Relaxing and restorative experiences that are really worth treating someone special to

Five splurgeworthy London spa treatments to gift this season

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to London

Bamboo & Silk Ritual at Claridge’s Spa

Brook Street, London W1K 4HR

Good for: A great escape and relieving serious muscle tension

Not so good for: Pre-spa swim — the pool is tiny

Cost: £295 for 1.5 hours

FYI: Hairdresser to the stars Josh Wood has a salon in the spa, so you can get your highlights done too. High-tech Face Gym treatments are also on offer

Website; Directions
Floral kimonos await you in the changing rooms of Claridge’s Spa The swimming pool in the spa is the first in Claridge’s history
The divine new spa at Claridge’s is the fruit of a seven-year project to burrow underneath the hotel to create five new floors, including a wine shop and a new chef’s table restaurant, L’Epicerie. Once you descend to the third floor below street level, you enter a sort of subterranean cocoon — the Art Deco glitz and buzz of the hotel’s marble-flagstoned lobby suddenly a world away. Designed by Hong Kong-born interior architect Andre Fu, the 7,000 sq ft wellness space has the feel of a luxurious Japanese bath house, with an emphasis on calming wood and water features, and floral kimonos in the changing rooms. It also houses the hotel’s first pool — a (disappointingly short) 8m-long warm bath to pootle up and down in before your treatment, and some comfy cabanas to lounge in.
Silk thimbles are used in the Bamboo & Silk Ritual’s facial massage . . .  . . . as well as hot rice poultices
I handed myself over to my therapist for the spa’s signature Bamboo & Silk Ritual, not really knowing what was in store other than that I had been promised transportive levels of relaxation. “You are going on a journey,” said Yanina as she scrubbed my feet with fragrant salt. The 90 minutes began with hot rice poultices and a proper deep-tissue pummel (I had requested firm pressure, and boy, did I get it) to ease the muscles before tackling the really knotty bits, which she proceeded to roll and knead with warm bamboo sticks. Then she donned some little white silk thimbles and began to massage my face with small circular movements, gently exfoliating and touching on pressure points around the brow and temples. At this point, I was on my way to drifting off, but couldn’t quite shake that niggling feeling that time was running out, and that at some point, all this would inevitably have to come to an end.

If you plan on popping in for a quick facial, abandon all hope. The gold hydrating treatment will have you so relaxed you’ll feel unable to move after.

Did my immune system feel “boosted”? After 11 hours of sleep — the longest I’ve had in years — it’s fair to say I felt better equipped to fight a bout of flu than previously. The next day I felt straighter and taller, and my stomach was notably flatter. My partner was so intrigued he asked me to book him a session as his Christmas present — so that’s his gift sorted. Lauren Indvik

The Augustinus Bader Exclusive Bulgari Facial at the Bulgari Hotel London

171 Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DW

Good for: Serious skincare that yields results. All skin types

Not so good for: Going out after. It is advised to leave all of the products to soak in overnight (and your hair will be very oily from a scalp massage)

FYI: Head to your appointment a few hours early to take full advantage of the spa facilities. Booking a treatment at Bulgari of at least £250 grants visitors access to the 25m swimming pool, gold-tiled vitality pool, gym, steam room and sauna. (Spa memberships are also available.)

Cost: £350 for 1.5 hours

Website; Directions

It’s possible you already worship at the altar of Augustinus Bader. The German professor and stem-cell expert has become a sort of god-like figure in the world of skincare, having catapulted to fame after applying the science of non-surgical burn recovery to creating an anti-ageing face cream. Thousands of column inches and allegedly wrinkle-relieved faces later, Bader, with his business partner Charles Rosier, developed from the cult favourite cream an entire range of skin and haircare products that exceeded $120mn in sales last year.
Gua sha massage tools and jade rollers are deployed in the Augustinus Bader Exclusive Bulgari Facial The Augustinus Bader products used in the Bulgari Hotel’s facial
His dedicated following now have a temple in the heart of London: Bader’s award-winning beauty brand has created a facial treatment exclusively for the Bulgari Spa, which combines an assortment of scientific skincare with facial-massage techniques. As somewhat of a cynic who has remained curious about the brand (I wasn’t particularly impressed after trying the infamous hydrator), one session turned me into a convert.
The treatment begins with a thorough double cleansing (a silky balm followed by a gentle gel cleanse) to prepare the skin for the array of products meant to activate its stem cells and boost repair cycles. An essence is followed by facial massage and a dry, papery mask, which was dampened with serum and left to work its magic while I enjoyed a scalp, hand and arm massage. Jade rollers and gua sha massage tools, which were kept on ice, were used at various points in the treatment to increase circulation, hydrate and contour. After the mask was removed, more serums landed and, finally, a facial oil was applied to lock everything in (my facialist said that all of the products are applied in order of molecule size to maximise absorption). 
The Bulgari Spa’s 25m swimming pool © Edmund Dabney
Nothing burned, nothing tingled and the treatment was free of claustrophobia-inducing tech. It was entirely product-driven — and critically, the products seemed to work, and were very agreeable with my sensitive skin. After I returned to the serene, wood-panelled dressing room, I took embarrassing mirror selfies like a smug influencer. Bright, glowing and evenly toned, I looked positively angelic. #Blessed.
A treatment at the Knightsbridge hotel also includes access to all of the spa facilities, housed five floors underground, which include an excellent gym, steam room, sauna and a bubbly whirlpool tiled with gold glass. The 25m swimming pool attracted both serious swimmers and loungers reading in private cabanas, with a buzzer at hand to order provisions. It is worth taking full advantage. This is a real treat. Niki Blasina

The Modern Alchemy Harmonising Ritual at ESPA Life at Corinthia

Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD

Good for: Switching off swirling thoughts and deep relaxation

Not so good for: Targeted results such as muscle aches

FYI: The cost includes use of the facilities in the four-floor spa before and after the treatment

Cost: £300 for 1.5 hours

Website; Directions

Launched this year, the Corinthia London’s Modern Alchemy rituals are intended to combine “ancient ancestral wisdom and powerful ingredients for a whole body experience”. Purists might question how authentically this ancient wisdom of unspecified provenance translates to a luxury hotel in central London, with chauffeur-driven cars charging outside, and quiet tinkling of china cups emanating from a tea room dubbed the Crystal Moon Lounge. However, if you lean in (or rather lie down) to the quasi-spiritual agenda, relaxation awaits.
Pick a card: consulting a tarot-like deck is part of the Modern Alchemy Harmonising Ritual . . .  . . . as is being massaged with a Kansa wand, a traditional Indian wooden tool
The Harmonising Ritual is apparently influenced by the “power and symbolism of the full moon”. Fortunately, I didn’t start howling or sprout any werewolf-like fur afterwards. Instead, the treatment started with a foot-bathing ceremony, whereby the therapist washed my feet in a bronze bowl filled with petals, using ESPA’s The Grounding Crystals, followed by a leg and hand massage with aromatic oil. Next I was asked to choose a tarot-like card with a semi-precious stone on it; I opted for amethyst, which apparently represents growth.
The main event is a full-body massage using a Kansa wand, a traditional Indian wooden tool with a domed end and roots in Ayurvedic medicine. The therapist glided the tool over the skin creating a calming rhythm that truly zoned me out, and eliminated the usual swirling to-do-list thoughts. There’s deep inhalation of essential oils, and pressure applied to the third eye — the concept of a gateway to higher consciousness positioned on the forehead. Normally I favour a deep-pressure massage to tackle tight muscles, but actually this gentler approach was more soothing.
The decor at ESPA Life at Corinthia feels ‘somewhere between Art Deco and “international luxury”’ © Richard Powers
Afterwards I explored the four-floor spa, with its decor that feels somewhere between Art Deco and “international luxury”: black marble walls, gas fires, and ridged pillars in the changing rooms. The Thermal Floor features a (small) indoor pool, vitality pool (a large Jacuzzi), amphitheatre sauna (a large sauna with beds at different heights), ice fountain, marble heated loungers and sleep pods. I defy anyone not to chill out. Carola Long
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This story originally appeared on: Financial Times - Author:Faqs of Insurances