The Spa at Soho Farmhouse

Members only

A member's guide to the spa

Let's be honest about this one from the start: Soho Farmhouse is a private members' club, and the Cowshed Spa is not open to the public. You need to be a Soho House member, or the guest of one, to walk through the gate. We won't pretend otherwise, because there is nothing more deflating than turning up somewhere expecting a treatment and being politely turned away. But if you are a member, the fact that all of this sits less than a mile from the cottage is one of the quiet joys of a stay here, and it is worth knowing exactly what you are getting before you book.

The spa is a proper part of the estate rather than an afterthought bolted onto a hotel. There are thirteen treatment rooms using Cowshed's own products, a gym, a daily run of fitness classes, and, tucked away on its own secluded corner, a sauna, a steam room and an ice shed for anyone who likes the cold-then-warm ritual. The heated pool is the showpiece: a hundred and thirty-five feet long, kept at thirty-five degrees the year round, and clever enough to run from inside a barn straight out into the open air, so you can swim under the winter sky without ever feeling the chill on the walk out. There is a Lazy Lake of sunken hot tubs alongside it and a separate children's pool, which matters if you are travelling as a family.

What to expect on the day

The rhythm of a visit is unhurried, which is rather the point. We tend to walk or cycle over in the morning, spend an hour or two moving between the pool, the hot tubs and the sauna, and time it so we are back at the cottage for a slow lunch in the garden. Below is roughly how the day breaks down, and the practical bits worth knowing before you go.

• The pool and the waterThe heated pool runs from a barn out into the open air and stays at thirty-five degrees all year, so a January swim feels indulgent rather than brave. The Lazy Lake hot tubs and a children's pool sit alongside it.
• Heat and coldThe sauna, steam room and ice shed are set slightly apart on their own island. Work through them in your own order; there is no fixed circuit and no rush.
• TreatmentsThirteen rooms cover massages, facials and body treatments with Cowshed products. These run through the day and are the thing most worth booking well ahead, especially at weekends.
• Gym and classesThe gym opens early and there is a daily programme of classes, from yoga and pilates to something more demanding if you want to earn your lunch.

Booking and getting there

Everything is handled through the Soho House app rather than a phone call, so it is worth sorting your treatments and any classes before you arrive; weekend slots in particular go early. The spa is part of the wider Soho Farmhouse estate, which we cover in full on its own page, and the cottage sits less than a mile down the lane. That closeness is the real luxury: you can be at the pool within minutes of leaving the door, on foot or by bike, without the drive that usually stands between you and a spa day. If Soho Farmhouse is why you are coming to the area, Well Cottage makes an unusually convenient members' base.

If the spa isn't for you

Not everyone staying at the cottage will be a member, and the good news is the area does not depend on it. The Great Tew Estate and its footpaths are on the doorstep, the honey-stone Falkland Arms is a short walk for a fire and a pint, and there is Blenheim Palace and the open-air Chipping Norton Lido within an easy drive. Our full guide to things to do in the area runs from country walks to grand houses and everything in between.

“After a cold morning walk through Great Tew, an hour at the pool and the ice shed is the best possible reward. I always leave wondering why I don't do it more often.”

Visit the official site →

Also nearby

• Soho Farmhouse · Members club · same site
• The Falkland Arms · Pub · Great Tew
• The Great Tew Estate · Village · 5 min