Spa Days in London: The Three Kinds and How to Book
A spa day in London suits almost anyone: a few hours of warmth and quiet, no conversation required. The city has three quite different kinds, and booking the wrong one is the usual disappointment.
A spa day in London is the one plan that suits almost anyone: a few hours of warmth and quiet, no conversation required, and everybody leaves in a better mood than they arrived. The city has three quite different kinds, and booking the wrong one is the usual disappointment.
The three kinds of London spa
Hotel spas
The five-star hotels of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and the City run the most luxurious spas in London, and most sell day passes or treatment packages to non-residents. Expect a pool, a steam room, a proper changing suite and a price to match. This is the version to book when the surroundings are half the point.
Bath houses and thermal spas
The Turkish and Roman-style bath houses are the social version: hot rooms, cold plunges, long benches and a few hours of wandering between them. They are considerably cheaper than a hotel spa and far more interesting than a treatment room.
Day spas and treatment rooms
A massage, a facial and out again in ninety minutes. No pool, no lounging, and the right choice when you want the treatment rather than the day.
Booking well
- Weekdays are half the price and a quarter as busy. Monday to Thursday is the sweet spot at hotel spas.
- Check what the day pass includes. Many are facilities only, with treatments charged separately, and the advertised price is the lower one.
- Allow longer than the treatment. An hour’s massage is a three-hour visit once you have changed, used the steam room and sat about afterwards.
- Ask about couples rooms if you are going as two. They book out first and are rarely available at short notice.
- Take nothing you would miss. Lockers are small and phones are usually banned in the quiet areas.
Spa or massage?
They are different things and often confused. A spa day is a few hours of facilities with an optional treatment, given by a therapist in a clinical setting. A sensual or tantric massage is something else entirely: unhurried, skin to skin, and given by an escort at her apartment or your hotel. Our guides to tantric massage and erotic massage in London explain that side, and our escorts who offer massage are listed separately.
If the plan is a spa day followed by a quiet evening, our guides to London’s luxury hotels and best restaurants cover the rest of it.
From the concierge: spa passes, opening hours and treatment menus change often, and weekend availability goes weeks ahead. Confirm before you travel.
Where to next
Questions
A bath house or thermal spa is usually the cheapest option, a day spa treatment sits in the middle, and hotel spas in Mayfair and Knightsbridge cost the most. Weekdays are considerably cheaper than weekends everywhere.
Usually access to the pool, steam room and sauna for a set number of hours. Treatments are often charged separately, so check whether the advertised price is facilities only.
Yes, most hotel spas have couples treatment rooms, but they book out first and are rarely free at short notice. Ask when you book rather than on the day.
No. A spa massage is a therapeutic treatment given by a therapist in a clinical setting. A sensual or tantric massage is given by an escort at her apartment or your hotel and is a different thing entirely.