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Savana Urban Spa, Westbourne Grove - 4 bubbles
Sassy Spy was invited to re-review these smart city treatment rooms, just off London's stylish Westbourne Grove. She found, to her bemusement and delight, a subterranean spa with natural daylight, and a magical blend of high-fashion beauty treatments and soul-satisfying wellbeing therapies. It's a bit of sanctuary without having to leave the city.
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?
Any special features?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
First impressions?
Savana Urban Spa is tucked down a side road in bustling Westbourne Grove. To the right of Savana's entrance door, there is a huge window, which looks down into an atrium where you can have your manicures, pedicures and other delights that don't require disrobing.
By the reception desk was a very tempting display of various products, including Crabtree and Evelyn Naturals products.
How did they welcome you?
Valerie, the proprietor, warmly welcomed me and took me downstairs to atrium-level, to hang my coat in the open wardrobe. Valerie pointed out the glass-fronted shoe storage cupboard, where I was asked to swap my boots for the spa sandals provided.
What happens next?
I waited for my therapist whilst sitting on comfy cushion-laden seating, and watched a couple of friends having pedicures together. Three out of four stations were being used on this week-day lunchtime. This spacious area was flooded with gorgeous natural light from the huge window overhead. I liked that we were subterranean but still could see the world going by.
Valerie broke my reverie and took me through to the private relaxation room. Immediately to my left was a very small loo and a separate shower. The relaxation room is white and full of natural daylight from windows in the ceiling. To my right were three private changing cubicles, sealed by curtains. Ahead were a couple of brown sofas and three doors leading to treatment rooms.
Valerie told me to pick one of the nine lockers, handed me a consultation form, and advised me that my therapist would collect me for my treatment soon. As we were now in the spa area, Valerie dropped her voice to a whisper, and asked me to do the same. It was all very calming, and as our previous spy reviewer thought, “a temple of calm.”
Inside my locker, I found a soft generously-sized robe, which I slipped into, then sank into a sofa chair to fill in my form, having poured myself a glass of cucumber-infused water. I'd only seen that before in Indonesia; cucumber water tastes deliciously fresh and clean, and it was an interesting touch.
Which treatments did you have?
I had a therapeutic massage (55 minutes, £75) and a rejuvenating facial (75 minutes, £98).
What were the treatments like?
Therapeutic massage: Yoshiko, my therapist, took me into a large, naturally lit and pleasantly fragrant treatment room. Yoshiko made sure everything was to my taste: music, temperature, massage oil used, and comfort on the massage couch.
We discussed my main area of concern: my hideously rock-solid shoulders. I lay on my front in paper spa knickers, with a sarong covering me.Yoshiko prepared my muscles for the massage by smoothing a hot towel over my body. Yoshiko made sure I was always warm by only uncovering one bit of me at a time. My feet were hot-flannelled, too, and a towel was wrapped around my head to protect it from the divine-smelling rose massage oil.
Yoshiko diagnosed that the tension wasn't just in my shoulders; it was in my whole back. As she stretched out my lower back, I could feel how surprisingly tense I was there, too. Yoshiko worked instinctively and expertly around my body, ironing and kneading out knots of tension. Yoshiko explained that she was using a combination of shiatsu, Thai and deep tissue massage. My favourite! Perfect!
This was definitely a healing rather than a pampering massage. Yoshiko worked the muscles around my shoulder blades and upper back, nimbly moving around my body. At one point, Yoshiko even jumped weightlessly onto my treatment couch to get the right angles for working with my body. I particularly loved being pulled and stretched Thai-style which involves painless, but strong stretches. With the amount of work Yoshiko put into my shoulders, I could tell they had been in a bad state.
My modesty was protected at all times. I felt safe and I trusted Yoshiko -- she obviously was very skilled in her field -- and it all felt so incredibly good. I felt amazing when I got up from the couch. I drank some water and dreamily made my way next-door for my next treatment.
Rejuvenating facial: I laid on the warm couch and my therapist, Jemma, began by diagnosing my skin type: some dehydration and congestion. Jemma explained that she would be using Emenence products, which contain powerful Hungarian organic ingredients, to address the dullness and dehydration in my skin.
I also had an AHA fruit and paprika peel add-on (which cost £10 extra). The peel tingled on my skin as it worked its magic. Jemma then gave me 20 minutes of facial massage. Bored? No way! I woke myself up a few times with a snuffly deep inhalation. A little self-conscious of this, I apologised a few times, but Jemma told me not to worry.
How did you feel afterwards?
After the massage: Yoshiko was just amazing and she made my body feel fabulous. I felt more aligned, relaxed, almost like I had a new body. I can quite honestly say that this therapeutic massage was one of the best massages I have ever had. Wow.
After the facial: My skin felt joyously clean and hydrated. I was also deeply relaxed.
What happens afterwards?
After my massage, Yoshiko gave me a few tips on shoulder movements that should help free them up.
After my facial, Jemma brought me a cup of peppermint tea with some coffee biscuits. It was lunch-time, so I devoured these. I sank back into the squishy chair and allowed myself to slowly come back to reality.
An older gentleman arrived in the relaxation area. I discovered he was a regular and that he thought Savana Urban Spa was wonderful.
Long-term effects
I am still longing for another Yoshiko treatment, even months later.
Was it worth it?
Jemma gave me a supremely relaxing facial, which was very, very good, but personally I would find it hard to stretch to nearly £100 for it. For me, a massage wins every time.
What else could you have?
Savana offer a very wide range of treatments, indulging both inner and outer beauty with a huge range of massages including Thai and seated.
A host of complementary health therapies, including homeopathy, life coaching or CranioSacral therapy. If you're pressed for time, you'll love Savana's Happy Lunch Hours. Three therapists co-ordinate simultaneous treatments for a half-hour beauty blitz -- the spa equivalent of a Formula One pit stop. Savana also run couples massage and baby massage workshops.
We have visited Savana a couple of times now; Single Spy adored her Hawaiian massage:
"The Hawaiian massage was my last treatment of the day, and it was the one I most enjoyed. My therapist asked me to remove even the paper knickers I was still sporting from my facial, explaining that I didn't have to but, if I did, it would allow her to massage from my top to my toe without interruption, and this would help in the rhythm and flow of the strokes. It did.
While only part of me was uncovered at any time, and my modesty was preserved at all times, my whole body benefited. You always know when you are receiving a massage from someone who firmly believes in the benefit of what they are doing - and this was one of those. This is a gorgeously relaxing massage and I wish I could tell you more about the specific Hawaiian techniques, but I suspect that I had already fallen asleep and was making mewing noises. My therapist was happy to work in silence, but was equally happy to answer questions about where she had trained and learned this specific massage technique afterwards."
Any special features?
Savana's speciality is its mix of complementary therapies and massage with beauty treatments and indulgence. There aren't many spas where you could combine reiki with a Hollywood wax, or Bach flower remedies with a chocolate pedicure.
Who do you think would like it?
If you are looking for beauty treatments with a wellbeing twist, and a bit of sanctuary without having to leave the city, Savana is the place for you. Men can enjoy a good range of treatments, and the kids can be taken care of Wednesday and Friday mornings in the creche while you enjoy a treatment!
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave Savana Urban Spa a well rounded 4 bubbles. We love the imaginative range of complementary and beauty therapies on offer here. The staff were courteous and well-trained, and the spa was clean. It was great to hang out in London treatment rooms which were flooded with natural light rather than lurking in a dimly-lit basement.
But while they have done wonders with the space they have available, there's only one really dinky toilet and two changing areas. The third one was being used as storage space. Also, I noticed that out of the two clunky industrial-sized metal containers mounted against the shower wall, only one had something inside -- which I couldn't even identify.
Twice I heard people talking in the relaxation area whilst I was having my treatments, which jolted me back to unwanted reality. So, if you're visiting with a friend and want to natter, maybe you could pop through to the more sociable atrium for a gossip?
Read more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Yes. I would definitely head here for the longer therapeutic massage for 110 minutes, although they might have to fireman’s lift me out of there so that I actually leave.
We visited Savana Urban Spa in December 2009
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