 16-metre indoor pool, multiple outdoor infinity pools, and an outdoor hot tub within 400 acres of private deer park. Spa access is included for all hotel guests. Day packages start at £70 for the Sunrise or Sunset Spa. Bookings are 18+, though under-16s can use the pool daily from 8:30am to 9:30am with an adult.
A thermal suite rewards you more when you use it with a plan. Start gently, build the heat, cool down properly between rounds, and take your time resting.
