Spa director Liz Holmes feels Craftsman’s high-end changing facilities and service match the top-flight offering at Rockliffe Hall
In the north-east of England, Rockliffe Hall hotel, spa and golf resort offers a five-star destination embracing wellness programmes, residential memberships and spa days that complement each other perfectly, says spa director Liz Holmes.
“A membership base of 750 ensures a lively class programme and supports excellent facilities, while day visitors drive a separate yet integrated revenue stream,” she explains.
So successful is the spa that revenue is coming in line with that of the 61-bed hotel, which itself won five red stars last year, one of only 10 hotels outside London to achieve the coveted accolade.
Treatments such as the Tibetan Sound Massage, introduced last summer, continue to place Rockliffe Hall at the forefront of spa innovation. “The Tibetan Sound Massage has become our signature treatment and is only available at Rockliffe Hall,” Holmes says. “The 90-minute session uses the vibrational sound from Tibetan bowls in what is a Tibetan medical tradition to remove tension, help relieve stress and ease joint and muscle pain.”
The resort’s stress management and meditation courses are also proving extremely popular, she reports.
Long-standing relationship Craftsman installed male and female changing rooms when Rockliffe Hall opened four years ago after a £65m-plus (US$106m, €78m) investment by entrepreneur and owner Steve Gibson to convert a derelict mansion near Darlington into a top-flight leisure destination incorporating a five-star hotel and spa, an 18-hole golf course and exclusive spa.
The company returned two years ago to upgrade the female changing facilities as demand grew, installing further three-quarter length lockers more suitable for robes and long coats.
Now arguably the largest spa in the region, Rockliffe Hall once again called in Craftsman to prepare for the next stage of expansion as the resort builds on its reputation and experiences yet another period of unprecedented growth. “As we drive forward spa day and treatment revenue, it’s crucial to ensure that the scale of our changing facilities can cope comfortably with our rising popularity,” Holmes stresses.
Working with customers Last autumn, Holmes worked closely with Craftsman to meet a brief to enlarge and adapt the female changing facilities, reconfiguring them to prepare for the expected upsurge in demand as Rockliffe further expands its range of heat experiences. It fitted further lockers, cubicles and bench seating together with a new keyless digital locking system to remove the need for spa and hotel guests to carry a locker key during their visit.
“We were keen to ensure that every guest and member could enjoy equal use of the lockers,” Holmes explains. “Some 80-90 per cent of those using the spa are female and some members, anxious to keep their own locker, took their key home with them overnight. On busy spa days as many as 20 lockers could be out of action for day visitors and hotel guests. Under the digital locking system, lockers open automatically overnight. Holmes adds: “The switch to digital locks ensures we provide a tighter level of security for both members and visitors.”
Holmes also worked closely with Craftsman’s managing director John Gibbs to provide additional holdall lockers in the gym itself for those members who come to work out and then go back home to shower and change but who also wish to stow away over-jackets, keys, phones and iPads while they work out.
“These members can exercise safe in the knowledge that their valuables are secure, in a locker sited alongside the exercise area, adding another level of convenience and reassurance.” Holmes says.
“When I arrived here five years ago, the 20m swimming pool and 11m hydro-pool were just holes in the ground,” Holmes recalls. “The period since Rockliffe Hall opened has proven that spa is no longer just an add-on leisure experience but is a sustainable and thriving business model in its own right.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Paul Scialla
Delos founder talks to Katie Barnes about creating the first set of wellbeing building standards and securing investment from Leonardo DiCaprio
Ask an expert: Detox
Done well, detox presents numerous business opportunities – but what's the best approach to take and what treatments should be avoided?
Business analysis: Spa inclusive
Some resorts are enticing clients with free, daily spa treatments. Neena Dhillon takes a look at the business model
Wellness tourism: Time to shine
Sophie Benge reports on wellness tourism in central and eastern Europe – a market that's ripe for development
Wellness research: Culture king
The Futures Company provides an insightful overview on how different cultures view health and wellbeing
Hotel spa research: Top division
In the hotel sector, spa revenue is growing faster than other revenue streams, according to a new PKF report. Andrea Foster analyses the findings
To discover how to create changing provision that matches the needs and expectations of your members and day visitors, contact John Gibbs: Tel: +44 (0)1480 405396 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cqlockers.co.uk
Rockliffe Hall
Craftsman has worked closely with Rockliffe for more than five years, enlarging and improving changing facilities as the spa has expanded
Craftsman has worked closely with Rockliffe for more than five years, enlarging and improving changing facilities as the spa has expanded
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
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COMPANY PROFILES
Aromatherapy Associates
Aromatherapy Associates is a world-leading British wellness brand, harnessing the power of essential [more...]
Spa director Liz Holmes feels Craftsman’s high-end changing facilities and service match the top-flight offering at Rockliffe Hall
In the north-east of England, Rockliffe Hall hotel, spa and golf resort offers a five-star destination embracing wellness programmes, residential memberships and spa days that complement each other perfectly, says spa director Liz Holmes.
“A membership base of 750 ensures a lively class programme and supports excellent facilities, while day visitors drive a separate yet integrated revenue stream,” she explains.
So successful is the spa that revenue is coming in line with that of the 61-bed hotel, which itself won five red stars last year, one of only 10 hotels outside London to achieve the coveted accolade.
Treatments such as the Tibetan Sound Massage, introduced last summer, continue to place Rockliffe Hall at the forefront of spa innovation. “The Tibetan Sound Massage has become our signature treatment and is only available at Rockliffe Hall,” Holmes says. “The 90-minute session uses the vibrational sound from Tibetan bowls in what is a Tibetan medical tradition to remove tension, help relieve stress and ease joint and muscle pain.”
The resort’s stress management and meditation courses are also proving extremely popular, she reports.
Long-standing relationship Craftsman installed male and female changing rooms when Rockliffe Hall opened four years ago after a £65m-plus (US$106m, €78m) investment by entrepreneur and owner Steve Gibson to convert a derelict mansion near Darlington into a top-flight leisure destination incorporating a five-star hotel and spa, an 18-hole golf course and exclusive spa.
The company returned two years ago to upgrade the female changing facilities as demand grew, installing further three-quarter length lockers more suitable for robes and long coats.
Now arguably the largest spa in the region, Rockliffe Hall once again called in Craftsman to prepare for the next stage of expansion as the resort builds on its reputation and experiences yet another period of unprecedented growth. “As we drive forward spa day and treatment revenue, it’s crucial to ensure that the scale of our changing facilities can cope comfortably with our rising popularity,” Holmes stresses.
Working with customers Last autumn, Holmes worked closely with Craftsman to meet a brief to enlarge and adapt the female changing facilities, reconfiguring them to prepare for the expected upsurge in demand as Rockliffe further expands its range of heat experiences. It fitted further lockers, cubicles and bench seating together with a new keyless digital locking system to remove the need for spa and hotel guests to carry a locker key during their visit.
“We were keen to ensure that every guest and member could enjoy equal use of the lockers,” Holmes explains. “Some 80-90 per cent of those using the spa are female and some members, anxious to keep their own locker, took their key home with them overnight. On busy spa days as many as 20 lockers could be out of action for day visitors and hotel guests. Under the digital locking system, lockers open automatically overnight. Holmes adds: “The switch to digital locks ensures we provide a tighter level of security for both members and visitors.”
Holmes also worked closely with Craftsman’s managing director John Gibbs to provide additional holdall lockers in the gym itself for those members who come to work out and then go back home to shower and change but who also wish to stow away over-jackets, keys, phones and iPads while they work out.
“These members can exercise safe in the knowledge that their valuables are secure, in a locker sited alongside the exercise area, adding another level of convenience and reassurance.” Holmes says.
“When I arrived here five years ago, the 20m swimming pool and 11m hydro-pool were just holes in the ground,” Holmes recalls. “The period since Rockliffe Hall opened has proven that spa is no longer just an add-on leisure experience but is a sustainable and thriving business model in its own right.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Paul Scialla
Delos founder talks to Katie Barnes about creating the first set of wellbeing building standards and securing investment from Leonardo DiCaprio
Ask an expert: Detox
Done well, detox presents numerous business opportunities – but what's the best approach to take and what treatments should be avoided?
Business analysis: Spa inclusive
Some resorts are enticing clients with free, daily spa treatments. Neena Dhillon takes a look at the business model
Wellness tourism: Time to shine
Sophie Benge reports on wellness tourism in central and eastern Europe – a market that's ripe for development
Wellness research: Culture king
The Futures Company provides an insightful overview on how different cultures view health and wellbeing
Hotel spa research: Top division
In the hotel sector, spa revenue is growing faster than other revenue streams, according to a new PKF report. Andrea Foster analyses the findings
To discover how to create changing provision that matches the needs and expectations of your members and day visitors, contact John Gibbs: Tel: +44 (0)1480 405396 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cqlockers.co.uk
Rockliffe Hall
Craftsman has worked closely with Rockliffe for more than five years, enlarging and improving changing facilities as the spa has expanded
Craftsman has worked closely with Rockliffe for more than five years, enlarging and improving changing facilities as the spa has expanded
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Aromatherapy Associates Aromatherapy Associates is a world-leading British wellness brand, harnessing the power of essential [more...]
