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Rafayel on the Left Bank (River Wellbeing Spa), Battersea - 3 bubbles
River Wellbeing Spa provides a nice spa experience for hotel guests and is great if you have a voucher. There aren't really enough facilities to justify a whole day here, but the hydrotherapy bath is a pleasant addition to a treatment, where you can relax under the watchful eye of a Buddha.
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?
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?
We were invited to the spa on this occasion, but arrived later than anticipated and had no problem rescheduling our treatment on a Monday afternoon. However, the spa is very busy at weekends, so plan on booking well in advance.
First impressions?
Where is Battersea Heliport? That's the spa's advertised location. My taxi driver nobly drove me up and down Lombard Road till we spotted the sign; the hotel, Rafayel on the Left Bank, is not immediately adjacent to the heliport, but is very near it.
The hotel reception is all bright shine and sofas, and a cupcake shop!
How did they welcome you?
In the main lobby, with a point towards the correct lift to take up to the spa.
Up on the third floor, the spa receptionist was on the phone when I arrived, re-booking a complicated treatment for a group of friends. As I waited, I took in the floral purple wallpaper, beige and browns of the sofas (and some welcome water), the dark wood reception desk, the products on display, and the fire extinguishers. It is a spa problem that has surprisingly tormented me very little before now: what to do if a spa bursts into flames? Now, I know.
What happens next?
Once I was able to explain that I was on time for my treatment, but that left me no time to spa, the receptionist helpfully rescheduled my treatment so I could try out the heat experiences.
I wished I had brought my trainers, as there is a light, bright gym, with plenty of vibrant art on the walls and modern equipment, including a PowerPlate, for which you have to book an induction session. Large windows look out over Lombard Road, quite an up-and-coming area of London at the time of my visit, by which I mean a building site. There is also a chilled-water dispenser in the gym, to keep you hydrated. The spa was fairly quiet on the day of my visit; for much of the time, it was just me and a man putting up some wallpaper in the entrance to the gym.
I went to the changing rooms, which were a nice size, beige-tiled with a black floor covering, and two showers, two loos, and two sinks. There are 16 dark-wood lockers with a bench in front, but no private area to change. Then I noticed an architectural oddity. There is no door to the changing rooms, just an open space to the corridor. So they have had to put up a large carved wooden screen between the lockers and the doorway so your modesty is protected. My modesty didn't feel completely protected, though.
Once changed into my swimsuit and (slightly ravelled) white towelling robe, I went back past the screen to the heat experiences. The screen actually has attached to it one of the longest set of "Spa Rules" I have ever seen. All perfectly sensible, of course, exhorting you not to do things which no sensible person would dream of, such as swim when you're intoxicated or spend too long in the sauna. It was the same in the gym: "Do not drop weights"; "Do not remove glasses from the gym". I hadn't started yet but I already felt admonished.
There is no swimming pool as we know it, but a Swimex exercise pool -- one of those pools that generate a current which you swim against; efficient exercise in a small space. I hadn't booked to use the pool, and didn't fancy swimming with a lifeguard watching me, so I went straight to the hydrotherapy pool. This is in a calming area with large branches in pots and a Buddha smiling serenely. I spotted that there were plenty of white towels on hand, which was reassuring.
I couldn't spot where to turn on the hydrotherapy bath, though. As soon as I was in the water, a young man appeared from nowhere and placed some towelling slippers by the steps. Nice touch, even though I had brought my own flip-flops. I asked him the jets-secret and he showed me the too-subtle-for-me controls.
After a nice bubble, I tried the steam room: quite small, with four white plastic seats, but satisfyingly hot, and with a cold-water plastic tube to cool you down between steams; I loved that. The sauna was also very dinky, but, again, delivered on the heat. There aren't enough places to hang your robe outside the heat experiences; as I scrunched my robe on a bench, I decided: more hooks would be in order!
I showered off the effects of the heat experiences in one of the two black-tiled showers; I loved the blue- and bronze-mosaiced tiles on the far wall, and the power of the shower. Unfortunately, the drain couldn't cope with the downpour, so I was soon ankle-deep in water. I enjoyed the Neom "Real luxury hand and body wash" but was a bit short of shampoo. There was body lotion on offer, which was a sensible touch.
Which treatments did you have?
I had the spa's signature treatment, the Moor Mud Bathing Ritual (90 minutes, £150). This treatment involved a bath that flummoxed both my therapist and me, so I don't know that the experience can be afforded "ritual" status, but it was interesting.
What were the treatments like?
As I said: Interesting.
I definitely turned over one too many times for the moor mud application, which started with me sitting up and Carol daubing mud on my back. I then lay down on my back for more moor mud, then turned onto my front, then turned onto my back again. Huh? There was a lot of crinkling involved, as there always is with a wrap. The mud itself was soothing, and I really enjoyed the scalp massage that Carol performed -- it was great. I also loved the facial part of the treatment; I find work on my pressure points to be truly effective, as well as de-stressing.
Being wrapped up in warmth with a lavender pillow over my eyes was relaxing, but I never enjoy being left alone during a treatment, as I was.
The treatment description for the bathing part of the ritual promised that I would "relax in a scented bath under colour-therapy lighting". It was a little tricky manoeuvring myself from the treatment bed to the bath covered in mud, Carol holding towels around me as I tried not to slip. When I got in the bath, the water went everywhere. I judged from Carol's expression that this was NOT expected. She looked at the cascades of water and asked me if I would mind if she cleared it up. I could see she was worried I would crack my skull while sliding down the steps getting out of the bath, so it seemed sensible to agree.
So I sat in glorious nakedness in the water, while Carol dabbed at the water round the bath and laid some towels down. "Are you staying in the hotel?" she asked, endeavouring to get over the awkwardness of the situation. After a little more conversation, Carol declared the area safe and left me to enjoy the coloured lights -- a bit overpowered by all the mud that was now in the water, to be honest. After I had washed the last of the mud away, I got out of the bath, lavished Cellutox on my skin, and went out to find Carol.
How did you feel afterwards?
Perfectly smooth but a little perplexed.
What happens afterwards?
Carol took me into the relaxation room, which was a rather bright, windowless space with four loungers and some hard chairs. She turned some music on, asked what sort of tea I wanted (green), then returned with the promised tea and two cupcakes. One strawberry flavour, one chocolate. The strawberry was delicious! I didn't feel this was a room for lounging in, though, so, as soon as my last sliver of icing was devoured, I made my way back to the changing rooms to get ready for the real world.
Was it worth it?
The spa runs special offers which are well worth looking out for; my moor mud treatment, usually £150, was on offer for half price on my visit, as were the Elemis facials, which adds up to remarkable spa value.
What else could you have?
A range of Elemis treatments including scrubs and wraps, and also their facials, such as Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing, and a Skin IQ facial for men. You can have various massages, perfect for jet-lag, including a massage specifically for mums-to-be. Finishing touches are not forgotten, with manis, pedis, eye treatments, tanning and hair removal on offer.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
The spa really is quite dinky; their recommended arrival time of 25 - 45 minutes before your treatment gives plenty of time to enjoy the spa facilities.
Any special features?
If you travel by helicopter often, this spa is right for you.
Who do you think would like it?
Hotel guests; the spa also offers treatments for 14 - 16 year olds, if accompanied by a parent, so this could make a good mum-and-daughter outing.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave River Wellbeing Spa 3 bubbles because it just about delivered a spa experience. With some TLC, it could offer more.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
Perhaps. There is increasing spa competition in this area, and a good spa manager will need to raise the game both with the treatments and the facilities to keep River Wellbeing on the spa map.
We visited River Wellbeing Spa at Rafayel on the Left Bank in September 2010
See also:
* Contact details for River Wellbeing Spa at Rafayel on the Left Bank
* Is my teenage daughter too young to go to a spa?
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