Wellness in St Andrews

Sep 4

4 min read

Our own guide to looking after yourself in this town — who we recommend right by the shop, the activities worth booking, and everything else — galleries, shopping, food and a few good day trips.

Recommended near the shop

Five of our own favourites — the ones we'd send a friend to without hesitating.

The Crystal Shop Scotland • Us — 61 South Street. Obviously we want you to come vsiit! Family-run, all-female team, since 1997 — start (or end) here.
Pink Health and Fitness • Women-only gym — Unit 3, Tom Stewart Lane. Classes and personal training, in a women-only space.
Remedy by Jayne McGhie • Skin & beauty — South Street. Facials and high-end beauty treatments from a founder named among Scotland's Top 100 Businesswomen.
Wild Scottish Sauna • Sauna & sea plunge — West Sands Beach. Wood-fired sauna and a cold dip — pre-book, sessions sell out.
CombiniCo • Korean & Japanese — 91 South Street. Our go-to for Korean and Japanese bowls and sushi — a proper refuel.

Activities

From a wood-fired sauna to a cold-water dip, a wild swim or a proper stretch — the things worth booking ahead.

Blown Away — West Sands Beach. Surf lessons, yoga and sand-sailing — day sessions or a full retreat.
East Sands & the Pier Walk — St Andrews Harbour. The famous walk beneath the Cathedral — one of the town's oldest traditions.
Lade Braes Walk — Lade Braes, St Andrews. A peaceful mile-long walk along the Kinness Burn, right into town.
Castle Sands — Below St Andrews Castle. A tidal pool by the ruins, for a proper cold dip.
West Sands — West Sands Beach. Two miles of beach for a stunning, clear-your-head walk.
The Himalayas Putting Green — The Scores, next to the R&A. A quirky, hilly putting green in the heart of town — no clubs required.
Golf Driving Range — St Andrews Links Practice Centre. Practice facilities open to all, right by the Eden Course.
Hot Yoga — Hot House Yoga, 7 Largo Road
Kohler Waters Spa — Old Course Hotel. A full spa day — worth the taxi.
Reiki — At Escape, 57 South Street
St Andrews Botanic Garden — Canongate. 18 acres of glasshouses and woodland walks — a quiet half-hour away from everything.
Pink Health and Fitness — Unit 3, Tom Stewart Lane. Women-only gym — classes and personal training, in a supportive space.
Wild Scottish Sauna — West Sands Beach. Wood-fired sauna and a sea plunge. Pre-book — sessions sell out.

Museums & galleries

Local art, university history and the story of the game the town is named for.

Gallery Franklin — 53 South Street. Contemporary British art — formerly the Fraser Gallery, est. 1862.
Sproson Gallery — 138 South Street. Original paintings and prints, including St Andrews-themed work, with a bespoke framing service.
Smedley Fine Art — 99 Market Street. A new gallery for modern British and Scottish art, shown in an intimate, homely setting.
Artery Gallery — South Street (number to confirm). Local Scottish art, family-run.
MUSA — The Scores. Museum of the University of St Andrews.
R&A World Golf Museum — Bruce Embankment. The history of golf, at its home.
St Andrews Preservation Trust Museum & Garden — 12 North Street. A small local-history museum with a lovely walled garden behind it.
Bell Pettigrew Museum — Bute Building, Queen's Terrace. Free natural-history museum of fossils and taxidermy — open to the public during Fife school holidays.

Shopping

Crystals, fragrance, jewellery and a few one-off finds — all an easy walk from each other.

The Crystal Shop Scotland — 61 South Street. Us — family-run, all-female team, since 1997.
Ostara — 165 South Street. Sustainable, ethically sourced clothing.
Jo Malone London — 10 Bell Street
Sheila Fleet Jewellery — 2 Bell Street. Scottish-made jewellery by Orkney designer Sheila Fleet.
Islander — 120 Market Street. Make your own Harris Tweed bag — a workshop, not just a shop.
Fable — 201 South Street. Antiques, folklore and folk art.
Farmore Interiors — 175 South Street. Eclectic home & interiors.
The Gift Gallery — 142 Market Street

Food

Coffee, treats and proper meals, from an ice cream institution to St Andrews' newest table.

The Adamson — South Street. Restaurant & cocktail bar.
Amber — 159 South Street. Mediterranean flavours, a South American touch — chef Dean Banks' newest.
CombiniCo — 91 South Street. Korean and Japanese bowls and sushi — one of our own top picks.
Jannettas Gelateria — 31 South Street. Fifth-generation, among the best ice cream in the world.
Neighbours Café — 81 South Street. Turkish coffee and baklava.
Fisher & Donaldson — 13 Church Street. Century-old Fife bakery — famous for its fudge doughnuts.
Five Acres — 68 Market Street. Fresh, local, seed-to-plate — for something nourishing.

Nearby day-trips

A short drive from town, for anyone with an extra half-day to spare.

The Scottish Countryman — Crail. A bird-of-prey experience — get up close with owls and hawks.
Crail Pottery — 75 Nethergate, Crail. A long-running working pottery in a picturesque harbour village — browse or buy handmade ceramics.
Scotland's Secret Bunker — Near Anstruther. A Cold War nuclear bunker, hidden beneath a farmhouse.
Cambo Gardens — Kingsbarns. A walled garden, woodland burn walk and beach access, with a lovely café.
Elie Chain Walk — Elie. A coastal scramble with chains and ladders — wear shoes you don't mind getting wet.
Fife Coastal Path — All along the coast. Pick any stretch for a proper clifftop walk.
Elie Beach — Elie. A quieter, prettier beach day than the crowds at West Sands.

The Crystal Shop Scotland · 61 South Street, St Andrews KY16 9QR