ONE of Northern Ireland’s very first spas, which first opened its doors in 1990, is celebrating 25 years in business.

The Spa at Culloden, part of Hastings Hotels, was a ground-breaking concept when Sir William Hastings first launched it at Northern Ireland’s premier 5-star hotel.

“We were ahead of our time when we decided to build a spa at the Culloden Estate. In 1990, spas were a very new idea, in fact, we were advised that they would be very expensive to run and could barely be justified to any financial director.

“But as the saying goes, build it and they will come. And after former secretary of state Peter Brooke performed the opening ceremony, come they did, both as hotel guests who loved the idea of going to a spa and as members as it was a place to relax and meet friends in the Cultra area,” Sir William said.

“When the spa was created it was more of an upmarket leisure-centre and we called it The Elysium, the heavenly place. But over the last 25 years it has evolved and is now called The Spa at Culloden and continues to lead the way with innovative treatments, first-class facilities and a fantastic team of staff.

“Still to this day, we have 10 founding members who have been part of the spa since the very beginning, we call them our lifers, and it is lovely to still see them coming to use the facilities after all this time,” Sir William continued.

“At Hastings Hotels we do not rest on our laurels and are committed to a continuous annual investment programme throughout our six hotels and two spas. And as part of this, at the beginning of January the Spa will undergo an eight week refurbishment programme to ensure we continue to offer our guests the top class facilities that The Spa at Culloden has become known for,” Sir William added.

The Spa at Culloden boasts eight treatment suites, private couples suite, a pre and post treatment relaxation room, a health club with a state-of-the-art fitness suite with cardio theatre, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, Zest Juice Bar and will soon launch a new designer nail bar. There is also a unique Medi Spa offering a range of treatments including Botox with the Rejuvenating Anti-Ageing Clinic, personalised health assessments incorporating cutting edge technology with innovative diagnostic testing to assess health in detail with Randox Health and the Room One Physiotherapy.