London Spa

A is for Agua at Sanderson
50 Berners Street, London W1T 2NG
Tel: 0207 300 1414
http://www.sandersonlondon.com/

Billowing white material drapes from ceiling to floor throughout Agua, on the second floor of the Sanderson hotel. As a result, the atmosphere at this Ian Schrager-designed spa is a combination of ethereal serenity and school sanitorium. The sounds of a burbling water feature and whispered murmurs carry through the space.

B is for Blisslondon
60 Sloane Avenue, London SW3 3DD
Tel: 020 7584 3888
www.blissworld.com

Bliss was born in New York City and its vibe is pure Manhattan. On the ground floor, crisply dressed customers sit at four mani-pedi stations, getting their rough edges sanded while leafing through magazines or sipping smoothies. Around them the store buzzes with shoppers. Downstairs, therapists perform services like the Quadruple Thighpass (an anticellulite treatment), Enwrapture (an essential oil wrap) and Muddsage (a mud rub and salt scrub). The spa is compact - best suited to treatment junkies than socialise-and-spa groups.

C is for Champneys, Piccadilly
21A Piccadilly, London W1V 0BH
Tel: 020 7255 8000, 08703 300 300
www.champneys.com

Behind a discreet wooden door on London's hectic Piccadilly thoroughfare, Champney's entrance hall welcomes visitors in grandiose style - all deep reds and creams, adorned with fake Grecian sculptures. The spa itself is located in the basement and in the dimly-lit, narrow corridors, it's easy to lose your bearings at first. Once inside, you find a fully equipped gym, swimming pool, mixed spa pool, and ladies’ sauna and steam room, complete with cold plunge pool and loungers. The piece de resistance is the ornate Grecian swimming pool. During the weekend, clients are a mixture of hotel guests and nouveau riche out for a day of pampering. During the week, the club caters more to corporate guests.

D is for The Dorchester Spa
Park Lane
London
Tel: 020 7629 8888 for appointments
www.dorchesterhotel.com

Specialise in antenatal treatment: It includes a special massage treatment for mums-to-be which is claimed to be deeply relaxing and improves the tonicity and smoothness of the skin. The treatment uses E'spa Nourishing Treatment Oil and begins with a back cleanse and exfoliation, then the entire body is gently exfoliated and massaged before the application of various warm muds. It is followed by a scalp massage and a chance to relax quietly. The treatment is suitable only from the 16th week of pregnancy onwards. The treatment lasts an hour and 30 minutes.

E is for Elemis Day Spa
2-3 Lancashire Court, London W1S 1EX
020 8909 5060
www.elemis.com
elemisdayspa@elemis.com

Tucked into a trendy little cobblestoned courtyard alongside the Versace boutique and trendy bar and restaurant Hush, this day spa prides itself on providing a sensory experience for customers and exotic 'rituals' from places like Morocco, Thailand, India and Polynesia. The effect is an unusual East-meets-West vibe. The waiting room has a Western chic-ness with contemporary furniture and a stock of gorgeous coffee table books. Meanwhile, therapists wear black, Eastern-tailored uniforms and pad around in bare feet. Speciality treatment rooms include the Moroccan Moorish Suite with the heated Rasul room and the Balinese Suite with its slipper bath.

F is for Floatopia
97 Devonshire Road
Chiswick
London W4 2HU

020 8994 0708

As explained by a pre-eminent scientist "floating is a method of attaining the deepest rest that humankind has ever experienced." Essentially, it's spending an hour or so lying quietly in the dark, suspended in a warm solution of Epsom Salt, about 10" deep and so dense that you float effortlessly. Gentle music is played in the tank to help you relax. In short, it's complete mental and physical relaxation.

G is for Gyms
Third Space, 13 Sherwood St, London W1F 7BR
Tel.: 020 74396333

H is for Halo
8, Eagle Court, London, EC1M 5QD
Tel: 020 7253 0400

Beautiful Holistic Day Spa, Natural Energy, Heath & beauty, Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi/Chi Kung, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Thai Yoga, Osteopathy, Life Coaching

I is for Ironmonger Row Baths
Ironmonger Row, London EC1V 3QF
020 7253 4011
www.aquaterra.org

The baths, housed in a grand 1930s building, take you back to an old-worlde atmosphere of community and fraternity. Mothers come to escape their families for a few hours, and senior citizen socialise in the laundry rooms. Low lighting and dark wood create a quiet and relaxed mood in the changing and rest areas, and the baths themselves are a tranquil and refreshing experience.

J is for Apotheke Jurlique Day Spa & Sanctuary
300-302 Chiswick High Road
Chiswick
London
W4 1NP
Tel: 020 8995 2293

K is for Karmaa
Camden Stables Market
Chalk Farm Road, London , NW1 8AN
Telephone: 020 7485 7474

Karmaa specialises in a range of complimentary treatments including yoga, homeopathic remedies, pilates and martial arts. They also have a juice bar.

L is for the Landmark Spa
For a quiet haven away from the stress of everyday life, The Landmark Health Spa provides a sophisticated and relaxing retreat. Together with a superb 15-metre swimming pool, the club offers a fully equipped gym, sauna rooms, steam rooms whirlpool and spa bath. A wide selection of Espa massages and treatments are also available.

M is for The Spa at Mandarin Oriental
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA
020 7838 9888
www.mandarinoriental.com

The Mandarin Oriental Spa, housed in the hotel of the same name, brings together attention to detail with a spa mood as tranquil as the countenance of a Buddhist monk. Upon entering the spa's reception area, I was offered spa sandals on a tray alongside a fresh orchid, before being ushered into the changing room. Around the corner are the Sanarium (a rainforest-hot steam room), the Vitality Pool (with ah-inspiring alternating hydrotherapy body jets) and a multi-jet shower.

N is for *SPAce.NK
127-131 Westbourne Grove, London W24UP
020 7727 8002
www.spa-nk.com
enquiries@spa-nk.com

Spa NK is designed as a peaceful yet energising day retreat aimed at promoting inner quiet and enhanced personal well-being. Low lighting and neutral colours conspire to create a serene mood, yet the friendly staff save the experience from overwrought solemnity. In the spacious treatment rooms you can choose the music and incense oils you want during your treatment.

O is for Oasis Swimming Pools, Central London
Oasis Sports Centre,
32 Endell Street, London WC2H 9AG
Tel: 0207 831 1804

A 90 ft x 33 ft outdoor pool, 1.0 to 3.5m deep (originally the deep end was 11 ft 6 ins), open all year round, except Christmas, Boxing and New Year's Days. For opening hours see the website below, but in winter it is normally from 07:30 to 21:00 weekdays and 09:30 to 17:30 weekends and Bank Holidays. Admission also includes access to the 25 x 9 m indoor pool.

P is for Prestige Health & Beauty Spa Ltd
324, King St, London, W6 0RR
Tel: 0800 8566060

Q is for Queensway health club
Whiteleys Centre, Queensway, London W2 4YN
Tel.: 020 75353100

This spa is only 2 minutes from the The Abbey Court hotel: www.abbeycourthotel.co.uk and only 3 minutes from the beautiful Abbey Court Hotel: www.abbeycourthotel.co.uk

R is for Rosebery Rooms
168 Clerkenwell Rd, EC1R 5DE 020 7833 3820

A 21st Century, private members, urban day spa for everyday face, mind and body maintenance. Four treatment rooms on the Bloomsbury/Clerkenwell borders in an intimate, underground escape space at the corner of Rosebery Avenue and Clerkenwell Road.

S is for The Sanctuary
12 Floral Street, London WC2E 9DH
0870 770 3350
www.thesanctuary.co.uk

The Sanctuary is the grande dame of London spas. Women wander around in robes and swimsuits; snooze and read in the Koi Carp lounge (beside a large pool of the Japanese fish); and blithely go from treatment rooms to sauna, swimming pools, restaurant and back again.

T is for Turkish Bath Experience
Bently Hotel, Kensington, London

Delight the senses in the exotic setting of a traditional 'hamam' imported piece by marble piece from the heart of Asia Minor. This recently-opened hotel in South Kensington pampers you with the ultimate in self-indulgent luxury in its sensational spa. Feel the stresses of modern urban life drain away whilst luxuriating in the opulent setting of dove-grey marble and fragrant olive soaps. Let the hamam's gently wafting steam invigorate the pores, de-toxing and refreshing, and giving your skin the elasticity and healthy glow of youth

www.intotheblue.co.uk
01959 578100

U is for Unlisted London Limited
Davies House
33 Davies Street
Mayfair, London W1K 4LR
Tel: 0870 2255 007
Fax: 020 7584 5041
info@unlistedlondon.co.uk
www.unlistedlondon.co.uk

Until now, good body maintenance has been all about geography. Londoners race across town from hair colourist to manicurist to trainer – juggling appointments around work schedules, family diaries and social commitments. Now, geography is irrelevant. Unlisted provides the solution for those with busy lives and those who demand unconditional privacy. Unlisted London delivers the spa experience wherever and whenever you choose.

V is for Virgin Spa
Acton 0208 600 9638,
Islington 0207 014 9745,
Wandsworth 0208 704 0445

Indulgent, luxurious and decadent, or relaxing, rejuvenating and tranquil – we’ll help you feel thoroughly spoilt like a pampered princess or like you’re floating in an oasis of calm.

W is for The Weymouth Basement
A 21st Century, private members, urban day spa for everyday face, mind and body maintenance. Two beautiful, naturally-lit treatment rooms in a private basement off just Marylebone High Street.

Opening: late October 2006.
www.kumariclub.com

X is for X-press beauty
Saks, Tower Street, Covent Garden.
0845 600 59 59

Instant Tan - a brand new mist-on 6 second self-tanning booth, exclusive to Saks; the Oxygenator - a revolutionary, anti-ageing facial treatment that uses hyaluron administered via a fast, pain-free, non-invasive method to achieve a more youthful complexion; Collagenics injectables clinic - specializing in treatments such as Collagen Replacement Therapy, Botox, and Restylane, Collagenics offer facial contouring, lip enhancement, and other popular injectable procedures; an express nail bar

Y is for Yoga
London Yoga Classes - Pregnancy yoga, Antenatal yoga, Intermediate yoga, Advanced Yoga, Beginners Yoga, Meditation. Experienced yoga teacher and practitioner, qualified and registered with the British Wheel of Yoga, The Satyananda (Bihar School of Yoga) and Sivananda School of Yoga. Classes all over London

Email Shakti Murti at: enquiries@goyoga.net

Telephone and leave a message for Shakti Murti, the yoga teacher on:
0208 675 7529 - landline
07984 177 505 - mobile

Z is for Zoom Zone
City Spa zoom zone - 30 minute treatments. If your time is even more precious and even an hour is too long in your hectic life, then try the Zoom zone for the ultimate speed indulgence. Again, after a brief consultation you will have your feet exfoliated in a refreshing foot spa, two therapists will indulge you with the blissful synchronised massage, easing away tension in your head, face, hands and feet.

The zone out massage takes place at Groom, Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, London (2 mins form Harrod's)

4 Star central London hotel: www.abbeycourthotel.co.uk

3 Star central London hotel: www.abbeycourthotel.co.uk