Cowshed Clarendon Cross 3.3 8 reviews

My favourite spa in Central London - by miles the best atmosphere (very small and intimate). Has a nice cafe upstairs where you can quietly read lots of mags, sip a yummy smoothie and enjoy a freshly baked muffin. Treatments are always very high standard using the Cowshed brand.

Fun place to bring a group of friends or organise for ex. a henparty. Great massages (esp. pre natal!).

Only downside I would say that its near to impossible to get a last minute appointment, weekends and evenings get booked out weeks in advance.

Prefer the Clarendon Cross branch vs. the Cowshed at the one in Soho (members only) as its a lot more intimate and quieter atmosphere in general.

I heart Cowshed!

I have been to the Cowshed spa about 6 times over the past few years for various treatments and I have got to say that it's a consistently great spa experience. I try new places sometimes but I always come back to the Cowshed. It's classy, friendly, and down to earth. It's not cheap, and there aren't a lot of gimmicky treatments (no strawberry smoothie facials or hot chocolate wraps etc) but what they do they do extremely well.

My favourite treatment so far has been the 'hot stone cowgroom' which is an hour long session with two therapists - one therapist gives you a facial using the hot stones while the other uses the stones for an excellent foot and leg massage. In general the 'cowgroom' range of treatments are excellent, time saving and good value. I should also note that the facials are very good - solid steam, extractions, masque and massage, and, happily, there is no high pressure sales for you to buy products at the end - I always find that a post-treatment sales pitch entirely ruins the experience for me!

Only note of caution would be that the manicures and pedicures are nothing out of the ordinary though the mani/pedi area is very relaxing and nicely styled with views out the wrap around windows and big comfy chairs. The cafe is also lovely - try the muffins or whatever fresh baking they have that day!

I work at the Cowshed as a part time therapist. And this is a great place for many different reasons. Firstly, as an employee, it is great working for a company that actually cares about their therapist needs, for example I have recently started getting pains in my rists, due to massage, and without having to ask twice was taken off doing massage until my arms start feeling better. This can be rare, as some places just need you to do the work, as they do not have anybody else, or sadly, just don’t care.

There are 3 things I can recommend at the Cowshed; one is their manicures and pedicures, especially with a friend. As is has the cafe, it can be very lovely sharing a glass of bubbly with someone, while having us scrub and polish away at your feet. And make sure to book in for the Cowshed pedicure, as the foot drill is AMAZING at removing that unwanted hard skin. Secondly, they use a product range called skinceuticals, this is the ultimate in anti-ageing and peeling treatments. It is worth every penny you spend on the facial and produts, as this range is top notch. This should not take away from the Cowshed produts, that has the funkiest looking range with some great ingredients, and I love it for the fragrances but its also free of lots of nasties we don’t need on our skin.

And lastly, the cafe is just great. One of the things that makes Cowshed so rare to me is that when you walk in, you are greeted with the smell of freshly baked food or cakes. This means no awful acetone or chemical smells, only smells to make your mouth water (can be a bit hard if you work there and all you smell is brownies baking the whole day, but sure beats the other option)

Therapist was very nice, I thought the treatment excellent, and perfectly happy in my chair and facing the window. So I think the ambiance is truthfully brilliant.

Friendly, attractive and my manicure lasted so I left a happy woman! I will return for sure, as the neighborhood is extremely convenient for me.

Worst facial I've had...the room I was in was right next to the bathroom and felt like i was in a construction site. The facialist spent the entire time just aimelessly massaging my face without doing any extraction. To make things worse, she wouldn't stop talking. The entire experience was a complete waste of time and money.

It is a wonderful location with lots of atmosphere where you feel instantly posh. Annoyingly the "luxurious pedicure" was everything but that and the therapist made it much shorter than advertised. The staff seemed clumsy and was unable to call a cab for me afterwards.

The cowshed provided a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere which is well-designed and clean without being antiseptic. The staff are courteous but not intrusive and their technique for the pedicure is one that I have only seen at this location. In addition, the "cafe" and waiting area allow plenty of distraction whilst waiting for your appointment and even provide incentive to show up early.


The availability of appointments is lacking and unless you are the type of person who knows three weeks out that you will want a pedicure this might be an impediment.

The products smell lovely, and the rooms are fairly nice (although i believe there are only 2 of them downstairs). Nice decor, and a decent ambience.


The women at the desk at the front never say hello, and are just plain unfriendly. They are not rude, but just apathetic and completely unhelpful. I have been many times, and they never smile or act in a friendly manner. Very disappointing.

I had a 60 minute massage and a 30 minute facial, and i have to say that my massage was one of the worst i have had. My therapist was a Japanese woman who really did not do a good job. She asked me to keep my underpants on (I think the previous times i had massages at Cowshed, this was not the case). The result was that she did not do any of my upper legs, or my lower back. Perhaps she was very timid, but then if that's the case, she should not be a masseuse. She also did not do my shoulders or upper arms, neck. Very disappointing on all accounts. And its so hard to try and relax and also tell the therapist what you may want...

In my facial she did not do any extractions - I find that when therapists are lazy they skip this...if there was a reason, she should have mentioned why she was not doing it. Even in a 30 minute facial I have had extractions done in & around the nose.

I was left underwhelmed...i expected much more...