Review of Sofitel London Heathrow , Hayes

Sofitel London Heathrow - 4 bubbles

Single Spy and Sybaritic Spy found themselves on an early morning flight to Germany. What to do? Oh, check into the Sofitel at Terminal 5 and enjoy a little light spa treatment the day before. What a find! The spa is small, but chic, and perfectly placed for an unwind before or after your travels.

Was it easy to book?

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?

Any special features?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

Was it easy to book?

Yes. And the staff were very helpful when we had to change the times of our treatments, too.

First impressions?

You can reach the hotel either via road or via the airport. The grandly designed Sofitel is joined to Terminal 5 via some umbilical walkways. Lots of them, and long, designed for trundling suitcases. But down the neon escalators, you arrive in an ultra-modern, very stylish and light reception area. The hotel is large (605 bedrooms), new, and full of high-tech touches, such as the glass lifts that you need your room key-card to operate.

How did they welcome you?

Professionally at the hotel reception desk. They couldn't find my booking as it had been booked in someone else's name, but they tracked it down and offered to show me to my room. I thought I could manage the reading of the signs all by myself and set off. On my journey, I could see why they'd offered a chaperone: even though I conquered the lift operation, the hotel layout is a little confusing, with lots of eerily similar corridors at right angles. I dumped my case in my room, which was comfortable, clean, overlooked an indoor atrium, and had Wi-Fi access (at a charge) as well as a large plasma TV, then headed down to meet my fellow Spy. We had a little tea in the tea salon (Earl Grey, and very enjoyable) before making our way to the spa, which is on the lower ground floor. You may like to note this, as the signs from our rooms to the spa fizzled out somewhere along the way. We wended our way along corridors, glided down in the glass lift, nearly ended up in the car park by mistake, but got there in the end. (We're told that more efficient geographical orientation is on order.) Once you're in the basement, you need to go through the doors on the right and you'll reach the spa reception desk.

What happens next?

Carly, the spa manager, welcomed us politely, and took us on a little tour of this ESPA spa. The focus is on natural woods and a clean, contemporary feel. The treatment rooms are large, and comfortable. The relaxation room is large, nicely done in pale brick, which doesn't make it feel "underground" (although it is). Some bright lime-green cushions on the six loungers lighten the atmosphere, and there are water jugs and a bowl of fruit, too. I could have done with a bit more in the way of magazines (but maybe they were temporarily low owing to a recent flood). The spa is surprisingly quiet; you wouldn't know that you were next-door to one of Europe's busiest travel hubs.

It's a bit hard to get your bearings in this spa, which is like a small labyrinth. There are five treatment rooms and a "hydro suite", which has a vitality pool, an aromatherapy steam room, and a sauna. There is also a fair-sized gym. What there isn't is a hammam (even though the hotel's website promises one!)

Carly then took us through to the small changing rooms. Inside our lockers were robes. I expected some sort of slippers, but didn't get any, although my fellow Spy found some somewhere. The changing rooms were clean, but you wouldn't want too many people in there at once.

Which treatments did you have?

Sybaritic Spy had the Advanced Back, Face and Scalp treatment with hot stones, which she loves as it gives a bit of love to all the significant bits of you. I was on a quest to check out the gym, the hydro-suite, and perhaps a little pedicure if time allowed. Turned out, it did.

The gym is full of the latest equipment, some with its own TV screens (bring your own headphones). I particularly enjoyed the cross-trainer that turned on a little fan after a few minutes to cool me down automatically! There is a tray containing plastic cups by the door as you enter, but the water fountain is at the far end of the gym. Perhaps this is to give you extra exercise.

What were the treatments like?

The hydrotherapy area at The Spa at The Sofitel does not have a swimming pool, but a vitality pool with a variety of excitements. This is unusual for a hotel swimming pool, but great, as there are no shouty children present (they aren't allowed in). As there is a charge for hotel residents to access the pool area, this keeps the pool exclusive and quiet. There are eight loungers round the pool, so you can curl up and relax. There are jugs of water here, too.

The vitality pool has two swan pipes, chairs with bubbly jets, and a lying-down area. I tried them all. The swan pipes come on automatically, which can make you jump if you've begun to drift off.

The sauna and the steam room are adjacent to the pool, reached through a little curved corridor with an unusual floor covering of pebbles recessed into the floor -- very pleasant on the bare feet. I looked in vain for a peg to hang my robe on next to the steam room, but had to go back and put the robe on a lounger. The L-shaped sauna was nicely hot, as was the steam room -- both real winners. You can tip a bucket of cold water over yourself to refresh, if you wish.

I would have lingered longer on one of the loungers but (as with the relaxation room), could find little in the way of reading material.

Once I was relaxed, I went back to the changing rooms to shower and dress before my pedicure. There are just two showers, both with glass doors, which can be rather disconcerting. There are brackets containing ESPA wash and conditioner in the showers. I thought ESPA had done something very strange to their conditioner recipe when I first put it on my hair, but eventually worked out that someone had put a body lotion bottle in the shower by mistake. Interesting.

The pedicure was lovely. My therapist, Katy, was a fan of foot treatments, as am I. Katy began by exfoliating my feet in a foot bath, with some rather delicious looking salts. A delightful pressure-point massage followed. Katy then tamed my toenails, cared for my cuticles, and soothed my skin with some sweet-smelling moisturiser. I decided at the last minute not to have colour, as in my experience Jessica nail colour can take an age to become smudge-proof, so Katy put some clear varnish on and I was very happy.

The Advanced Back, Face and Scalp treatment with hot stones, was great, Sybaritic Spy reports: "If you only have one treatment at a spa this has to be it. It's my favourite as you get a massage, a facial, a hair treatment and, joy of joys, hot stones as well. So my therapist, Katy, was rather on the spot as I have had this treatment umpteen times. I'm glad to report that she delivered it faultlessly.

I sat in a huge off-white leather chair while she explained the treatment and we did the ESPA scent test. ESPA reckon that your body knows what it most needs, so you smell various oils and lotions to see which suits your mood. When Katy asked me how I wanted to feel after the treatment I said "invigorated". In choosing the products, I went for the invigorating ones each time. So the system seems to work!

Katy asked me about my skin and any concerns I had. She listened carefully and fine-tuned the treatment to meet my needs. The treatment started with hot cloths on the soles of my feet, which was wonderfully relaxing. Then there was some firm holding and gentle rocking of my body, followed by a back cleanse, mask and massage. I had asked for lots of massage on my knotted-up shoulders and neck and that's what I got. It was firm enough to feel it was doing some good.

When I turned over for the facial and head massage, Katy placed hot stones on the bed, covered them with a towel and invited me to lie back down. The stones are placed at the chakra points so as well as being warm and firm, they are supposed to stimulate those points. I confess I don't know what that does, but it did feel wonderful!

The facial did wonders for my dry and rather congested skin, brightening the area around my eyes and making it feel soft and plump. The scalp massage was thorough and used plenty of ESPA Pink Hair and Scalp Mud. This brilliant stuff thickens my hair and makes it much more manageable.

How did you feel afterwards?

Twinkly-toed. Sybaritic Spy was so relaxed that she didn't mind going into supper with pink hair mud still in her hair.

What happens afterwards?

Katy took me back through to the relaxation area, where I ate an orange, dropped half of the peel on the floor by accident, and wondered why there was no bin for me to put it in.

Later that evening, we ate in the Brasserie Roux, which is headed up by Michelin-starred chef Albert Roux himself. The meal was high-quality gourmet food. While the monkfish cassoulet didn't quite hit the spot, the steak (served the French version of "medium") certainly did. And the cheeses are to be cherished. It was fabulously unlike any "airport" food I've had before. It was so good, we were back the next morning for a French-flavour breakfast. I would go out of my way to eat here again.

Long-term effects

We drifted off to our plane the next morning feeling much calmer than we would have done without our spa visit.

Was it worth it?

Definitely. Plus, anyone can visit the spa; you don't have to be staying in the hotel. A day in the spa costs £25 for use of all the facilities, although use of the facilities is free if you book a treatment. So, if you're stuck between planes, you can check into the spa at The Sofitel and chill for a very reasonable price.

What else could you have?

The Spa at the Sofitel offers many ESPA massages, which are a favourite amongst those who travel, as they are very relaxing. But you can stray from the massage menu into facials, wraps, manicures and pedicures, too. There are specific treatments for men and for mums-to-be.

The Sofitel's spa days, which include lunch, use of the spa facilities (including the gym), an express facial, along with a back, neck and shoulder massage, are really good value.

And if your preferences run to Botox and beyond, nip down the corridor to the West London Skin Clinic. Some clients fly in specially to pop over and have their treatments apparently!

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

Bring a pound coin for your locker (at least until they change this system).

Any special features?

The spa is very closely connected to a major airport so unbeatably convenient.

Who do you think would like it?

Travellers, obviously, especially those smitten by jet lag or cursed with lost luggage. Business people looking for some de-stress before, after, or between flights. But people living or working locally should get to know the Sofitel, too.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave The Sofitel Heathrow a wondrous 4 bubbles. We loved our treatments, and found the hydro-suite very relaxing. All of the staff went out of their way to ensure that we were having as good a time as possible -- a real art of the spa.

What held The Sofitel back from that precious fifth bubble? We were chilly at times in the relaxation area (this was February). The vitality pool is lovely, but needs more places to hang robes. And the glass shower doors were disconcerting. Also, although the spa is small, it is easy to get lost in, and signs pointing the way to the pool, gym and reception would be welcome.

This is a 5-bubble spa in the making, once these tiny bumps have been smoothed out.

See more on how we rate the spas.