 |
 |
 |
St Pancras Spa, St Pancras - 4 bubbles
St Pancras Spa is a subterranean space at the 5-star St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London. The dramatic hydrotherapy pool, the serene treatment rooms, and the imaginative treatment menu make this spa a perfect choice for time-out for single spa-goers or friends looking to revive, or to survive workaday stresses and strains.
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 Victorian hotel, an iconic red-brick building, was recently renovated and reopened in 2011. Do be prepared to take a look round and gasp at the impressive, Gothic Revival hotel before wending your way to the basement and the spa.
I met the spa manager, who settled me in at the small but sleek reception area with some cleansing towels and a glass of water to tide me over while I filled in my short consultation form. She also introduced me to Emma, who I assumed was my therapist, although I later discovered was my spa "butler". Emma took me on a quick tour of the spa so I could get my bearings. The spa has been carved out of the available basement area. This means the spa geography is long and thin, with sometimes odd corners where you guess the developers couldn't alter the fabric of this listed building.
Emma left me to change, and said she would come and find me when it was time for my treatment.
What's on offer?
The modern changing rooms are clean and functional with banks of 26 wooden lockers (in the ladies area), some cream seating, three loos and, in a separate area round one of those listed corners, three showers with functional (I have no idea of the brand) products, including conditioner, and plenty of space to dry in. A warm, wooden-benched sauna is also in this area of the changing rooms (as is one in the male changing rooms). The noise of the air conditioning (this was November) almost drowned out some brave violin music playing in the background.
Towels are in your digitally controlled locker, along with your robe and slippers. There is a large mirror, a hairdryer round another corner, and plenty of cleanser and moisturiser.
The pool area, just next door, is different and dramatic. Huge archways dominate what used to be the old kitchen; the alcoves around the pool that now house showers, once housed ovens. The Eastern-style patterned tiles on the walls are a faithful reproduction of Victorian originals. The blue-tiled hydrotherapy pool has a calming ambience but is dominated by tall frosted windows and dramatic duct pipes overhead: a reminder that you're in a fully functioning building, even if the feel is more hammam.
I tried the pool, which was nicely relaxing, although there could be more hooks near the water's edge on which to hang your robe and towels, and also near the steam room, a little further to the back of the area. The steam room was hot, with twinkly lights in the ceiling, and very enjoyable. There seemed to be a problem with the water draining away, so I was glad I had brought my own flip-flops to wear, as the provided towelling slippers would have got rather damp.
Heat facilities explored, Emma came to collect me and took me along a long, creamy and winding corridor into a small and dimly lit relaxation room, with four beds, each with a peacock cushion. Emma introduced me to Nadia, my therapist, who took me partway back along the winding corridor to the treatment room. As the treatment rooms are away from the pool area, they are fairly peaceful, but you can just hear distant tube trains in the quiet.
There are four single therapy rooms, one double room and one beauty room, so the spa is cosy within this sense of space.
Which treatments did you have?
I tried the Journey to Africa (90 minutes, £175), one of a series of spa "journeys" on offer. This journey involves a "crème de rassoul wrap" and a "traditional massage of the orient". The aim is to promote purification and harmony.
What were the treatments like?
Fabulous. The dimly lit treatment room was not huge, but spacious enough, and warm, with a comfortable treatment bed. Nadia started with the wrap, always a crinkly treatment as you're lying on a towel on top of a plastic sheet. I changed into some disposable knickers (can't be too careful where clay is concerned) and lay face down on the bed (in one of the more comfortable faceholders I have experienced). Nadia applied a pale, cleansing clay mixture to my back, shoulders, and the backs of my legs, then I wriggled onto my front so she could complete the process. Nadia wrapped me up in warm blankets, which felt very comforting and soothing. While the clay did its cleansing, Nadia massaged my feet (always a joy) and made sure I was happy.
Nadia then ran a shower, explained that there were some flannels to one side to help me clean off the clay, and explained that she would re-enter the room as I was showering to take away all the clay-ey towels and get the bed ready for the massage.
The shower was nicely warm, but it took a fair bit of scrubbing until I was sure I'd removed all the clay. Plenty of time for Nadia to get in and out again. Thoughtfully, a new pair of disposable knickers was provided for Phase 2 of the treatment. Even before this began, my skin felt soft and smooth. A delight.
When it came to the massage, I asked for pressure 'til I squeaked, and I got it. Nadia paid a lot of attention to my neck and shoulders, as I had asked. This was blissful; I could almost literally hear the knots in my shoulders unknotting. Unfortunately, Nadia also paid a bit too much attention to my left knee, which I had asked that she avoid. I suppose in a full body massage, it is tempting to give every joint the attention it deserves, but at one point I did fairly leap off the table (not using my left knee as springboard).
Again, we started the massage with me on my front, then I turned onto my back, at which point Nadia adjusted the bed so I was more comfortable. At the end, I felt attention had been paid to all my most stressed areas. I considered booking that massage every week…
What else could you have?
The heart of the treatments at St Pancras Spa is a series of "journeys", from which you can choose depending what you want to get out of your spa treatment. Let your journey be to Africa for purification and harmony; to India for invigoration and renewal; to Indonesia for stillness and radiance; or on the Silk Route (India-China-Japan) for complete transformation.
You can also have individual ayurvedic treatments, scrubs and wraps, massages of various kinds including one for couples, facials, manicures/pedicures, spa treatments specifically tailored to men, make-up and waxing. The spa uses products by Cinq Mondes, a French spa range currently in use at only one other hotel spa in London (Sofitel St James), that are delightfully gentle yet effective.
There is also a gym, so you could make that part of your spa day, but it was closed when we visited so can't say what it was like.
Food facts
I had warming tea, dried apricots and pistachios before my treatment, and more tea and some fruit leathers afterwards (dried, puréed fruit). Your post-treatment snack is tailored to your journey. Fruit leathers are genuinely African, and were a surprisingly tasty and welcome energy boost after an hour and a half of treatment time.
Was it worth it?
The treatment prices are what you would expect to pay for a hotel spa in central London, so yes. A spa day pass is £50 but, if you book a one-hour treatment, you can access the facilities for £25. If you book a treatment over 60 minutes, your spa access is free. (Prices at November 2011.)
We loved
The spa butler idea, so you feel looked after all the time you are in the spa.
Perhaps surprisingly, the grand and theatrical hydrotherapy area: how many spas can you name where you get gigantic ducts above the pool? The peacock signature motif; the cushions on the loungers in the relaxation room are an especially nice touch.
We didn't love
The temperature in the changing rooms: it was cold when we arrived, on the day we visited, and frankly freezing when we left. By the time I emerged from my treatment, general hotel children's swim time in the pool had begun, and a mother had brought her toddler from the pool into the changing rooms. He may have been crying simply because it was so cold.
Also, the area between the steam rooms and the pool seems to get used as a corridor by people on their way from one place to another. I wasn't in the steam room long, but I was startled to be sitting on my marble bench in my swimming costume and finding myself watching men in business suits on their way from whenever to wherever go past.
Who do you think would like it?
Hotel guests, of course, especially those popping off to the continent on the Eurostar who could benefit from the relaxation of a "journey" before their journey.
City workers who need de-stressing. Anyone working at the British Library: the spa is right next door! You can sort out that neck pain now!
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave St Pancras Spa 4 bubbles. The spa aims to be a haven of tranquility and restoration, and they have done their best to try to make it so. The treatments are effective, the hydrotherapy area is atmospheric and dramatic, and the spa menu is imaginative. All St Pancras Spa needs to make it perfect is some tweaks to the customer experience.
See more on how we rate the spas
Would you go again?
Certainly for the treatments.
We visited St Pancras Spa in November 2011.
* Contact details for St Pancras Spa
|
|
|