There’s no space in the car park at the Tube station, so I have to belt up the road to another, and then run through drizzle to the pay-and-display machine. The Northern Line is slow and crowded. And when I get to Embankment station the drizzle has turned to a full-on downpour.
I couldn’t care less. Because I’m on my way to the Corinthia Spa, the perfect antidote to the stress of London commuting. There’s something deliciously decadent about leaving my cares behind and walking up the steps of the Corinthia Hotel, just a few minutes from the station, on Whitehall Place, past a group of smartly uniformed doormen, who are talking about Barack Obama.
I wonder if the Obamas might be staying at the Corinthia Hotel, because it’s just their sort of place. It’s a very luxurious, very discreet, very smart hotel, the sort that would take the needs and privacy of celebrity and statesman guests in its stride.
In fact, the hotel boasts some extraordinary penthouse suites — if I should ever become exceptionally wealthy, I am moving straight into the Whitehall suite which boasts a terrace with a giant chess set and a view over the Thames. (I just checked availability. It’s £5,000 a night)
But the spa, to which I am heading, can be enjoyed for a mere few hundred pounds, and it’s worth every penny. It’s vast — spread over four floors — and with its curved, shiny walls feels a little like a space ship. One of those walls opens up to show a room full of private sleep pods, adding to that Starship feel.
On the ground floor there’s a swimming pool, a ‘vitality’ pool, where jets of warm water relax tired muscles, a sauna and ice fountain. And there are marble loungers, which sound uncomfortable, but are just bliss to lie on. Perfectly engineered to support every kink of your back, they heat up to just the right temperature to make you want to close your eyes and go to sleep.
In the lounge, you find all manner of juices, and healthy meals, such as Steamed Lemon Sole with Samphire and Shallots, or Nettle and Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto. There’s also an impressive gym with a team of personal trainers.
But I’m heading for one of the 17 treatment rooms for a massage. The Corinthia, I’m told, is one of London’s top locations for beauty treatments. I’ve got work to do later on, so I opt for an invigorating Swedish massage, with a citrus-based oil. It’s quite an experience.
Somehow Ruth, my masseuse manages to give me a massage which gets rid of knotty muscles, without too much pain, gets my circulation going with swift light blows to the feet and shoulder blades, and yet manages to be so relaxing that I actually fall asleep and have a strange dream in which I am a very dynamic and powerful person shooting off emails to world leaders.
Emerging from the Corinthia, I’m walking on air. I scarcely notice the journey back home on the tube. Next time I want a treat, forget country house hotels, or spas set in leafy gardens. I’ll be heading straight to Whitehall Place.
Three of the best city spa days
The Principal Blythswood Square Hotel, Glasgow
After a stressful day at work, what could beat the hotel’s relaxing Twilight and Dine spa package? Arrive from 5.30pm and unwind in the spa until 9.30pm, with two course dinner included. The Thermal Spa Suite features a sauna, steam room, ice fountain, 12 metre vitality pool with massage fountains, a hydrotherapy spa pool, saunarium, rhassoul chamber, tepidarium and laconium. From £55, with the option to book extra treatments.
QHotels - The Spa at the Midland, Manchester
Set in Manchester city centre, this adults-only spa is a perfect place to relax and unwind. A Serene Sleep Spa day starts from £115 per person and includes a blissful 55-minute Serene Sleep Espa treatment, featuring a back massage, facial and scalp massage.
K West Hotel & Spa, London
A stone’s throw from Shepherd’s Bush, this spa feels light years away, especially its Sun Meadow room that’s warm, inviting and utterly peaceful. Designed to make you feel as if you’re in a forest, without the extremes of the weather, an afternoon pamper spa day starts from £47 per person.
Spabreaks will have spa days at discounted rates for National Spa Week, including 20% off packages and deals for friends to go for free. Book at spaweek.co.uk
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