Luxury spa for Lancaster Council run leisure centre

A luxury 420 sq m spa has opened at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre in Lancaster following a £5 million redevelopment of the council-owned and managed building.

Tranquil Spa is housed within a new 540 sq m extension to the side of the leisure centre, with its own dedicated reception and waiting area. The project was carried out by the leisure consortium Alliance Leisure Services, as development partner and leisure construction specialist, Createability, with Bignell, Shacklady, Ewing architects assisting with the customer journey, look and feel.

The spa includes the UK’s first Watermill Sauna, a Herbal Sauna, Salt Inhalation room, Aroma Steam room, Health Shower and Ice Chute as well as a large relaxation area. Previously the leisure centre only offered two simple saunas on the first floor next to its gym.

Tranquil Spa has a high-end look and finish throughout, with three individual shower rooms, six individual changing rooms, two unisex toilets and a DDA accessible shower room and toilet, as well as circulation space with lockers, vanity units and grooming shelves, making the entire area completely unisex. Entry to Tranquil Spa’s Thermal Spa Journey costs just £20. Three treatment rooms, one with an inclusive shower, offer a full range of beauty treatments. The facility also has two nail bars.

The new extension also houses a Feel Good Suite, compete with power assisted ShapeMaster equipment, offering customers the general benefits of a regular exercise programme covering all of the major muscle groups as part of a circuit. These facilities will appeal to all ages, including people with disabilities, mobility and stability issues, as well as those recovering from an injury or simply wanting to lose weight. There is also a referral room for assessments and follow up appointments.

This second phase of building was part of a 10-year redevelopment partnership between Lancaster City Council and Alliance Leisure, which has seen specialist leisure developer, Createability carry out the construction works alongside architects Bignell, Shacklady, Ewing.

Mark Walters, Senior Construction Project Manager at Createability, who oversaw the entire redevelopment said: “The specification and level of finish is extremely high end and not what you typically expect to see when you walk into a council-run leisure centre. This has been replicated throughout the entire redevelopment, which also includes a Les Mills immersive cycling experience, the Trip™; Europe’s first outdoor Flight Tower, Gravity; an 80-station gym largely equipped by principle supplier, Precor; an adventure play area, Energy; XHeight climbing walls and a barista-style café.”

Councillor Darren Clifford, Cabinet member with responsibility for leisure, culture and tourism, said: “The opening of Tranquil Spa marks another milestone in our vision of creating a leisure destination that has something for the entire community to enjoy.  We’re already seeing the clear rewards of our £5million investment in the centre, with a 72 per cent increase in customer visits. The new spa perfectly complements the other new facilities that have done so much to breathe new life into Salt Ayre.”

Sarah Watts, CEO of Alliance Leisure said: “This project is the perfect showcase of what can be done to redevelop older building stock into facilities fit for the future. We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to work with Lancaster City Council and Createability to transform Salt Ayre into one of the most outstanding leisure amenities in the area.”

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Editor’s notes:
Createability is a design and build specialist working in the trust, local authority and education sectors. Over the last 20 years they have delivered more than 600 developments worth over £100 million. www.createability.co.uk

For further information contact:
Abigail Harris at Big Fish PR
Tel: 07738 331019
Email: abigail@bigfishpublicrelations.co.uk