The London hotel spas that best match your pampering needs
Words: Elisa Bray
Best for Facials
020 7321 3050
Set over four floors, with 17 treatment pods, ESPA Life is one of the largest spas in Europe. The black-marble space offers the most glamorous bridal pampering, and you’ll be pushed to find a better choice of luxurious facials. Choose from six options (£125- £190) to bring out your glowing wedding complexion. For the most radiant skin, opt for Cellular Hydration. Deep cleanses (aiding lymphatic drainage) are followed by a generous facial massage, working nourishing serum into the skin. There’s also steaming and exfoliation along the way.
Best for Massages
020 7201 1699
High above Knightsbridge, The Berkeley’s Bamford Haybarn Spa is a welcome respite for busy brides-to-be. It spirits you away from the city bustle to the tranquillity of the countryside, with its pool on the seventh floor and a secret garden overlooking Hyde Park. De-stress with the Bamford Body Signature Treatment (£175 for 90 minutes), a blissful massage to relieve muscles, detoxify organs and get that energy flowing around your body. A pressure-point massage to your face, neck, shoulders and head will create a much-needed sense of calm and wellbeing, preparing you for the big day.
Best for Calming
020 3147 7305
If wedding planning is proving exhausting and robbing you of much-needed beauty sleep, try The Connaught’s signature treatment Inspired by the Americas, which is designed to relieve tension while promoting a quiet mind and restorative sleep patterns. After a foot bathing ritual using cleansing herbs, a therapist will soothe you with a stone massage. Then a clay body wrap will leave your skin silky smooth. After the two-and-a-half hour treatment (£280) head for the Aman Spa’s ionised swimming pool, with its cascading water wall – a haven if you need a break from bridal shopping.
Cowshed
Best for Mani-pedis
020 7534 0870 for Carnaby Street branch
The beauty of Cowshed is the three levels of manicure and/or pedicure you can choose from. Express treatments (a 30-minute pedi is £40), which get your nails fit for purpose, cater for the busiest of brides. The ‘Ultimate’ options, meanwhile, will have weary feet and weather-worn hands feeling and looking their best. The indulgent 75-minute pedicure (£70) includes a leg and foot massage, as well as a scalp and shoulder massage, while the feet are softened with a hydration mask. Hands (£60 for an hour) are treated to exfoliation followed by a hydration mask and massage.
Best for Threading
020 7300 1000
Book a whole afternoon off to enjoy the spa at One Aldwych. Have your eyebrows shaped and tinted in half an hour (15 minutes for each treatment, £20 and £15 respectively), and then enjoy a dip in one of London’s best pools. It has a chlorine-free, mineral-based cleaning system that uses no harsh chemicals, so it’s gentle on your pre-wedding skin. There’s also an underwater music system and soft mood lighting around the pool. All in all, it’s a lovely environment from which to escape wedding-planning stress.
But what about your man? We’ve got him covered here.
This article was first published in SquareMeal Weddings 2017