In need of some serious relaxation? Take your pick of the best massage spots in Leeds.
Whether you want a deep tissue massage or desire aromatherapy scents wafting around the room while your muscles are manipulated, the city’s masseurs have got you covered. These are the places that combine indulgence with massage work that can leave you feeling totally transformed…
Quick picks: The best places to get a massage in Leeds
Charm Massage & Spa
Head up an unassuming flight of stairs on Vicar Lane and you’ll find Charm Massage floating just above the city, offering an array of spa and massage treatments, including one unique to Leeds.
That would be the Thai herbal compression therapy, which uses warmed poultices – you’ll smell notes of lemongrass, prai and ginger – to penetrate and soothe your muscles.
Alternatively, you can take your pick of traditional foot massage, a rapid but effective head-and-shoulder massage, aromatherapy and oil-free Thai. Want something a bit more intense? The deep muscular massage will hit the places the regular massages don’t.
Massage type: Thai, aromatherapy, herbal.
Budget: Body from £50, head from £40.
Find it: 1st Floor, 97-99 Vicar Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6PJ.
Book it: charmmassageandspa.co.uk
Dragonfly Skin Day Spa
Mere seconds away from the sweetcorn peddlers and buskers of Briggate, Dragonfly Skin Day Spa ushers you into a completely different reality – one where rest and relaxation are front and centre.
There’s a stack of services to choose from – perhaps the widest range in Leeds – from your tried-and-trusted Swedish approach through to hot stones, Ayurvedic yoga, aromatherapy and even sports recovery and office chair massages.
The latter will work away pesky aches and knots, while the warm bamboo message is a sensational and gentle rub-down using gently heated bamboo stalks. It’s a multi award-winning place, so you’re in superb hands.
Massage type: Aromatherapy, Swedish, Indian head, hot stones, deep tissue, sports recovery.
Budget: Body from £60, head from £60.
Find it: Central Arcade, Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 6DX.
Book it: dragonflyskin.com
Nuad Thai Boran Spa
Credit: Nuad Thai Boran
Body feel like it’s done 12 rounds with life? A massage at Leeds’ Nuad Thai Boran Spa might be just what the therapist ordered. With traditional forms of Thai massage, you experience pressure on muscles combined with stretching for ultimate relaxation.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to do a thing. Just turn up to their comfortable but laidback HQ and they’ll put you straight into the chill zone with a deep tissue massage hitting all the key pressure points.
If you want to leave both feeling and smelling heavenly, they offer services with aromatic oil. Fancy a spa date with someone special? You can book in for a deep tissue couple’s massage, so you can share the relaxation.
Massage type: Thai, deep tissue, head massage, sports recovery.
Budget: Body from £65, head from £50.
Find it: 106-108 Vicar Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7NL.
Book it: nuadthaiboran.co.uk
Rosa Thai Massage
With four outposts of Rosa Thai spread across Leeds, you could be forgiven for thinking that there would be a plethora of services for you to partake of. But you’d be wrong – they do one thing, and they do it exceedingly well.
The Rosa massage approach is based on the traditional Thai approach where you remain fully clothed throughout – dress in loose clothes and enjoy bodywork that aims to free up your energy and leave you feeling loose and limber.
All the therapists have been trained by Rosa herself, so you’re sure to get skilled and attentive service, with relaxed muscles and a feeling of rejuvenation. Add in the unique scent of their Tiger Balm oil and you’ll float off on a cloud of your own.
Massage type: Thai deep tissue.
Budget: Body from £58.
Find it: Rosa Thai Massage, 1 Oxford Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3AX; 2 New Road Side, Rawdon, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS19 6HN; 164, Kirkstall Hill, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS4 2SX & 1 Eden Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS4 2TL.
Book it: rosathaimassage.co.uk
Tranquil Moments
The setting can really set the tone for a massage, and this 18th-century mansion on the road out of Leeds to Headingley feels like a real treat, immediately moving you towards the promised tranquility.
The place is run by the hugely experienced Stephanie Baron and, among a menu of everything from reiki to hopi ear candling, there’s a comprehensive offering of massages, whether you’ve got 30 minutes to spare or can stick around for longer.
A hot oil massage with the addition of shea butter will leave you relaxed and silky smooth, while the 30-minute Indian head massage is your shortcut to stress-free shoulders. Fancy some pick and mix? They even offer a bespoke massage tailored to your desires.
Massage type: Swedish, aromatherapy, Indian head, hot oil, sports recovery, bespoke treatments.
Budget: Full body from £50, head from £32.
Find it: We Are Wellness, Hilton Court, 2 North Hill Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 2EN.
Book it: tranquilmomentsbeauty.com
Phoenix Health and Wellbeing
Fancy a massage right in the heart of Leeds? Go on, you deserve it. At Phoenix, there’s a smorgasbord of options to choose from, whether you want a quick and calming facial rub-down or something a lot more involved.
It all takes place in a thoroughly professional environment just steps from Park Square, so you can have your massage then take a stroll around one of the city’s more serene settings to make for the perfect chill out session.
What will it be? Maybe an aromatherapy message with a bespoke oil blend to leave you smelling amazing and feeling even better? Or perhaps you want to take the hot stone path to serenity? Choosing never felt so good.
Massage type: Aromatherapy, deep tissue, hot stones, Indian head, pregnancy.
Budget: 30 mins from £40, 1 hour from £55.
Find it: Lower Ground Floor, 30 Park Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2SP.
Book it: phoenixhealthandwellbeing.org.uk
RMUK Hair and Beauty
At RMUK, you can head in for a pedicure, a perm or a massage to put some pep in your step. It’s a total-service salon that sprawls over four floors of a Great George Street building, but it’s the treatment rooms we’re heading for.
The well appointed and stylish rooms – it’s an Aveda day spa, after all – segue you from the real world into a more care-free mood straight away. You can opt for a lymphatic detox massage or maybe it’s time to rock.
Yep, they do hot stone treatment here too, using large basalt pebbles as part of a holistic massage that also incorporates Aveda products. Stress is sent packing, and your skin will feel renewed.
Massage type: Deep tissue, hot stone, lymphatic, bamboo, pregnancy.
Budget: £50 to £95 for a 30-90 minute session.
Find it: 57 Great George Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 3BB.
Book it: rm-uk.com
AromaThai
From the ancient art of foot massage and reflexology to an array of aromatherapy and Thai massages, you’re literally in safe hands at Horsforth’s AromaThai. Even better, the menu is so simple that they even take the stress out of choosing your treatment.
Everything is £55, whether that’s a one-hour foot massage or the classic Thai approach of massage that takes place on a mat and incorporates some of the elements of yoga to leave you feeling one foot taller.
If you want to say ta-ta to tension, the Mind Relaxation message is a good place to start, while they use different combos of essential oils for the Serenity, Senses and Aroma Thai treatments. Smell good, feel good.
Massage type: Thai, aromatherapy.
Budget: All massages are £55 for one hour.
Find it: 157 New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4DR.
Book it: aromathai.co.uk
