Our top 10 picks of the best spa experiences available in London
AN URBAN RETREAT
The Londoner
The Londoner,the world’s first super boutique hotel in the heart of the West End, has launched The Retreat, a result driven spa and wellness sanctuary, offering individuals a hideaway haven to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy a range of innovative treatments. The Retreat has carefully selected each brand due to their reputation as being experts in their field and using traditional and modern techniques which leaves each guest with the best possible results. Each partnership has also been considered due to their use of patented scientific ingredients alongside their commitment to sustainable practices, an ethos which reflects The Londoner’s green building credentials. Offering a world-class experience tailored to all guests’ needs and requirements, The Retreat’s wide range of amenities and treatments will be accessible to hotel guests and members, designed to improve all functions of the body and mind throughout their stay.
Address: 38 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7DX
Website: www.thelondoner.com
Wellbeing Reset
Pan Pacific London
Raising the Bar for Health and Wellness in the Capital, Pan Pacific London is setting new standards for what wellbeing can offer from both an educational and technological perspective. The newly opened hotel is one of the most innovative health and wellbeing getaways in the Capital integrating physical, emotional, spiritual and nutritional treatments and experiences. The spa treatments combine South East Asian touch, culture and ingredients mixed with Western science and clinical testing along with essential oils being hand-crafted in Thailand using South East Asian ingredients. The treatment menu features everything from one-of-a-kind 24-hour immersive experiences such as ‘flight mode recovery’, ‘sleep programme’ and ‘human performance’ to ‘seasonal ritual’ treatments which are based on the ever-changing weather and the human senses of touch and smell.
Address: 80 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AB
Website: www.panpacific.com
Glamour and high-tech combined
The Spa at the Bulgari Hotel
There’s no way we can look over this spa’s iconic jewellery house heritage, not only is this one of the city’s most iconic brands, but also one of the flashiest. Five floors below the glitzy lobby of the Bulgari Hotel in the heart of Knightbridge, is a fortress of treatment rooms, saunas, swirly-onyx marble steam rooms, ice fountains and a vitality pool. Whilst it’s made easy to spend the whole day grazing amongst the amenities, do book yourself in for a treatment – the list is endless. Including; Ayurvedic healing and up-to-the-minute innovation with LED lights and radio-frequency machines. If you’re looking for something a little more results focused then try one of their specialist facials. The iS Clinical Fire and Ice uses a mild peel and skin-plumping glycolic acid to revive and renew the skin. Last but by no means least, there are the holistic treatments; sleep rituals, breathing exercises and herbal compresses with therapist Susannah Makram, guaranteed to have you needing to be carried out you’ll be so relaxed.
Address: Bulgari Hotel London, 171 Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DW
Website:bulgarihotels.com
Decompression
Ushvani
Just off Sloane Street, the quintessential Grade II-listed Edwardian mansion-house is home to the sanctuary that is Ushvani. The interior immediately sets the scene of how your time at Ushvani will proceed. The walls and staircases are clad in the original Arts and Crafts carved panels,with the scent of hibiscus sweeping through the building. All the treatments as Asian-inspired, with their signature Malay Massage being one of their most popular experiences. The Malay Massage centres on stretching, with the therapist firmly guiding each movement, stopping to concentrate on areas that need more focus. The attention to detail that Ushvani gives to each individual’s experience is one of a kind.
Address: Ushvani, 1 Cadogan Gardens, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2RJ
Website:ushvani.com
Unwind By the River
Hedgrow by Agua at Sea Containers London, South Bank
The Thames-side river hotel has transformed this part of the south bank, and is the home of Hedgerow by Agua, the spa that offers treatments that match your needs with the changing seasons. Agua London may just be the first spa with a seasonal treatment menu designed to use the best of British Hedgerows. House-made herbal salves, butters and blended oils are staples on the signature menu. This winter, the ingredients that Ague Hedgerow is focusing on are rosehips, elderberry and thyme. Winter is associated with nurture, hibernation, rest and resilience and this is why these ingredients have been hand-picked.
Address: Agua London at Sea Containers London, 20 Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PD
Website:seacontainerslondon.com
Muscle Therapy
Akasha at Hotel Cafe Royal, Piccadilly Circus
Hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of one of London’s busiest tourist hotspots, lies an ironically calm urban retreat. With a gym, nine treatment rooms, a hammam, jacuzzi and sauna – you are immediately transported into a whole new world of relaxation and rejuvenation. There are all sorts of treatments available, including facials and massages that will work wonders on any aches, pains and dullness you are experiencing. The luxury ‘Gold Signature Hammam Treatment’ mixes olive soap with 23-carat-gold minerals for a thorough exfoliation. Amongst the many classic treatments that are on offer, there are also a handful of more unusual offerings for those feeling a little more adventurous that include: water treatments in the Watsu pool and an energy healing treatment called ‘Bone setting’ which is run by tai chi master Andy Mack and his son Duran. The aim being: to resolve any tension by creating waves to clear the blockage in the body through both energetic and physical manipulation.
Address: Akasha Holistic Wellbeing, Hotel Café Royal, 50 Regent Street, Piccadilly, London W1B 5AS
Website:hotelcaferoyal.com
Price: bone setting: £150 per 20-minute session
Disconnect
Aire Ancient Baths, Covent Garden
This little pocket of calm in the heart of Covent Garden is the perfect place to rest and rejuvenate, and leave feeling as light as air. The ancient bath experience is a journey of relation in a candlelit historical building, that allows you to lose all track of time. Enjoy pure silence and the dim lights of thousands of candles, the smell of orange blossom and the hum of relaxing tunes that can be heard from under water as you venture from one pool to the next. The Ancient Thermal Bath Experience includes a round of several pools at different temperatures: an ice pool (10oC), cold pool (14oC), warm pool (36oC), hot pool (40oC), the Flotarium (a salt-water pool with salt the density of the Dead Sea) as well as the bath of one thousand jets (36oC), a steam room with aromatherapy, and the relaxation area, where you can rest on heated marble stone and enjoy a cup of tea or fresh fruit juices. The bath experience can be enhanced with a wide range of body treatments and rituals.
Address: 2-3 Robert St, London WC2N 6BH
Website: www.beaire.com
A Traditional Russian Banya
The Russian Bathhouse
Located opposite Buckingham Palace, the bath house provides a must-be-tried take on the famous Russian Banya experience (similar to a coller, more hydrating sauna.) A place for mindfulness to be harnessed and practiced, this is also quite a social experience, especially if you bring a friend for company as you move between the sauna, cold plunge pool and cafe area for an array of Russian food and drink, all while being surrounded by the traditional Mosaic artwork. The bath house also offers exclusive treatments, hand-picked by specialists who will go on to perform a host of traditional therapies from scrubs and wraps, to messages.
Address: 1 Grosvenor Gardens, Belgravia, London, SW1W 0BD
Website: www.russianbanya.co.uk
ANCIENT INDIAN INSPIRED WELLNESS
Jiva Spa at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate
While access to the vitality pool, sauna, steam room and relaxation area is complimentary to all guests staying at London’s Taj 51 Buckingham Gate and St James’ Court, external guests can also book in for treatments at the inviting Jiva Spa. At Jiva, Mediterranean philosophy meets Indian rituals with traditional Indian healing therapies which harness Temple Spa’s results-driven products. The ancient Indian healing therapies and wellness rituals are spectacularly different from any other spa treatment menu you would’ve come across. From aromatic foot baths, heavenly scalp massages and the use of hot compress packed with therapeutic Indian herbs – the 120 minute Nectar of the Gods treatment takes luxury to new heights. So if you’re looking for a spa that brings you something a little different, then Jiva is the place for you.
Address: 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, SW1E 6AF
Website: www.taj51buckinghamgate.co.uk
LUXURIOUS HAMMAMS
Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square
Undeniably, the lap pool and adjoining vitality pool are major selling points to any spa day, but at Ten Trinity, its the beautiful Hammam suite that really differentiates this Spa from many others. If you’re looking for a calming space to simply relax, book in for a 60 or 180 minute treatment, booked for individuals or couples. To add to the exclusivity, luxury CBD wellness brand ‘Apothem’ has teamed up with Four Seasons Trinity Square to launch the UK’s first CBD Hammam Ritual. The treatment will begin with a traditional hammam, where the body will be covered in an exfoliating scrub to cleanse and purify the skin. Next, you’ll be taken to a treatment room to experience a full CBD massage that will stimulate the lymphatic system whilst detoxifying and relaxing the body. If you’re looking to have your skin feeling like pure silk, then this is the treatment for you.
ADDRESS: 10 Trinity Square, Tower, EC3N 4AJ
Website: fourseasons.com/tentrinity
