Burnley spa named ‘best in world’

The spa at Crow Wood Leisure has this week been named the global winner in the World Luxury Spa Awards.

It had been nominated in the World’s Best Emerging Spa category, which it won. Then a global winner was chosen from 22 categories and The Woodland Spa came out on top, seeing off competition from established luxury spa destinations such as Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Australia, with a record number of 4,433 votes.

Andrew Brown, managing director of Crow Wood Leisure which invested £4.5m. in The Woodland Spa in 2013, doubling its number of staff to 160, said it was a dream come true.

He said the business’ catering arm serves 7,500 covers a month and will exceed sales of £5.6m. when it welcomes its 100,000th visitor this summer.

He said: “The Woodland Spa represented a big investment and a big risk, but we felt that we had the location, the staff and the experience to make it happen. In under two years, we’re approaching our 100,000th customer and The Woodland Spa is being recognised nationally and internationally.

“Despite the quality we offer and the fact that our tremendous team have worked so hard, we were delighted to be in the running for the best global spa award. To win it outright is a dream come true.

“We’re incredibly proud to be promoting Burnley and our region to the world. Gone are the days when Burnley and the surrounding area could be depicted in stereotypical fashion. Cobbled streets and mill chimneys may be our heritage, but our present and our future is one where our town is becoming a destination that offers sophistication and quality.”

Marna Lourens, the executive manager of the World Luxury Spa Awards, said: “We congratulate our overall Global Winner, from Burnley in the UK, The Woodland Spa that came in first with a record number of 4,433 votes. As a luxury emerging spa amongst the world’s best, this is a truly remarkable achievement and we believe that the business will prosper and grow. Maintaining and awarding the highest standards within the global luxury spa sector remain our primary goal.”

This latest accolade completes a highly prestigious hat-trick, as the spa won last year’s UK Day Spa of the Year award and the Best Spa in the North of England.