A Spa Day Inside a Castle: Our Dalhousie Castle Experience

Thinking it would be really cool to say we got a massage inside a castle, we took the short drive just outside Edinburgh to Dalhousie Castle & Spa - and honestly, it did not disappoint on that front!

We booked massages that included time in their thermal spa suite, which had more going on than we expected. We're talking a hydro therapy pool with this incredibly fun water massage bubbly bed, a steam room, sauna, foot soak, and solarium. It was a whole little world tucked inside a castle, which already felt kind of surreal.

We had assumed we'd be having a couples massage, but as it turns out, you take turns - one person gets their massage while the other stays in the spa area. Honestly? We were totally fine with it. It just meant more time soaking in the hydro pool, and the unexpected bonus was that we basically had the entire spa to ourselves. When Gary was getting his massage, I had the whole place to myself, and then we swapped. There's something really special about floating around in a hydro pool in complete silence inside a medieval castle…  I wasn't mad about it at all.

A Few Honest Notes

I want to be upfront about a couple of things, because I think they're worth knowing before you go. The changing rooms are very small and a little chaotic, staff came in multiple times while I was trying to get changed. For me personally it wasn't a big deal since it was someone of the same gender, but Gary had a different experience with that, and it caught him completely off guard. It's a minor thing, but worth knowing so you're not surprised!

The walk to the massage room, though? Absolutely loved it. We were taken through what felt like a hidden passageway winding through the castle - dim, ancient, full of character. That alone was worth the trip for the novelty factor.

As for the massage itself, it was on the lighter side…  more of a gentle, relaxing touch rather than anything that's going to work out deep muscle tension. If you're going in hoping for a therapeutic deep-tissue situation, you might want to adjust expectations. But if you're looking for something calming and atmospheric? Being in that setting after a long soak absolutely did the trick.

Afternoon Tea at the Castle

After the spa, we headed up to the tea room for afternoon tea at the castle… because when in a castle, right? In full transparency, it wasn't our favorite afternoon tea of the trip. If you've done afternoon tea at the Signet Library or Edinburgh Castle, this one doesn't quite measure up. It leaned heavily on the sweet side with not as much balance or variety as we'd come to love elsewhere. Still a lovely setting, of course, but if afternoon tea is your main event, I'd prioritize those other spots first.

The Verdict

Despite a few hiccups, we had a genuinely wonderful afternoon and I'd absolutely recommend the experience - especially because there's something really unique right on the castle grounds: a falconry. You can walk the grounds and admire the gorgeous birds, but we actually went a step further and did an owl encounter there. But that's a story for another post! 🦉

Overall, Dalhousie Castle is one of those experiences that's less about perfection and more about the story you get to tell afterward. Getting a spa day and afternoon tea inside a centuries-old Scottish castle? Yeah, I'd do it again.