Pimlico isn’t normally a place people associate with spas. It doesn’t have the glaring high glamour of somewhere like Mayfair or the tourist magnetism of Covent Garden. It has an altogether more bohemian and residential vibe. Like people are actually living there, I know mental right?
The Spa in Dolphin Square is a very recent addition to SW1. Tucked away in a maze of residential and self-service apartments (I got very lost…) it’s a haven of Moroccan calm. You have to walk through the gym to get to the spa and the change is extraordinary.
The pool was full of energetic exercise fiends pounding up and down the lanes so I swiftly side stepped it and headed into the spa. Oh sweet joy. It was dark and calm and exactly where I wanted to be after a particularly stressful week at work…it was only Wednesday.
The spa is based on traditional Moroccan treatments like Hammam rituals and wet shaves (this one is probably just for the chaps…) and has been decorated sympathetically; imagine tea lights on the floor, dark caramels and shadowy corridors.
I started with a traditional Hammam ritual. My lovely therapist Siobhan started by literally chucking water on me before leaving me in an extremely warm sauna like room, so far so not like a normal spa treatment. She then covered me top to toe in Savon Noir, a traditional Moroccan cleansing soap made with crushed olives, olive oil and Eucalyptus before exfoliating it off with a Kessa glove (bit like a brillo pad..!)
My skin felt incredible afterwards. Apparently hamman rituals can remove up to nine layers of dead skin, which is equally gross and fantastic. It’s also brilliant to have before applying fake tan as all the old tan is miraculously removed so you don’t end up streaky. We’ve all been there…
A short trip into a cooler relaxation room and some delicious Moroccan tea, pistachios and dates later I was in a treatment room for a whole body massage that lightened my stressed shoulders and worked some serious knots out of my back. A honey mask was applied to my face and Rhassoul clay from the Moroccan mountains was thickly applied to my hair whilst mellow Moroccan music played in surround sound. I can only imagine this was not my finest look (muddy hair, sticky face and a bath robe not being my standard Saturday night attire) but I haven’t felt as relaxed in a long time. I headed back to the changing room somewhat dazed and showered off the hair mask there and then, although you can keep it on overnight. With hair so shiny I swear someone on the tube home tried to use it as a mirror, glowing skin and a body so relaxed it was almost horizontal I floated home.
There is no need for the journalistic equivalent of bells and whistles to enhance the following - The Dolphin Square Spa is a rare beast in London: it’s discreet, well staffed and delivers amazing results. Go, go and go again as it’ll be rammed in no time.
Ps. they offer a King's Road Shop & Spa Morning or Afternoon with the option to take you to and from the spa in a chauffeur driven car. There can be no better way to spend a day! *Starts frantically dialing spa number.
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