Christmas and the New Year can really take it’s toll – eating and drinking too much, family tensions and more besides can leave you out of sorts for the return to work.
To help you recharge your batteries you might want to consider a spa day – these are increasingly popular with both women and men, and there 
are lots of options. You can plump for an exclusive experience at one of London’s feted five star establishments or, at the other end of the scale, go for very traditional treatments in one of the more down-to-earth venues that has been pampering Londoners since the early 20th century. From the enormous number of choices available, here is a selection of five spa days in London that offer experiences at both the plush and the budget ends of the scale.
Where money is no object and you want an unforgettable experience in the most opulent of surroundings, three of the most well-established London spas should fit the bill:
- The Chuan Spa at the historic Langham Hotel on Portland Place offers treatments that have a Chinese influence. In its style-award winning interior patrons can opt for some very indulgent packages, including the Chuan Tao of Detox, a two hour and thirty minute experience which is recommended for international jetsetters who want to bring their body clock back into alignment. Costing £260 for a single person or £450 for a couple, it includes a Toning Body wrap and the signature Chuan mas
sage which focuses on the back, neck and shoulders, finishing off with a Thalgo Oxygen Facial. The Chuan Spa also boasts London’s first luxury Chinese medicine centre. - Ideal to get you back on your feet after the festive indulgences, the decadent Spa at Brown’s Hotel offers several packages which will you give you the energy to face a busy January. The Youth Awakening Ritual, priced at £195 for two hours includes a Fusion full-body massage and a NuBo Ultimate Performance Facial which will give you a real lift. Men can opt for a Nubo Ultimate Performance Facial, which has anti-ageing properties and includes exfoliation, extraction and hydration and which is followed by a scalp and shoulder massage.
- Voted the UK’s Best Day Spa by both Tatler and Condé Nast Traveler, Ushvani in Knightsbridge is probably the most exclusive day spa in London. Hidden behind a very discreet door on Cadogan Gardens it boasts some of the world’s best spa facilities – if this venue can’t reawaken your senses then no-one can! Their massage treatments come in three vareities – Malay, Balinese and their Signature massage and are all £240 for two hours. The Signature treament includes inhalation of the Ushvani Balm, followed by a heated herbal compress to relieve aches and pains. Elements of both of the Eastern massages are then combined with the aim of leaving you feeling refreshed.
If you’re on a budget however there are two notable and historic establishments where you’ll find some of the most vigorous massage in London at real value-for-money prices:
- The Porchester Spa has been plying its trade since the late 1920s – this lovely art deco space has recently been refurbished and offers treatments that a Victorian gentlemen would recognise. The establishment has a full-sized pool, three Turkish hot rooms and an icy cold plunge pool which is traditionally used to cool off. Their treatments include wraps, facials and various massages, but with a ‘Hot Towels’ treatment for only £30 the selection isn’t exactly high end.
- The only local authority-run venue to make the list is the equally inexpensive Spa London at the York Hall Leisure Centre in Bethnal Green. Again this venue has steam rooms, a Turkish hama and plunge pools and offers a menu of no-nonsense options to help you detox. One of the most stimulating is their Escape In The City Salt Scrub (which sounds like it involves twenty five minutes of torture) but you can go for something a little more calming with an ‘MOT for Him’, which involves a back, neck and shoulder massage as well as an Ocean Facial Treatment.
So, whatever it takes to re-energise you to face the New Year, you’ll find something to suit your taste and budget amongst London’s many spas!
This is a sponsored post.
About Pete Stean
