‘Many members love going to a spa to relax, but choosing which one to go to can be taxing,' says Kate House, one of our beauty and retail specialists. ‘I keep an eye on venues across the world so I can advise on standards, atmospheres, prices and treatments.'
We often help members book spas as gifts for friends or as a treat for a hardworking team. If members tell us what they're looking for from the experience, we can generally recommend a procedure to suit them. We can organise good quality treatments all over the world within a few hours of a member calling us.
Here are our tips on planning for the spa, but call us to for more information or to put together a spa break anywhere in the world. We recommend booking in advance for specific treatments, particularly at weekends, so talk to your lifestyle manager to make arrangements.
Coming and going
Try to arrive early for your treatment - it takes time to change and check in, and many spas adhere to strict session times, particularly during peak hours. Fifteen minutes should be enough, though some members like to arrive an hour or two beforehand and explore the saunas, pools and other facilities.
Spas usually expect guests to leave the treatment room within five minutes after the session's finished, but then you're free to pay another visit to the steam room.
What to wear
Most spas will provide guests with a robe, but what you wear underneath it largely depends on the kind of treatment you're having. Guests who plan to spend their time soaking in the Jacuzzi or undergoing water-based treatments will need to bring along a swimming costume, but those who are having a massage may choose to stay in their underwear.
The spa may also supply paper underwear for full-body wraps, and some may have single-sex facilities in which it's OK to wear nothing at all - just don't assume that's the case. We'll check when we make the booking.
Remember to remove jewellery before undergoing any treatments and turn your mobile phone off.
Treatments
Pedicures where flesh-eating fish nibble the dead skin from your toes, chocolate facials that harness the restorative power of the cocoa bean, underwater massages and mud baths for couples - there is a seemingly inexhaustible number of ways to relax and revitalise, and creative spas are adding to their therapy menus all the time.
Some spas may offer a limited selection of treatments, while others will have a startling array of options available. Plan beforehand and consider what you hope to get out of your visit, then call us for specific advice. We can recommend treatments that will help soothe pregnant women's aches and pains, prepare runners for the London Marathon or soak away the stress after a tough fortnight at work.
‘One of my favourite things is finding members specialists that can really turn people's lives around - dermatologists, sports masseurs, trichologists,' says Kate. ‘I had one member whose skin affected her confidence at work. I recommended once a month oxygen facials and it's really made a difference to her life.'
Talk to the therapist
Let the therapist know if the massage is too forceful (or not firm enough), the lighting is a touch dim or the room is too cold. A good spa (and we know the best) will happily meet guests' requirements, so feel free to request a male or female therapist, ask staff to turn the temperature up or ask them to turn off the ambient whale-song music.
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