Review of Wyndham Grand (Blue Harbour Spa)

Blue Harbour Spa at the Wyndham Grand, Chelsea - 3 bubbles

Set on the exclusive Chelsea Harbour, the Wyndham Grand boasts views of the Thames and a location just minutes from the chic boutiques on King's Road. Their stylish hotel spa offers good treatments, a pleasant pool and delicious food in a waterside setting.

This isn't a dedicated spa hotel, so leisure facilities are part health-club, part treatment-rooms. You could choose to have an active day in the gym, or a more relaxed pamper with some indulgent therapies from Aromatherapy Associates and Mama Mio.

First impressions?

What's on offer?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

What else could you have?

Food facts

Was it worth it?

We loved

We didn't love

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

The Wyndham Grand is an upmarket hotel in the Chelsea Harbour Complex.

I arrived in the hotel reception, took one look at the sea of fresh flowers in vases, asked for directions, and someone immediately and helpfully took me to the spa. In person. I have still no idea of the route we traversed. It was up in a lift, along some corridors, down some steps, and into another corridor. You can also get to the spa direct from the harbour, so book your yacht now.

The spa reception is a low desk in a bright area with light wooden flooring and muted mauve walls overlooking the yachts in Chelsea Harbour. Members of staff soon came forward to orient me.

I filled in my detailed health consultation form (requires your doctor's telephone number) on a blue velvety sofa surrounded by a pink orchid and a delicious bowl of fruit. Someone brought me water from the water dispenser, which was fresh and a nice touch. There was no table on which to put my cup, so I put it on the floor. This turned out to encapsulate the Blue Harbour Spa: friendly staff, willing to help, but not everything about the customer journey has been thought through.

As the staff took my form, they also issued me with an electronic card to get into the changing rooms (on another floor) and a locker key. My locker contained spa slippers, towels, and a light white waffle robe.

What's on offer?

A gym. You know this first and foremost as the music from the gym blasts into the spa reception area and the little lunch area they have lovingly put together by the spa windows. There is no door to the gym, which is why the radio leaks out. I was filling in my consultation form battling with messages to "Grab my free sample today!" I have no idea what it was a free sample of. But the initial feeling was more energetic health club than soothing spa.

The gym itself is cleverly mirrored to increase the sense of space. It has runners, cross-trainers and cycles, as well as resistance machines and weights.

The changing rooms are an odd shape, as if originally intended to be something else. There are large banks of wooden lockers, 64 in all, and benches to put your things on while you change. There is no private space to change in. Basins occupy one area, hairdryers another, and while there is no spin-dryer to whizz your bathing suit, there are plastic bags by the basins. Plenty of white towels around, which was excellent.

An unmarked wooden door leads through to two loos, four showers, a sauna and steam room. The showers are functional but basic, with body wash and shampoo but no conditioner.

The heat facilities are single-sex, as they're in the changing rooms (so I didn't get to try out what's on offer for the guys, sorry). These were also functional but in need of TLC. The sauna was nicely hot but there was mould around the door of the steam room and puddles of water on the floor outside. The tiled seats in the steam room were also loose and felt precarious.

The 17-metre pool is inviting and bright, with a large window forming one wall, and loungers down one side. Two swan pipes add an extra touch of spa.

A relaxation area with eight beds, blond wooden floor, large black-and-white floral prints on the walls, twinkling red candles, water, herbal tea in an insulated jug, a few magazines and dim lighting. One wall is entirely glass, so you can watch people going past outside, and they can peer in at you relaxing, which doesn't feel very relaxing.

Which treatments did you have?

I had an Aromatherapy Associates full-body massage (90 minutes, £70).

What were the treatments like?

Soothing but not super-personalised. My therapist, Sunjata, met me in the relaxation area and took me through to a dimly-lit treatment room containing two treatment beds covered in brown towels, a shower in the corner and spa music playing. She asked if I wanted to be massaged with plain oil, which I didn't as I love the scents of the various Aromatherapy Associates products. I asked what the alternatives were. Relaxing or de-stressing. I asked what was in each and it turned out to be lavender, or lavender and geranium. I went for the de-stressing mix with the excitement of the geranium.

Sunjata then gave a very thorough massage. She did ask if I wanted my stomach massaged (no), but gave every other area a lot of work, especially my shoulders, which she attacked with her elbows. She paid attention to my hands, feet, head, and worked deeply at the knots in my neck and shoulders. Lots of lovely massage meant I was able to turn my head quite a bit further at the end of the treatment than I could at the beginning.

When the massage was over, Sunjata brought me some water, then took me back to the relaxation room.

What else could you have?

A range of face and body treatments from Aromatherapy Associates and Monu/Renu/Vitru, including scrubs, wraps and hot stones. Mums-to-be and new mums are looked after with Mama Mio. They offer treatments specifically for men, too, as well as therapies such as reflexology and ayurvedic massage.

A range of day spa packages run from pampering to holistic, plus an inviting "after work wind down" for the evening, which all include a glass of champagne.

You can also indulge in Fake Bake and Jessica manicures and pedicures, along with waxing and eye treatments.

Food facts

I had my lunch of a chicken sandwich in a nicely laid-out area of three white tables overlooking the boats in the harbour. Little pink plant-pots on the window sills gave a nice touch of colour. My chicken sandwich may have taken 40 minutes to arrive (I was warned!) but was delicious when it appeared. You can also choose salads, smoked salmon, or fish dishes, with the nice touch that the menu tells you the health benefits of each food. So you get deliciousness and a great sense of being virtuous at the same time.

Was it worth it?

Definitely if you're staying in the hotel and need a relax or a revive.

We loved

The treatment, the pool, and the enthusiastic and welcoming staff.

We didn't love

The sauna and steam room, which were suffering from neglect. The lack of helpful signs on the staircase.

Who do you think would like it?

Anyone who moors in Chelsea Harbour. Guests at the Wyndham Grand hotel.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave the Blue Harbour Spa 3 bubbles because it could easily be better. The treatments are satisfactory and the staff are very friendly, but they need to decide whether they're a health club or a spa when it comes to that loud music. Signs could be more informative; after my treatment, I didn't know whether I needed to go up or down stairs to get back to the changing room, so ended up marching up and down the stairs in my robe looking for signs, while jostling with men in business suits. Not a very spa experience. Finally, and most of all, the sad sauna and steam room could do with some attention.

See more on how we rate the spas.