Buxton's spa sparkles as it is named best in UK

The Devonshire Spa team - Dr Peter Dewhurst, Dr Sarah Rawlinson, Yvonne Huxley, Isobel Stockdale, Louise Buxton, Sian Jones, Victoria Rosamond; kneeling Amy Robinson and Lorraine Baker.

The spa, based at the University of Derby’s Buxton campus in the Devonshire Dome, beat some of the most luxurious day spas in the country - including the Urban Retreat at Harrods - to the title of Professional Beauty magazine’s Day Spa of the Year 2016.

A commercial business, the Devonshire Spa gives students aiming to make a career in spa management the best training for the real world.

Isobel Stockdale, head of spa and tourism at the university, said: “The award is a testament to what we do, providing the industry with work-ready graduates.

“More importantly, as a university, this demonstrates to potential students that here we offer an experience which is considered first class in the real world.”

The victory at The Brewery in London is the icing on the birthday cake for the university’s Buxton Campus – which celebrates a decade of university education in Buxton this year.

It was the second time in the finals for the Devonshire Spa, which began operating in 2006 – the same year as the campus was officially opened by Prince Charles.

Sian Jones, manager at the Devonshire Spa, said: “This is an incredible achievement for the Devonshire Spa and everyone who has worked so hard along the journey. “The spa strives to become a centre of excellence, benchmarking the industry leaders of the future.”

Graduates have often gone on to take up work at management level in the industry as soon as they pick up their degrees.