USP Luxury-lite. The UK’s first public sector day spa, Spa London is the result of a £1.4 million restoration of the 860 square metre Turkish Baths at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
AMBIENCE Bland. A sea of beige as far as the eye can see, and the reception area is inexplicably cluttered with displays of make up and Thalgo products, which are used in the treatments. The refurbishment of the old Turkish Baths, open since 1926, has been resisted by many regular visitors to York Hall, which is in the heart of one of the five most impoverished boroughs in the country. Spa London lacks the open space and sense of freedom the Turkish Baths had, but nevertheless, a refurbishment to the facilities was long overdue - it’s nice to see ceilings without whacking huge holes in, for example.
EXPERIENCE There are four treatment rooms, containing all you would expect, including a bowl of pot pourri, or possibly fir cones, thoughtfully positioned on the floor underneath your massage table, so you have something to look at when you’re lying face down with your head through the hole. Should you want to.
My hot stone full body massage, administered by Danielle, started off with exfoliation with a scrub containing algae and eucalyptus and lavender essential oils. The scrub smelled lovely, but could have been more thorough - areas like the elbows and feet would have benefited from more attention. A blend of traditional massage and hot-stone massage, where smooth volcanic stones, heated to 50-60 degrees, are rolled over your body and then placed on pressure points at your ankles, wrists, chest, head and neck follows.
The treatment was relaxing, but if you’re not used to hot-stone therapy, slightly baffling. But the idea is that heat reaches deep into your muscles. You are advised to spend some time relaxing in the hot rooms, steam rooms and sauna after the treatment to allow for total relaxation and heat penetration.
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There are two steam rooms, one eucalyptus themed, the other lavender. Which is nice in theory, but the idea seems to translate into green lights and purple lights, rather than smells. The three hot rooms felt colder than usual, but there are also two saunas, a plunge pool, a monsoon shower, which assaults you with either hot or cold water from several directions, and a bucket shower (out of order at the time of my visit). But it is when using these facilities that the most annoying aspect of the refurbishment becomes apparent. Unlike old-style Turkish baths, Spa London has a bathing costumes at all times policy, set out in a list of other slightly patronising diktats published on their website. I didn’t have a suit and felt slightly ashamed of my nakedness as I scampered from the steam room to the shower, despite none of the other women there batting an eyelid. It’s small things like this, and design flaws, like the lack of space around the lockers in the changing rooms, that rankle and, sadly, make Spa London rather more Blah London than it should be.
FOOD A light lunch is available for £10. Offerings include ciabatta with roasted vegetables, falafal in pitta bread and quiche and salad. Free herbal teas and water, but not the advertised apples at the time of my visit, are available in the lounge area.
IN CROWD The old Turkish Baths drew a diverse crowd of locals, especially older people, along with liberal scatterings of yummy mummies and Hoxton Hipsters. But on my visit, there was a distinctly white, middle class flavour.
WALLET WATCH A visit to the Spa, without treatments, is £20 for non-Tower Hamlets residents, this drops to £17 for each visit if you buy a Spa London card for £3. Residents with cards gain admission for £15 a session, and senior citizens, those on benefits and full-time students get access for £7, or £6 for residents, but can only use the spa on Mondays -Thursdays until 4.30pm, and on Friday - Sundays until 2.30pm. Treatment prices remain firmly in the West End stratosphere. A 75-minute hot- stone full body massage costs £60, a 50-minute traditional Swedish massage £50 and day packages range from £80 for an “MOT for Him” which includes a back, neck and shoulder massage and a facial treatment, to £150 for a “Day Detox”, which includes a salt scrub, a body treatment and a prescription facial.
NEED TO KNOW Spa London, York Hall Leisure Centre, Old Ford Road, London E2 9JP (020 8709 5845; www.spa-london.org) email: spa-london@gll.org;
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