Huge new £50,000,000 Manchester resort set to be UK’s biggest paid-for attraction

A new era of staycations is on the horizon, with construction now underway on what’s set to become the UK’s biggest paid-for attraction – Therme Manchester.

Located opposite the Trafford Centre, just south of the Bridgewater Canal, this long-awaited £500 million project will turn a corner of the city into a massive spa unlike anything the country has seen before.

Plans were originally revealed way back in 2019 with a view to opening this year, but after years of planning wrangles, legal hurdles and logistical delays, Therme Manchester is now due to welcome guests in late 2028
According to plans however, it looks like it’ll be worth the wait.

When complete, the resort will cover an area the size of 28 football pitches, with tropical heated pools, lush indoor gardens, immersive art, and an indoor beach with more than 30 slides, all under one roof.

Better still, you’ll have no idea you’re in the north of England, as it’ll be kept at a year-round indoor climate of 33°C thanks to a sustainable glass design.

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At Therme Manchester’s heart are three dedicated areas – Play, Relax and Restore – each designed for a different kind of escape.

The Play zone will be perfect for families, featuring wave pools, slides, saunas, steam rooms, family dining and a sunny outdoor beach area.

However, those seeking quieter waters can head to the adults-only Relax and Restore sections, complete with mineral baths, waterfall showers, steam rooms, saunas, outdoor pools and casual dining spaces.

Construction finally began last year, and new drone footage shows real progress on the TraffordCity site, which measures an impressive 11.5 hectares.

Images show a sneak peek outline of Therme’s central hub, previously only ever shown in glossy CGI images, with developers calling this stage the ‘shift from concept to construction’.

Therme Group, the global company behind the project, already runs several vast wellbeing resorts across Europe and has new sites in the works in South Korea, Dubai, Canada, Singapore and the US.

According to Jonathan Lingham, the group’s commercial director, the facility is expected to draw around 1.7 million visitors in its first year with three million annually going forward, which would make it ‘the UK’s largest paid-for tourist attraction’.

While prices haven’t yet been confirmed, its website claims it’ll be ‘designed for everyone’ and ‘will offer a range of ticket options for many budgets.’
Therme’s Bucharest location provides full-day access from around €38 (approximately £32) but it’s unclear whether Manchester will be quite as affordable.

It’s rare to find a UK spa day pass for less than £100 these days – let alone for such a colossal space touted as ‘a holistic experience’ that combines the facilities of a spa and waterpark in one.

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.