The UK hotel baths worth travelling for this autumn

As the clocks change and evenings draw in, the shift from autumn to winter pulls us two ways: our bodies crave hibernation while daily life demands we keep going. Now more than ever, we need ways to wind down, as nearly one in three of us report lower mood and heightened stress as the days shorten. The antidote? Surprisingly simple: a bath.

But, for many of us, a freestanding tub remains a fantasy constrained by the realities of our home bathrooms. The promise of a proper bath is often top of the list when booking a weekend away. You're not alone if a bath is high on your accommodation must-haves: more than 60% of travellers now prioritise wellness amenities when booking, and hotel bathrooms are being transformed from functional spaces into full-blown sanctuaries. Think: gleaming copper tubs, Japanese onsen-inspired soaks or outdoor cast-iron baths where you can bathe under the stars.

The ritual of a proper soak does fantastic work. It regulates circadian rhythms, lowers cortisol and triggers the release of serotonin and endorphins. Plus, it’s the kind of easy luxury many of us are really after in a hotel stay: not posh pillow menus or champagne on arrival, but space to properly relax. The evenings are drawing in and the temperature's dropping, so next time you're booking a trip, seek out a room where the bath is the main event. Here are our favourites.

Copper baths

There's something extra-special about copper. These burnished baths develop their own character, acquiring a unique patina over time. Copper also conducts heat beautifully, meaning it will keep your water warmer for longer. It's been synonymous with luxurious bathing since Victorian times, when gleaming tubs were polished to a mirror shine.

Where to go: the huts and lakeside suites at Another Place in the Lake District have gleaming copper baths positioned as bedroom centrepieces, so you can soak (ideally after a hike) while watching the fells reflected in Ullswater. For a soak by the sea, Artist Residence properties in both Brighton and Penzance tuck copper baths into light-flooded window spots where the metal catches the seaside sun.

You'll also find beautiful examples throughout The Pig's collection of country house hotels, each one ideally placed for post-walk muscle recovery, but the copper tub at its Combe Manor is really special. Tucked into its own curved alcove with a rainfall shower overhead, it's burnished to a warm glow that creates such a sense of sanctuary, you'll want to cancel dinner plans and stay put all evening.

Another Place Shepherd Huts for two Jeremy Phillips (2) copy

Traditional roll-top baths

The classic Victorian roll-top never goes out of style. There's a reason these freestanding beauties have endured: claw feet planted firmly on tiled floors, generous depth and a satisfying curve that supports your back as you relax. They're the baths of our collective imagination when we think 'luxury'.

Where to go: the Lido Townhouse in Bristol has a lovely classic bath, shrunk to an adorable short roll-top design that's perfect for a proper shoulders-under submersion. One is even placed in the centre of the bedroom for that special sense of theatre. Edinburgh's The Witchery features them throughout its gothic hotel, often surrounded by lavishly painted panelling and mirrors for maximum impact.

Retro baths

Is it modern or retro? The best contemporary bath designs blur the line entirely, reimagining classic silhouettes in unexpected colours that feel both very now and nostalgically 1970s. Think: avocado green, dusty pink or slate grey – all shades that would have been perfectly at home in a decade obsessed with earthy tones and sunken conversation pits, but rendered in sleek contemporary forms that feel fresh.

Where to go: Restaries, a chic retreat on a 16th-century Suffolk farm, features the cult-favourite BC Designs 'Senator Tub'. This sculptural beauty has a chunky lip and distinctive bun feet that's become an Instagram phenomenon. The Pig in the South Downs fully commits to the retro revival with an avocado green tub from Aston Matthews that manages to feel both playful and sophisticated against its country house backdrop, while Glebe House in Devon opts for candy colours in pink and yellow, proving that great interiors don’t have to be white and minimal.

Senator stone resin bath from Aston Matthews, avocado copy

Japanese onsen baths

The Japanese understand bathing as ritual, not routine. These honour that tradition with spaces deep enough to submerge to your shoulders so you can have a contemplative bathing session rather than a quick dip.

Where to go: Fforest in Wales has crafted onsen-style baths from a repurposed cow's trough that somehow feels both rustic and refined. The concrete cast conducts heat beautifully, so you can stay as long as you like while nature moves around you. In Norfolk, Spink's Nest has an indoor sunken tub that feels meditative and calming, positioned to embrace Japanese principles of bathing – deep and dark to encourage you to slow down completely.

Baths with a view

Why hide the tub in a separate room when the landscape outside deserves equal attention? These are baths positioned for maximum impact, where the vista becomes part of the bathing ritual. Part of the joy of a long soak is the enforced pause, a rare stretch of time without screens. With time to think, it's good to have a stunning view to contemplate.

Where to go: Another Place The Lakes suspends a tin tub in a glass-walled treehouse, offering canopy-level views over woodland. The Beacon, an Arts & Crafts-era country house outside Tunbridge Wells, has a copper bath hidden in a Princess turret (velvet curtains included) with breathtaking views across the Kent valley. Can’t decide between indoors or out? At The Hideout Treehouse in Devon, the choice is yours. It's home to the UK's first moving bath, so wherever you're positioned, you get a great treetop view – and there's even a rainfall shower outside.

hideout-treehouse-view-to-copper-hot-tub-from-inside-hartland-devon_cs_large_gallery_preview

Outdoor baths

For the truly committed, outdoor bathing offers something special: the contrast of hot water against cool air, steam rising into the night and the rare sense of freedom that comes from being exposed to the elements. Canopy & Stars reports that 'outdoor baths' is consistently in the top five features searched on its site, and it's for good reason – there's nothing quite like soaking under the stars while autumn mist settles over the landscape.

Where to go: Southcombe Piggery, a lovingly restored piggery among the wildflowers and woods of Dartmoor National Park, has two outdoor baths for star-filled views across the valley during an evening under the stars. Oh, and there's a hillside sauna, too. Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey places outdoor baths where you can watch marsh harriers hunt at dusk. Its beautiful shepherd's huts are surrounded by wildflower meadows, and are the perfect spot for birdwatching as the sun sets.

the-outdoor-bath-tubs-at-southcombe-piggery-bothy-dartmoor-devon_1024_wide

Couple baths

Some experiences improve with company. These baths accommodate two comfortably, turning bathing into a shared ritual.

Where to go: No. 15 in Bath – naturally – excels in the bath department, positioning them beneath Georgian windows in rooms where Jane Austen herself might have felt at home. Its 55sqm Hideout feels less like a hotel room and more like an apartment with its own spa. The star of the show is its huge hot tub that's big enough for two. If you don't fancy sharing, check into the Oak Suite at Foxhill Manor for two twin window-facing slipper tubs with just enough space for a champagne bucket in between – a classy touch, if you ask us.