The Canvas Room, The Gainsborough Bath Spa

The Gainsborough is Bath's five-star spa hotel — the only one with access to the city's natural thermal waters — and its afternoon tea works best as part of a wider treat rather than a standalone outing. Served in the calm Canvas Room lounge from an indicative ~£40 per person (around ~£80 for two), the menu lists finger sandwiches, miniature pastries and scones with clotted cream and homemade jams, plus a genuinely wide tea list that spans world blends and the hotel's own signature Gainsborough blend. Reviewers describe the food and service as assured rather than theatrical; where it pulls ahead is the option to combine tea with a spa session under one roof, a few minutes from Bath Spa station. Choose it over the Pump Room for a quieter, more restful afternoon; choose the Pump Room if the room itself is the point.