Best spa in London for: A totally tailored, deeply cosseting reset
A healing, herbal-smelling holistic hideaway tucked between the antiques shops and art galleries of Kensington Church Street, this is the London outpost of Ila founder Denise Leicester’s second line, Ilapothecary. The tenets of the brand don’t stray too far from her organic Ila Spa, but things here are more earthy and rooted, less floral and perfumed. The set-up is, as you would hope, like the most delicious old-world apothecary, with tall wooden cabinets and drawers of curiosities.
Just up the stairs is a calming space for talks, workshops, and sound-bowl therapy, and at the back is a treatment room in which to utterly switch off from the outside world. The music playing, at 432 hertz, with Denise’s haunting vocals, is hypnotic, and the therapists are trained to deliver exquisite treatments that are utterly bespoke (unlike many other places). After you’ve answered an in-depth 50-point questionnaire on not just your physical wellbeing but your emotional status and even your spiritual leanings, a diagnosis is drawn up based on imbalances, pinpointing hormone levels, fatigue, and energy blockages.
You can then divine the route of your treatment—liver or kidney compresses, perhaps, a grounding reflexology session, deep hydrating facial or tension-busting back massage. Or indeed a mix of all of the above. This is no one-size-fits-all stop-off, but a totally tailored, individual approach to regaining balance for the long term.
Treatment to book: Start with the 432 Re-Balancing Reflexology or the Beat The Blues Back Massage, but also be open to the therapist’s suggestion for what would be most beneficial—a warmed castor-oil pack with liquorice and juniper extract and an abdominal massage may give better results than the facial you thought you needed.
Insider’s tip: Don’t make plans for afterwards. Facials start at your collarbone and go right up into the hairline, so you leave deliciously oily but completely unpresentable—best to head straight home. —Issy von Simson
