London’s Six Best Affordable Spas
20 January, 2020
Sometimes
a sheet mask just won’t cut it. Catering for the
stressed, well-dressed but financially un-blessed are a set of
savvy spas that are heavy on the pampering and easy on the
tension-inducing price tag. We’ve found London‘s most affordable spas
concealed within shipping containers, behind shopfronts and in the
basement of Mayfair’s mews houses. Now there’s no excuse to scrimp
on self-care.
CBD massages, light-therapy facials and London’s best
budget-friendly self-care
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Masaj
Set within The Gossamer City Project container community near
Cambridge Heath, Masaj is the
poster child for well-curated, urban spa spaces. Potted plants, a
palm-strewn inner courtyard and bottles containing green-beauty
brands give off seriously chilled vibes. The striped-down massage
menu features five signature treatments that combine Thai,
Ayurvedic, strength and sports techniques. Pre-pummelling, sniff
out an essential-oil blend to suit your mood – we like the dreamy
mix of lavender, mandarin and vetiver that’ll send you into
blissful slumber the moment your head hits the massage bed.
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Ilapothecary
Cocooned in between antiques shops and art galleries on Kensington Church Street,
Ilapothecary is an old-world apothecary filled with lotions,
potions and herbal concoctions. Squeeze past the tall wooden
cabinets and drawers overflowing with blended botanicals and into a
cosy treatment space at the back of the store. Treatments are
targeted at combating city stressors such as digital pollution,
stress and fatigue and are individually tailored – thanks to an
in-depth, 50-point questionnaire that will delve into your
emotional, spiritual and physical imbalances. Suffering from
burnout? Try the Digital Detox Facial Therapy designed to alleviate
tech-neck and brighten screen-fatigued eyes.
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Agua Spa at Sea Containers
Hidden in the basement of the Sea Containers hotel on the
South Bank, this 70s-inspired spa is all curved white walls,
psychedelic shapes and white muslin cloths dancing around a Tom
Dixon-designed centrepiece – a bronze raindrop suspended from the
ceiling. In short, it’s seriously gorgeous. Interiors this sleek
usually come with a price tag to match, but prices are pretty
competitive and facials by London-based Soveral are on the
friendlier side of £100. After being preened and polished, settle
into the spa lounge; a duvet, hot water bottle, herbal tea and
multivitamin sorbet will be delivered as and when desired.
Thai Square Spa
Worlds away from the massage you had perched on the pavement in
Khaosan Road during your gap year, Thai Square Spa combines Thai
rituals with Scandi bathing traditions in a relaxing space
smack-bang in the centre of the city. Flit between the sauna, steam
room and cool jacuzzi in the Sen Space to kick-start your
circulation before settling in for a traditional deep-tissue
massage. Strong hands, talented elbows and an ability to read your
body better than a New York Times bestseller will have you skipping
amongst the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, as you emerge refreshed
and realigned.
The House of ELEMIS
Combining beauty couture with skin science, The House of ELEMIS
is the flagship day spa from Britain’s darling skincare experts.
Ideal for those short on time (and change), the subterranean Speed
Spa is geared up for getting city slickers looking slicker. Book in
for the 30-minute Defying Gravity facial that uses lymphatic
drainage techniques and a powerful face mask treatment to reverse
signs of aging, or The Big Reveal which sees high-tech gadgetry and
light therapy visibly soften and smooth skin. The
lunch-break-friendly fixes manage to nail that enviable
glow-on-the-go in the same time that it usually takes to select
your meal deal.
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Cowshed Spa
Of the seven Cowshed Spa’s that graze the capital, it’s the OG
Primrose Hill spot that we find ourselves flocking to every time we
crack a nail/ have a breakout/ need to wear anything open-toed. We
flock here partly for the retro TVs placed in front of the pedicure
chairs, partly for oat-milk lattes from the farmhouse kitchen and
partly for its CBD-infused massage. Cashing in on beauty’s latest
buzz-ingredient, the massage uses MariPharm’s cannabis-plant-packed
oil to take you from moody to manageable, elevating tensions,
stresses and discomfort. Book in on a weekend to dispel those
Sunday scaries.