Have a sneaky pamper day..

At the Landmark Hotel

I’ve always thought, wouldn’t it be lovely to have a day to indulge myself by having a spa. Unfortunately, it never seemed to materialise because I’d become too busy with other things, taking the priority.
Until recently, I decided to take a day off and treat myself with a spa day, at the famous Landmark Hotel in Central London.

Like any spa, you have to book in advance to schedule your desired treatments. I opted for the Relax and Revive package. This consisted of you choosing two treatments, use of the spa facilities and a £20 credit for lunch.
Bearing in mind I’ve never had a spa day; I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, the kind lady I made my reservation with, laid my fears to rest by telling me what to bring and what time I should arrive to make maximum use of the facilities. This entailed, gym kit and bikini, as everything else would be supplied.

Upon my arrival the Landmark Hotel was a rather pleasant surprise, as it looked very elegant and most of all peaceful, especially as it’s located on the very busy Marylebone Road.

The concierge shows me to the Spa & Health Club, located on the lower ground floor of the hotel. Where I am greeted by the wonderful assistant, who takes me to my lair for the day. I am given a quick tour of the facilities that are essential to me enjoying my pampered day.

The spa package I booked, operates Monday to Friday from 6.30am to 10pm.
This allows you to make use of the gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, as well as their relaxation room. This room is filled with fresh fruit, herbal tea and water, in addition to lounge beds with soft dim lighting to aid the peace and tranquillity vibe.

After the tour, the assistant shows me to the changing area and lockers, which are filled with your own towel, sumptuous dressing gown and slippers for you to use for the day. The changing area is more like a boudoir dressing area, with a sofa, mirrors, hair straighteners, hair dryers, showers, spinner for wet clothes and extra towels.

The gym had all the latest facilities, so I embarked upon a 40min fitness workout before my first treatment, which was the ‘Body exfoliation’. Before the session began, I was asked to pick a scent that I would breath in, to help relax my mind and body. The orange mix of essential oils was very pleasant and soothing to take in. My lovely therapist Paulina, proceeded to rub my body with a mix of oils, salts and minerals deeply into my skin, then smoothed the excess away with the hand mitt, to leave my skin super soft and glowing. The body exfoliation lasted 20mins, and it was totally amazing!

During my treatment, I chit chatted to Paulina, (as you do) to discover, she was originally a physiotherapist but moved into the world of beauty therapy and has been doing this for 7yrs. So, I knew I was in safe hands.
To break up my treatments, I had lunch at the Great Central Railway restaurant located in the hotel.
This was welcoming and cosy. However, I’m not going to lie, it felt very strange dining alone, but the staff were very happy to talk with you and to ensure you were pleased with the service received.

There was plenty to choose from on the lunch menu, but I would recommend the Calamari to start and the Lite Lunch Chef’s Special. This consisted of Sea Bass, crushed new potatoes, purple stem broccoli and tomatoes and olives. Absolutely delicious, if I do say so myself.

After allowing my lunch to settle and reading my copy of Michelle Obama’s autobiography. I had my second treatment which was a 50min full body massage with aromatic essential oils.
This was sheer heaven! Paulina’s fingers penetrated deeply into those hard to get knots. She asked if the pressure was ok, I said ‘apply as much pressure as you can, as I have a high pain threshold’. Paulina continued with the use of her elbows and forearms running across my spine and back. Her finger tips pressing deep into my tight calf was a sheer delight. The best part was the neck stretches with a warm towel encasing the neck.
The reflexology on the feet, was not as ticklish as I had preconceived. The kneading was gentle and soothing to the point of where I fell asleep. Now that’s when you know your therapist has done a good job, if they’re able to put you to sleep LOL.

Once the magic was over, I was encouraged to relax in the lounge room and sip on camomile infused tea, listening to relaxing mood music.

Before ending my pamper day, I made use of the heated swimming pool, followed by a sauna, dip in the jacuzzi (sitting over the gushing flow of water to relax my muscles further), finished with the steam room.

A spa day is definitely an experience I will undertake again and recommend. What was really nice to see, were men taking a pamper day to, dispelling the myth that spas are mainly for women.
Alone time is necessary, to recharge the brain and destress from the everyday rat race. So, go ahead treat yourself because you’re worth it!

www.landmarklondon.co.uk/spa-at-the-landmark-london