The Spa at Killeavy Castle Estate

What a spa day looks like

The heart of the spa is the hydro pool — a warm pool set behind a wall of glass, with the walled garden and the green flank of Slieve Gullion filling the view. Around it sits the thermal suite: a sauna, a steam room and experience showers that run cool and aromatic, plus an outdoor hot tub for the fresh-air moment between the warm rooms. A relaxation room gives you somewhere quiet to lie back with a drink of water between sessions. Spa-day packages typically pair thermal-suite time and a spell in the relaxation area with a treatment — an Elemis or Caudalie facial, a massage or a body treatment in the treatment rooms — and many finish with a traditional afternoon tea. Reviewers keep returning to the same words: spotless, warm and welcoming, with the mountain views doing a lot of the work.

Mountain-view hydro pool behind floor-to-ceiling glass Thermal suite — sauna, steam and drench showers Outdoor hot tub for the fresh-air pause Quiet relaxation room between sessions Elemis and Caudalie facials, massages and body treatments Robes, slippers and towels provided

Good to know before you go:

This is an adults' spa, not a family leisure pool — the spa and thermal suite are not open to under-16s, and treatments are for ages 18 and over. Everything is pre-booked, so plan ahead, especially for weekends. Confirm hours and package details with the spa when you book.

What to bring

🩱SwimwearNeeded for the hydro pool and thermal suite — robes, slippers and towels are provided.

⏰A little time in handArrive about 30 minutes before your first treatment to change and start unwinding.

💧Water bottleThe thermal rooms are warm — a drink between sessions keeps you comfortable.

👟Comfy shoes for afterEstate walks and the castle grounds are on the doorstep if you fancy some air.

Everything before you go

Cost

Spa days and treatments are priced per package. Prices aren't fixed on a single list, so contact the spa for current rates and to book. Gift vouchers are available.

Opening / hours

Open to guests and the public seven days a week, roughly 8am to 8pm. Hours can change around private events and the festive period — confirm when you book.

Age policy

An adults' spa. The spa and thermal suite are not open to under-16s, and you must be 18 or over to book a treatment. It is not a family leisure pool.

What you'll enjoy

A mountain-view hydro pool, a thermal suite (sauna, steam room and experience/drench showers), an outdoor hot tub and a relaxation room, plus Elemis and Caudalie facials, massages and body treatments in the treatment rooms.

What's included

Robes, slippers and towels are provided. Spa-day packages typically include thermal-suite time, relaxation-room time, a treatment and often a traditional afternoon tea.

What to bring

Your own swimwear for the pool and thermal facilities. Arrive around 30 minutes before your first treatment.

Parking

Free on-site parking at the estate.

Gift vouchers

Spa and estate gift vouchers are available to buy.

The setting

The spa sits within Killeavy Castle Estate, a restored Gothic castle hotel on the slopes of Slieve Gullion in the Ring of Gullion. Estate and guest walks are on the doorstep.

How long to allow

Half a day for a spa day; allow the full afternoon if you add treatments and afternoon tea.

Address

12 Ballintemple Road, Killeavy, Newry, County Armagh, BT35 8LQ

Spa bookings

Phone the spa on 028 3044 7999, or the estate on 028 3044 4888.

Questions

Before you go

Do I need to book?

Yes. Spa days and treatments are pre-booked through the spa — it's not a walk-in leisure pool. Weekends fill up, so book ahead and arrive about 30 minutes before your first treatment.

Can children come?

No — this is an adults' spa. The spa and thermal suite are not open to under-16s, and you must be 18 or over to book a treatment. If you're after a family swim, this isn't the spot.

What will I enjoy?

A mountain-view hydro pool, a thermal suite with sauna, steam and drench showers, an outdoor hot tub and a relaxation room, plus Elemis and Caudalie facials, massages and body treatments. It was named Ulster Tatler Spa of the Year in 2023.

What's included, and what should I bring?

Robes, slippers and towels are provided; bring your own swimwear for the pool and thermal facilities. Spa-day packages usually include thermal-suite and relaxation time, a treatment and often a traditional afternoon tea.

When is it open?

Open to guests and the public seven days a week, roughly 8am to 8pm. Hours can shift around private events and the festive season, so confirm when you book.

Getting there

The Spa at Killeavy Castle Estate is at 12 Ballintemple Road, Killeavy, Newry, County Armagh, BT35 8LQ — just south of Newry, on the slopes of Slieve Gullion in the Ring of Gullion. There's free parking on-site at the estate. To book the spa, phone 028 3044 7999. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google Maps Official website See it on our map

Nearby

Make more of the day

Slieve Gullion Forest ParkForest drive, walks and the courtyard — minutes away More days out around NewrySee what else is close by

The story

The castle and the mountain

Killeavy Castle was built in the 1830s as a country house on the eastern slopes of Slieve Gullion, the mountain at the centre of the Ring of Gullion — a great ring of hills thrown up around an ancient volcano, and one of the more storied landscapes in Ireland. For a long stretch of the twentieth century the house sat empty and slowly fell into ruin, its stone walls and battlemented tower left to the weather.

A restoration in the years leading up to 2019 brought the castle and its walled garden and farmland back to life as a hotel and estate, and the spa was built as part of that new chapter — a low, glass-walled building set into the hillside so the warm water inside looks straight out at the green flank of the mountain. In 2023 the spa was named Spa of the Year at the Ulster Tatler Awards, and the estate has picked up hotel honours alongside it.

What sells the place isn't any one treatment — it's the setting. You float in a warm pool with the mountain in the window, step out to a hot tub in the open air, and afterwards you can walk it off on the estate trails or head a few minutes on to Slieve Gullion Forest Park. It's a grown-up day, and it leans on the landscape to do the rest.