Review of Pacifica Day Spa, Notting Hill

Pacifica Day Spa, Notting Hill - 4 bubbles

These small, smart treatment rooms provide a relaxing ambience for busy locals. We were impressed by the welcoming staff and the expert Thai treatment.

First impressions?

How did they welcome you?

What happens next?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

How did you feel afterwards?

What happens afterwards?

Long-term effects

Was it worth it?

What else could you have?

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

Pacifica is a little hard to find if you don't know the area. I walked from Notting Hill Gate, got lost, and had to call. The directions Kathleen, the owner, gave me over the phone were then perfectly clear. However, this spa is buried deep within residential Notting Hill, well away from the main roads, and even though it's Number 1 Courtnell Road and on a corner site, it isn't at the top of the road.

Pacifica has the atmosphere of an upmarket shop, with a pleasant ambience in the ground-floor reception area. The reception/service desk is at the back, near the top of the stairs and the door to the relaxation room. There are wicker chairs to sit on while you wait, though nowhere to put anything down, so once you've got your consultation form and a glass of water, you are a juggling act.

How did they welcome you?

Warmly. Kathleen appeared at the top of the stairs, and addressed me by name. I was the only male there that afternoon, and Kathleen had invited us to visit, so I guess it was always likely to be me (and I had just called), but the greeting was personal and welcoming.

What happens next?

Kathleen gave me the Elemis corporate consultation form to fill in, and a glass of water, before leading me downstairs to the treatment area. She showed me into a small treatment room with a narrow bed, and handed me a robe and slippers. There are lockers in a communal area just outside, so I disrobed, slipped into the gown, stepped out, locked my stuff in the cupboard, stepped back in again, took the robe off, and lay down.

Which treatments did you have?

The Thai Herbal Ball massage (75 minutes, £80-- though I had a slightly abbreviated version).

What were the treatments like?

Kathleen began by applying a Thai-scented oil to my back: lots of lime-leaf and coconut aromas, and something slightly less edible, like camphor. She then gave me a strong back massage, informing me -- not entirely surprisingly -- that I was a mass of tension. I'd been experiencing some lower back pain in previous days, and though the pain was hiding itself that day, my shoulder and spinal muscles were very knotty. Kathleen ironed the knots out with great determination, using firm elbow pressure, and advising me to breathe deeply during the moments of greatest discomfort. My right shoulder in particular was very gritty with lactic acid, and took some time, but we got there.

The massage was followed by the herbal ball, a muslin-wrapped bundle of pungent herbal extracts that looked like a giant mushroom, which Kathleen applied red-hot at points along my back.

Kathleen gave me plenty of advice about posture and exercise regimes. The silver bullet will evidently be Pilates. I definitely considered taking up Pilates right away.

After the back treatment, Kathleen went on to shorter massages of my legs, feet, arms and hands. She then asked me to turn face up, placed a warm cloth across my eyes, and performed a longer head massage. She worked the muscles of my neck and applied pressure all along my scalp.

The whole effect was of a fairly vigorous muscular workout, stimulating rather than relaxing but very beneficial.

How did you feel afterwards?

Much more supple, tingling with the after-effects of the pressure massage. The work on my right shoulder left a slight pressure soreness that lasted until the evening. I can't say I felt mentally rested, but that wasn't particularly the aim of this treatment.

What happens afterwards?

Kathleen left the treatment room, and invited me to get dressed again in my own time. I put the gown on, stepped out to retrieve my clothes from the locker, stepped back in again, got dressed, then came back out to the communal area, where Kathleen was waiting. A little tray was laid out with a glass cup of lime-and-ginger tea, a glass of water, and three slices of crisp green apple. Kathleen gave me some more water after I went back upstairs.

Long-term effects

The stiffness in my shoulders disappeared for a while.

Was it worth it?

This is a little difficult to judge. The spa had tried to change my appointment from 2pm to 1.30 at the last minute, which wasn't possible for me. So I got an edited version of the treatment. There would have been more work on my front and some reflexology, too, but later appointments meant those parts had to be ditched. The full treatment, I felt, would be worth it.

What else could you have?

A range of skincare treatments with Elemis and Dermalogica products, body treatments such as exfoliations and mud-wraps, manis, pedis, chocolate waxing, eye treatments, and tanning.

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

That if you're not familiar with the area you might need to take note of the directions!

Who do you think would like it?

Busy locals who like to look after themselves. Pacifica has more of a female ambience. Kathleen did say they'd had one stag booking (though he invited only women to his do), but this spa is very much the kind of place where a bunch of women would get together for an indulgent couple of hours, as indeed was also happening when I was there. The room I was in has a folding door to make an adjacent space for treatments for couples.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Pacifica is a small, smart, efficient set of treatment rooms. The premises are compact, but intelligent use has been made of the downstairs space, which was created when Pacifica was converted from what was a furnishings shop. Pacifica doesn't quite have the fully luxurious ambience for a 5, but is definitely a 4-bubble spa.

See more on how we rate the spas.