Harrogate’s unique Turkish Baths have reopened after a £300,000 facelift. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

For over 120 years they have revitalised the mind, body and spirit of customers from across the world.

And now Harrogate’s unique Turkish baths have been given their very own tonic.

A £300,000 project has been completed to enhance the unique historic character of the stunning Grade II* listed building in North Yorkshire and upgrade facilities.

Plasterboard has been torn down to reveal grand vaulted high ceilings and an historic area blocked off for decades has been opened up to create a room for traditional Hammam style rub downs.

“The final result looks amazing,” says Chris Mason, the manager of Turkish Baths Harrogate. “The spa industry worldwide is booming, but we know that the historic interior of the Turkish baths with its original Victorian opulence and grandeur is a huge and unique selling point.”

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Attendent Bob Markcroft gets ready for the first customers. Photo: Doug Jackson

When they were first opened, Harrogate’s Royal Baths were hailed as the most advanced hydrotherapy centre in the world. Amongst the royal clientele from across Europe were Princess Alix Hesse and her sister, Princess Victoria of Battenburg, who raced their bath chairs through the streets. Treatments offered included taking the medicinal waters, Turkish and mud baths, steam rooms and therapies involving electricity. You could even be encased in warm peat from Thorne Moor.

The Royal Baths closed down in the 1960s, but the Turkish baths continued in operation.

Having opened in 1897 when Harrogate was the nation’s pre-eminent spa town, they are now the last part of the magnificent Royal Baths complex still used for its original purpose

No expense was spared when the Turkish baths were first built - majestic Moorish design, Islamic arches and elaborate painted ceilings combined with terrazzo floors (laid by Italian craftsmen) along with fine detailing to create an unforgettable interior. It remains the most complete surviving 19th Victorian Turkish baths anywhere in Britain.

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MAGNIFICENT: An ornate pillar in the refurbished baths

The last significant work on the Turkish baths had been done in 2003 with a £1.5m restoration scheme backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Visitor numbers have since grown and now exceed 40,000 each year.

This latest project, undertaken by Harrogate Borough Council, has been about preparing the historic baths to last another hundred years, says Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport.

The baths have come a long way since their inception. Today the traditional Turkish ritual of heating, cooling and cleansing is complemented by a wide variety of modern spa treatments, which thanks to the latest project now include an enhanced spa room featuring foot spas, spa pool and a tiled aroma room.

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"It is part of a long term strategy for the Turkish baths," Cllr Lumley says. "We are competing with modern spa facilities so we need to continually improve. But we have the priceless asset of a stunning historic interior and an unbroken tradition – something that money can’t buy.”

  • Sessions at the baths generally last for just over two hours, and cost £18 Monday to Thursday, rising to £21.50 on Friday and £29.50 on Saturday. Sunday prices range from £21.50 to £29.50 depending on time. Both mixed and men- or women-only sessions are available.

For the first time Harrogate's Turkish baths will be taking part in Heritage Open Days, offering free tours on Sunday September 9 from 3pm – 5.30pm and again on Thursday September 13 from 6pm to 8.30pm.

For further information about the baths, visit www.turkishbathsharrogate.co.uk