Living in the busy city, we all need to take a breather sometimes – and what better way to unwind than a spa day? Granted, not everyone’s given up on urban living as soon after the weekend as Monday afternoon - but that didn’t stop two of the Wahanda girls heading over to St Pancras earlier this week for a touch of welcome tranquillity.
Our destination? No, not the Eurostar terminal (although we were a little bit tempted) – we were off to the St Pancras Spa. Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we didn’t want to leave...
The venue
The St Pancras Spa is situated in the basement of the recently restored St Pancras Renaissance Hotel – a huge Gothic building with high ceilings, beautiful tiled walls and intricate gold leaf detailing. We stood a while gawping at the stunning surroundings, before heading down to the spa, which is an altogether much more serene environment.
Decorated predominantly in white but punctuated with exotic touches such as Moroccan-style lanterns and bright peacock print cushions, the spa immediately has a calming effect. No detail has been left out, from the combs and makeup removal pads in the spacious changing rooms to the peacock feather fans in the treatment rooms. The pièce de résistance, however, has to be the pool –set in a vast space and surrounded by Victorian tile work, it’s the ideal place to let go of any pent up stress.
The treatments
As part of our relaxing spa afternoon, we both enjoyed a mini treatment of our choice. I opted for a cleansing facial to try to help combat the winter weather’s drying effect on my skin. My therapist was very knowledgeable about products for sensitive skin, and talked me through the facial as she performed it, giving me valuable advice on how I could improve my home skincare routine. Two days on and my face still feels smooth and soft (notwithstanding my dip in the chlorinated pool!) – a sign that the products used really did do the trick.
Laura was highly impressed with her back, neck and shoulder massage, which helped to release all the nuisance knots associated with sitting at a desk. Again, she found the therapist very helpful and accommodating when it came to her personal needs.
After our treatments we spent a while in the relaxation area sipping on delicious mint tea (and admiring the very attractive tea cups!). We then headed off to spend the rest of the afternoon unwinding in the aromatherapy steam room and being gently pummelled by the jets in the relaxation pool.
The result
Our brief foray into the serene world of the St Pancras Spa left us feeling relaxed, refreshed and much better prepared for the week ahead. The combined experience of the treatments, steam room and pool really helped to alleviate tension and stress – not even the train journey home could frazzle us. Our other halves had better watch out, as we both have plans to dig up the back garden and build our own Victorian tiled havens....
Think that treating yourself to a day at the St Pancras Spa might be a bit smarter than bringing in the diggers? You’re probably right. For more information about the spa and the relaxing treatments available there, visit our St Pancras Spa page – a day of pampering could be just around the corner...
