SpaLondon's Kensington Day Spa

SpaLondon's day spas launched back in 2007 when they opened their first spa in Bethnal Green. SpaLondon's spas were the first in the public sector, offering treatments and thermal spa facilities at affordable prices, aiming to make spa visits more accessible. Over the last eight years the brand has developed and grown and SpaLondon very recently opened their seventh spa in Kensington. I was invited along by SpaLondon to visit the Kensington day spa and to enjoy the Thermal Spa Experience along with a mini-facial. 

SpaLondon offer treatments using their own signiature products (SpaLondon Signiature Treatments are available from £37-£70) which are also available for purchase so that you can recreate your spa treatments at home. Additionally, there are also treatments available featuring products from Murad (Murad Facials available from £60-£70) and Elemis (Elemis facials available from £30-80). All treatments are done by trained therapists who discuss your skin concerns with you prior to beginning a treatment so that they can tailor the treatment to suit your skin.

When I visited SpaLondon Kensington I enjoyed a mini version of the Murad Sun Undone Facial. The treatment lasted for approximately half an hour and featured a series of Murad products that are all rich in Vitamin-C, working to counteract the damaging effects of sun exposure. I had my treatment in the treatment room pictured above and found the experience really relaxing. I was made to feel incredibly comfortable and the treatment itself involved some light neck and arm massage whilst the products got to work on my skin. I love Murad products (I used to use quite a few of Murad's skincare products) and I really enjoyed experiencing them as part of a proper skincare treatment - they left my skin looking incredibly glowing and healthy. 

Although I didn't experience them myself, SpaLondon Kensington also offers body treatments, manicures and pedicures (available from £22-£35) and waxing (available from £10-£30). The manicures and pedicures occur at the nail bar near the entrace to the spa, but the other treatments and waxing similarly occur in these private treatment rooms. 

I also had the opportunity to experience SpaLondon Kensington's Thermal Spa Experience. On arrival to the spa you're given a clean towel, robe and slippers which I could wear over the top of a swimming costume. There is a large single-sex changing area with private cubicles and secure lockers to store your belongings. Once you're changed you can then enter the Thermal Spa area and make use of the facilities; an aroma steam room, a sauna, a monsoon shower, an ice fountain, a hydrotherapy pool and a relaxation lounge.

The design of the spa area isn't ideal and there's a lot of empty space which SpaLondon have tried to make use of filling some of it with relaxation loungers. However, although the design of the space isn't perfect, the facilities are very good. I really enjoyed the sauna and the steam room, and I even made use of the ice fountain - rubbing ice across my limbs to stimulate circulation. The hydrotherapy pool was another really enjoyable element of the Thermal Spa Experience, and I think I spent the most time in here. These facilities are really good, although they aren't that spacious and I couldn't imagine more than eight or ten people using each one at a time.

Because SpaLondon provide you with a robe and a towel, you have the option to maintain a great degree of modesty throughout the entire experience. If you've been put off spas by the idea that you sit in a sauna full undressed then please let me reassure you that this isn't the case. Guests wear swimming costumes or bikinis throughout the entire experience, and you can also choose to cover yourself with a towel or robe whenever it suits you.

Overall, I would say that SpaLondon Kensington's Thermal Spa Experience doesn't feel incredibly luxurious - mainly due to the layout and size - but this isn't what it's there to offer. With a three hour session costing £15.00 for non-members and £12.00 for Better Members, SpaLondon Kensington offers an affordable spa experience that's great for an afternoon of relaxation. It was a different experience to what I'd first expected but if I lived locally then I would regularly make use of the facility. 

A big thank you to SpaLondon for inviting me along to experience their new Kensington day spa. If you'd like to see if there's a day spa near you then check out SpaLondon's website for more information - link here.