Still
water
From May to September the river doors stand open, and you rest at the level of the water.
A day spa in a Victorian boathouse on the Thames at Caversham.
Sauna, steam room and cold plunge, massage and facials, and spa days with lunch.
Book a treatment
Spa days
A boathouse from 1896, a sauna from Värmland
The boathouse from the river.
Elin Sandberg grew up between Caversham and her grandmother's cabin on a lake in Värmland, in Sweden, where the sauna was lit every Saturday and everyone swam afterwards, whatever the weather. She trained as a massage therapist and spent twelve years in hotel spas in London before she came home.
In 2017 she found this boathouse, empty since the last skiff was mended here. Her husband Sam, a joiner, spent eighteen months restoring it. He kept the oak roof trusses, the slipway and the two tall river doors, painted the boards the deep red of the cabins in Värmland, and built the sauna from the boathouse's own larch cladding.
1896
Built for a house on the hill
2011
The last skiff repaired
2019
Opened in May
Heat, steam, cold, and the river
£38
for two hours, on its own
On the ground floor, where the boats were kept. With any treatment of 60 minutes or more, an hour in the thermal suite is included.
The sauna
Heated by wood and lit at eight every morning, with ash and birch from a woodyard in Sonning Common.
The steam room
Warm and wet, with showers between the heat and the cold.
The cold plunge
Kept at 10 degrees, for after the sauna.
The Boat Room
Loungers at the level of the water, and tea always on.
Bring a swimsuit. Everything else is here.
Book the thermal suite
“I came for a massage and stayed two hours in the Boat Room watching the rowers go by. My phone was in the locker the whole time, and I didn't miss it.”
Sophie, Emmer Green
Treatments
Massage, facials and body treatments. Those of an hour or more come with an hour in the thermal suite.
Book a treatment
Massage
60 or 90 minutes
The Stillwater massage
Slow and unhurried: long strokes and warm oil, from your feet to your scalp.
60 min
£85
90 min
£120
Deep tissue
Firmer, slower pressure, worked into the back, shoulders and legs.
60 min
£92
90 min
£128
Hot stone
Smooth river stones, warmed and used as part of the massage.
60 min
£92
90 min
£128
Facials
The river facial
Cleanse, exfoliation, a mask chosen for your skin, and a face, neck and shoulder massage.
60 min
£82
The long facial
Everything in the river facial, with a scalp massage, and a hand and arm massage while the mask sets.
90 min
£115
Body
Salt scrub
Sea salt and oil, all over, then a warm shower.
45 min
£60
Scrub and wrap
The salt scrub, then a warm wrap while your scalp is massaged.
75 min
£98
Spa days, for one or two
Every spa day includes the thermal suite, a robe and slippers, and lunch in the Loft.
The Half Day
£150
a person
About four hours
A 60-minute treatment of your choice The thermal suite Lunch in the Loft
The Long Day
£255
a person
10am to 5pm
A 90-minute Stillwater massage The river facial The thermal suite Lunch, then tea and cake in the afternoon
Two by the Water
£290
for two
About four hours
60-minute massages side by side, in our double room on the river The thermal suite Lunch for two, and a pot of tea on the deck
Saturdays and Sundays are £20 more a person. A spa day takes a £50 deposit a person when you book, which comes off on the day.
Book a spa day
“Two by the Water for our anniversary. The sauna, lunch under the beams, the river. The quietest Saturday we've had in years.”
Dev and Hannah, Henley
Lunch in the Loft
Two courses from Marta and Joe: soup or a warm salad, then a seasonal plate, with bread baked in the Loft and pots of tea. Lunch is vegetarian; tell us about any allergies when you book.
At the long table under the roof trusses, or on the deck in summer.
How a visit works
A quiet house
Voices stay low, phones stay in the lockers, and there is no music in the Boat Room. Only the river.
1
Arrive 15 minutes early
We'll show you round, and you'll fill in a short form about you and your treatment.
2
Your robe is in your locker
So are your slippers and towels. Bring a swimsuit for the thermal suite.
3
Your phone stays there too
Everyone's does, so the house stays quiet.
4
Stay a while
After your treatment, stay as long as your booking allows. Tea is always on in the Boat Room.
Step-free
The thermal suite, the Boat Room and two treatment rooms are on the ground floor. The Loft is up one flight of stairs.
Who comes
The house is for over-16s. If you are pregnant, please tell us when you book.
Moving or cancelling
Give us 48 hours and nothing is lost. With less notice, we keep the deposit or charge half the treatment.
Book a treatment or a spa day
Tell us what you'd like and when, and we'll confirm it with you. Or ring us on 0118 496 0155.
Gift vouchers
For any treatment or spa day, or for any amount from £25. Ring or email us and we'll send it the same day, by email or by post in a card. Vouchers are good for twelve months.
Call 0118 496 0155
Email us
Request this booking
At the end of Promenade Road
Promenade Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 8BZ
On foot
Twelve minutes from Reading station, over Christchurch Bridge and along the meadows.
By car
We have no parking of our own. The pay-and-display at Hills Meadow is five minutes' walk along the river.
By boat
Ring ahead, and you can tie up at our landing stage.
Tuesday to Friday
9am–8pm
Saturday
9am–6pm
Sunday
10am–5pm
Monday
Closed
Call 0118 496 0155