Warm Up At These Luxury Spas After Your Chilling London Tower Tour
The United Kingdom, often associated with rolling hills and charming villages, also boasts a hidden treasure – natural hot springs.
When I visited England I was only planning for castles, thatched roofs, and touring the dungeons. Little did I know I could find some relaxing hot waters there.
Speaking of dungeons if you take a tour of the London Tower you will hear about all of the. crazy torture chambers from the beheading of Anne Boleyn - a ghostly presence you may fee on your visit.
Needless to say you may need some spa therapy to was away all of that dark energy and there are a few lovely spas nearby.
Needed items for your trip:
This Microfiber towel is great because it fits in almost any bag and most springs need towels.
Goggles are great if you are sensitive to minerals and if you want to peek underwater.
Water Bottle is needed to stay hydrated since hot springs tend to dehydrate us.
The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge
Opposite the Tower of London / Ten Trinity Square is the Spa at Four Seasons so it’s easy access after your dark experience.
A Roman-inspired underground spa featuring a 46-foot indoor swimming pool, a heated vitality pool with air and water jets, state-of-the-art saunas, steam rooms, and a luxury hammam suite.
The spa itself consists of a pool, some jacuzzi beds, a sauna and steam room and a relaxation “space”. Robes, towels and slippers in the changing room lockers.
Banya No.1
Banya No. 1 is in Hoxton a short taxi or transit ride north of the Tower. Be warned it’s underground, but don’t be afraid. This is generally considered the most authentic banya outside of Russia or eastern Europe both in its construction and operation.
Traditional Russian banya experience featuring a wood-heated parilka (steam room), oak-leaf whisking (parenie rituals), an ice-cold plunge pool, and authentic food like borscht. Similar to Banya’s in Russia, a [banya master] is in charge of making steam and moving air and steam around to create a good experience for everyone.
It’s grown a devoted following, including regular visits from no shortage of celebrities in search of thorough awakening rituals, including Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger and Kate Moss, to name but a few.
If you have not been to a Banya this experience will make you forget everything. It is an experience that is to be had that I can’t fully explain in words. You get a lot of heat, fanning, twig smacking and cold water! It’s called a parenie and you get beaten by oak leaves in a very hot room followed by buckets of freezig cold water. Needless to say it’s a nervous system reset. If you want something a little less intense try the honey salt scrub instead.
When you get hungry try a menu featuring Russian favourites such as red caviar pancakes, borscht soup and stuffed dumplings, and even a homemade version of herring under a fur coat.
After this you will want to just lay down and sleep. Stay nearby at The Rookery where you can enjoy the period setting, cozy up in the canopy bed or relax in the library or in front of an open fire in the oak-paneled lounge.
Spa Experience (Old Street)
Set inside one of London's historic restored Turkish Baths, featuring traditional hot rooms, Finnish and infrared saunas, steam rooms, a cold plunge pool, and affordable massage treatments.
You are given slippers, a robe, a towel, and a wristband for a locker within a bag during your stay-all free.
The spa has an array of different hot and cold rooms reflecting its previous identity as a hamam and some rest areas, there is no pool or jacuzzi (other than small cold plunge pool). After the sauna it was lovely to enjoy the Ice Fountain that produces ice flakes that you can have melt on your skin.
Stay within walking distance at the Montcalm East, Autograph Collection where you can enjoy their spacious swimming pool and soak off the city in the steam room, Jacuzzi and sauna.
AIRE Ancient Baths London
AIRE is a candlelit subterranean thermal circuit housed in the former home of J.M. Barrie, featuring multiple baths at varying hot, warm, and cold temperatures, plus signature honey and salt massages. AIRE is actually a chain with locations in Chicago, New York, and Copenhagen.
The property was beautiful and gave off underground cave vibes with candles, dimmed lighting, and spa music throughout.
The glass of bubbles and complimentary chocolate truffles were the perfect finishing touches to an already remarkable experience.
Stay nearby at the Riu Plaza London Victoria for convenient access to public transit but get a higher floor to avoid the street noise.
Thermae Bath Spa
If you need the real deal you will have to travel a bit. Thermae Spa is in Bath, Somerset approximately a 1 hour and 15 minutes by direct train from London Paddington to Bath Spa station.
The only natural geothermal hot spring bathing facility in the UK, featuring an open-air rooftop pool with views of Bath Abbey, Georgian-inspired steam rooms, an ice chamber, and mineral-rich waters.
The roof top pool was lovely with great views, nice saunas, steam rooms and minerva pool was also great. The spa 2 hour session for £44 is really good value and you get additional 30 minutes added on if you visit the Spa Cafe.
The ice room was the best room, it's so fun. You can barely see and it's so refreshing putting the ice on your skin. It's so fun when you can hear everyone else laughing from the cold and lack of vision too.
There is a no mobile phone rule so you lock these in a pouch on arrival. We had no wait, robes and towels supplied, lockers, and showers were all available.
Keep your spa experience going with a stay at The Gainsborough Bath Spa.
