Here at StyleNest we wanted to ease our way into a New Year health kick in the easiest and most indulgent way possible, so the opening of the new Elemis Spa onboard the Sunborn London Yacht Hotel gave us the perfect excuse to skip a gym workout in favour of trying one of their luxurious Elemis spa treatments.
Moored in the Royal Victoria Docks, the Sunborn Yacht Hotel recently opened it doors as London´s first floating hotel, offering a unique experience for visitors to the city. Now with it’s new collaboration with Elemis, it also offers a unique setting for a spa treatment, available for both hotel guests and those just looking for some pampering. Designed to give guests the feeling that they are onboard their own super yacht, which we were more than happy to pretend for an hour, it certainly made for an impressive sight as we arrived for our appointment.
We waited in the reception area with it´s incredible views over the Thames until our therapist Joanna came to welcome us and lead us to the spa area. Located on the 3rd deck at the bow of the yacht, the spa was small, with just two treatment rooms, but felt very intimate and private, and provided a real escape from the hustle and bustle of dry land.
Before we started any treatments Joanna asked us to fill in a card explaining a little bit more about our skin´s condition, including any concerns we might have, any improvements we would like to make, as well as one or two routine medical questions. We were then offered a menu and asked what treatment we would like to choose, with Joanna giving us a brief overview of the benefits of the key treatments. The menú offered a wide choice, from essential waxing and express treatments, great for hotel guests who need some maintencance whilst away, to more indulgent massages and facials. We felt that after the busy Christmas break we needed something more heavy duty, and so opted for a deep tissue muscle massage. Joanna offered us a choice of Elemis oils, all with their own beneficial properties, but once we heard frangipani we immediately knew our choice had been made. Elemis´s intoxicatingly fragrant Frangipani Monoi oil is a StyleNest beauty must have, and it´s warming properties and exotic scent only made it even more desirable for a frosty London morning.
Joanna led us to one of the two treatments rooms, left us with some time and privacy to change, and dimmed the lights upon her return. As she massaged we could feel the tensión quickly slipping away. The frangipani oil smelt wonderful, and Joanna used strong strokes and varying levels of pressure to really ease our muscles, knowing when to take a more relaxing, gentle approach, but also taking plenty of time to firmly work away any knots in our back, without causing any discomfort. She worked the whole body throughly, our high heel loving feet particularly appreciated been included, and of course it was over too soon, as good massages always are. In fact, we would go as far to say it was not only good, it was one of the best massages we´d had, thanks to the luxe Elemis products, a StyleNest spa favourite, and Joanna and her healing hands, we felt blissfully relaxed. After our treatment we dressed and met Joanna in the reception area, where she had already filled out a form for us detailing a recommended Elemis skincare routine based on the answers we had given when we arrived. She also provided us with some helpful skin care advice for our winter parched skin, and informed us that products were all available to buy in the spa.
After resisting a purchase of our massage oil we headed out into the frosty London morning. The massage had left us relaxed to the point of pleasantly sleepy, and the oil, as promised, had left us surprisingly warmer, with super soft skin, and enveloped in the wonderful scent of frangipani.
Visit www.sunbornhotels.com
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