The best spas near London

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  • The best spas near London

    THE SPA AT SOUTH LODGE, HORSHAM, WEST SUSSEX

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: A FOODIE BREAK WITH COUNTRY WALKS

    Distance from London: 50 miles (an hour by train from Victoria station)

    This photogenic gabled mansion has been an army hospital, film set and hangout for Winston Churchill. These days, with its oil-painting- and grandfather-clock-lined nooks offset by glass installations, South Lodge has more of an afternoon-tea-feasting, milestone-birthday-celebrating crowd. But the vast new spa means that this address is on the wellness seeker’s radar too (Manchester United players are rumoured to soak their limbs here post-match). Designed with sustainable oak cladding to blend in with the meadow landscape, and a grass-covered, ski-jump-like roof that mirrors the South Downs in the distance, the 44,000sq-ft structure is unapologetically modern. Inside it’s all anthracite surfaces, knitted seats and glass lanterns. Down a flight of stairs are the smartest changing rooms we’ve seen in a while, leading to a sauna, herbal steam room, naturally heated wild swimming pool (the UK’s first) and misty outdoor tub with a wooden deck. But the show stealer is the 72ft indoor pool with immense windows framing the woodlands – it’s a mesmerising view, especially at dusk.

    Botanica café serves juices with bespoke tinctures as well as crunchy pastries plus Mediterranean-inspired plates. As for the treatments, the most unusual is an intriguing tension-solving bamboo-stick massage; there’s also a mud-room experience and facials powered by delicate but hardworking Omorovicza products – the Radiance option starts with a gold gel and coconut-scented cleanser before a classic sheet mask with mini massage. The menu may not be groundbreaking but does what it says, focusing on deep-cleaning and refining city complexions. Afterwards go for a mind-clearing walk in the 93-acre grounds – guests are encouraged to pick wildflowers to fill the vase in their rustic-smart room – before heading to Camellia restaurant for a seasonal supper, perhaps Shetland scallops and venison with pickled blackberry, followed by a glass-pipette whisky by the open fire. This is a place that can deliver a detox or a treat, or what most guests seem to aim for – a bit of both. Katharina Hahn

    Address: South Lodge, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, Crabtree, Horsham, Sussex RH13 6PS


    Prices: Doubles from £285 including spa access


    Website: exclusive.co.uk

  • The best spas near London

    BEAVERBROOK, SURREY

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: BOLD DESIGN

    Distance from London: 22.5 miles

    As one of our favourite spas in the UK, Beaverbrook is an ideal weekend getaway within easy reach of West London. Within the 19th-century neo-classical mansion you’ll find a Sharky & George-run kids’ club, Japanese restaurant, and of course the spa. Beloved for its bold design, artist Brian Clarke has let rip with a primary-coloured Pantone chart of stained-glass work. His simplistic natural designs – oak leaves, cherry blossom, wild poppies, primroses – reference the holistic spa garden that is intrinsic to all of the treatments. A cathedral-like glow falls not only in the open spaces but also in the treatment rooms which are bright and sunshiny, rather than dimmed and cocooning.

    Skincare brand Pai has created a bespoke range of oils for the Coach House Spa; botanicals include lime and peppermint, chamomile and juniper berry. And while the styling is exceptional, what makes the spa quite so standout are the therapists. The staff have been brought in from far and wide (and of course with London so close, many of them commute from there). Make a beeline for ex-Chelsea Football Club masseur and yoga master Lino Zinchi, whose biodynamic massage is a rollicking ride of sweeping shiatsu, Ayurvedic pulling, Chinese energy release and yogic concepts. His goal is to open up the body so hips are pulled, shoulders are lifted, cheeks are pummelled (bottom and face). He says you will be taller afterwards. Not just feel taller. Actually be taller. As good as anything you’ll find in London, perhaps better. Issy von Simson

    Address: Beaverbrook Hotel & Spa, Reigate Road, Leatherhead KT22 8QX


    Telephone: +44 1372 571 305


    Prices: Doubles in the Garden House from £225 (room only); main house from £330; spa day prices start from £150


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  • The best spas near London

    Coworth Park, Berkshire

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: GLEAMING GRANDEUR

    Distance from London: 26.7 miles

    Slick Coworth Park sits just 45 minutes outside London, set in a 240-acre Windsor estate. Rooms in the meticulously made-over Georgian manor house are grand yet cosy, all oak floors and heavily swathed four-poster beds. There are a few cottages to take over, a converted stable house, beautifully manicured grounds and a Michelin-starred restaurant here, too. But the biggest draw is the eco-minded spa. The building has a living roof, which doubles as a herb garden for the on-site restaurant, and there are eight treatment rooms for sedating Insomniac’s Dream massages and invigorating exfoliating treatments. Afterwards, paddle freshly manicured toes in the smart swimming pool, which has underwater music and opens onto the sun terrace. A bracing walk around the grounds or a post-afternoon tea jaunt to nearby Windsor Castle rounds off a relaxing day trip.

    Read our full review of Coworth Park

    Coworth Park: where Prince Harry spent the night before the Royal Wedding

Address: Coworth Park, Blacknest Road, Sunningdale, Ascot SL5 7SE


Telephone: +44 1344 876600


Price: Doubles from £295; spa prices from £60


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  • The best spas near London

    CLIVEDEN HOUSE, BERKSHIRE

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: STAR-QUALITY SKINCARE

    Distance from London: 29 miles

    This is a place that needs no introduction. The legendary long drive up to the majestic splendour of Cliveden does not disappoint. Nor do the spectacular views across the Chiltern Hills, or the exquisite green spaces – the rose garden, the water garden and the round garden – surrounding the Grade I-listed country estate. Nor of course that famous outdoor pool in the walled garden, where the spa is found. Leading the charge is a facialist who also needs no introduction: Sarah Chapman, the most impossible-to-book skin specialist in London, has set up a new outpost here, 45 minutes’ drive from her clinic in Chelsea, with a rigorously trained team. Her Skinesis products, used by Victoria Beckham, Gigi Hadid and Meghan Markle, have won countless awards. The treatments themselves are properly results-driven (nice to find in a country spa), but not so functional and focused that they aren’t also deeply relaxing. A foot-bathing ritual and skin diagnosis kick off the 60-minute bespoke facial before you hop onto a water-topped bed. The baobab and jojoba aromas of the double cleanse are as deliciously hypnotic as the cleansing process itself. This is followed by a chemical peel that remains on the skin for three minutes, accompanied by an extremely relaxing chest and arm massage.

    Next up, the application of the overnight exfoliator, which involves more of Chapman’s unique signature massage techniques – ‘gymnastics for the face’ she calls it – with a potent jasmine scent relaxing you even more. The finale of a mask, serum and cream completes this firming and plumping treatment which also smoothes the skin and targets signs of ageing (always welcome). It’s not hard to see why Sarah Chapman has garnered such a cult following, and if you want to go one step further there’s the Skinesis Stem Cell Collagen Activator, which includes micro-needling and LED-light therapy (£280 for 120 minutes) and is also exclusive to Cliveden. Martha Ward

    Read our full review of Cliveden House

    Cliveden House: where Meghan Markle spent the night before the Royal Wedding

    Address: Cliveden House & Spa, Taplow, Berkshire, SL6 0JF


    Telephone: +44 (0)1628 668 561


    Price: Doubles from £495 including breakfast; spa prices from £90; Sarah Chapman Skinesis Luxury Bespoke Cliveden Facial (£115 for 60 minutes)


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  • The best spas near London

    The Grove, Hertfordshire

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: GREEN SURROUNDS

    Distance from London: 18 miles

    Known by some as ‘the city’s country hotel’ – it’s just a quick dash from North London – The Grove is favoured by visiting stars and politicians (especially those hoping to squeeze golf onto their itineraries), as well as actors shooting in nearby Pinewood Studios and England’s football team, who often take over part of the west wing to make the most of its privacy and lush pitches. However, the majority of regulars at the hotel’s Sequoia Spa are locals who love to make the most of their membership, using it as a sleek home from home.

    The spa itself is a cool and quiet subterranean space, a short distance from the main building within the property’s 300-acre grounds. There’s a peaceful Asian design influence – you’ll spot walled gardens with rockeries and swaying bamboo as you breeze along the light-filled corridors to a comfortably sized treatment room, via changing rooms large enough to socially distance in without even thinking about it. Service is warm but respectful and, to avoid masses of form-filling, guests are asked a number of not-too-personal questions in a more conversational way to ensure the experience is as bespoke as possible. The carefully combined potions and oils – principally ESPA, with citrusy or lavendar-infused Natura Bissé as a gentler option – are sweet-smelling with some unique twists available, such as the diamond-infused facial peel that fizzes on the skin as though you’ve just been doused in Champagne.

    Exercise classes are held indoors and outside, and the gym is airy – but the black-mosaic-tiled, extremely Zen pool and jacuzzi is recommended by repeat visitors as the go-to above all other hotel attractions, beating off even the cute man-made beach next to the al-fresco pool, pretty ‘outdoor kitchen’ redesigned during lockdown, and the woodland cycle and walking track. And one silver lining of 2020 government recommendations is that you can reserve to have a swim, or a thoughtful soak, almost entirely by yourself. Becky Lucas

    Read our full review of The Grove, Hertfordshire

    The Grove hotel: the perfect countryside escape for North Londoners

    Address: The Grove Hotel & Spa, Chandler’s Cross, Watford WD3 4TG


    Telephone: +44 1923 807807


    Prices: Doubles from £295 (room only); spa prices from £50


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  • The best spas near London

    Grayshott, Surrey

    Grayshott Health Spa has now closed.

    BEST SPA NEAR LONDON FOR: A DIGESTIVE REBOOT

    Distance from London: 53.4 miles

    This Surrey hideout is best known these days for being the first English spa to offer visitors the chance to try the Mayr method. Before Grayshott started offering an eight-night Mayr programme in 2020, those in search of such a retreat had to fly to one of Europe’s big-hitting medi-retreats. Now this grande dame has a roll call of doctors who oversee patients’ gut health. Epsom Salts, massages and fasting are supposed to flush out bad bacteria and introduce good bacteria instead, bolstering overall wellness. There will be no alcohol, dairy, caffeine or anything that could be too difficult to digest included in the meal plans, so this isn’t an undertaking to consider if your idea of a brilliant spa break is following a facial with a cream tea. ‘By day four you start to feel full, headachy withdrawal symptoms are gone and your stomach is flatter,’ says Daisy Finer, who tested the programme for Condé Nast Traveller when it opened. Top tip: make sure to book a Manor House room overlooking the pretty lawns.

    The Mayr method is now available in the UK

    This immune-boosting programme beloved by European spas has landed in the UK

    Address: Grayshott, Headley Road, near Hindhead, Surrey, GU26 6JJ


    Telephone: +44 1428 602020


    Price: A seven-night retreat costs from £1,495 full board, including consultations and treatments; spa prices from £50


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