A BURNLEY spa is soaking up the praise after being named the best in the country at a prestigious awards ceremony.

The £4.5million Woodland Spa, part of the Crow Wood Leisure complex off the M65, won the title Day Spa of the Year at the prestigious Professional Beauty Awards 2014 — just 12 months after opening.

Spa manager Karen Ashworth travelled to London for the presentation ceremony with other staff.

She said: “We’re delighted that our hard work, attention to detail and our philosophy has been recognised by this amazing award.

“We believe we’re delivering the most luxurious and indulgent spa experience in the north of England.

“Our spa aims never to be pretentious and the welcome here is always warm and the luxury treatments simply divine.”

The spa, which fought off competition from across the country, boasts one of Europe’s largest hydrotherapy pools and a unique serenity pool.

The award comes as work on luxury new accommodation is taking place to provide three double bedrooms in addition to an apartment for up to eight people at Crow Wood.

Andrew Brown, managing director, said: “We’re very proud of what we have created and we’re very proud that we’ve created it here in Burnley. We’re staunch supporters of the town and are pleased that we are helping to place Burnley in a positive light.

“We’re also delighted to announce that work has begun on developing new luxury accommodation which will be open by June 2014.”