We go to a spa to feel refreshed and revitalised but sometimes the actual spa itself needs a bit of TLC, and that’s what has been going on in Mayfair over at The Beaumont and now its Art Deco spa is back open and looking restored, revived and better than ever. The trademark black and white mosaics are still there but an extra treatment room has been added, so there’s more space for MZ Skin and OSKIA London facials, and Jérémy Perrin is also on board to offer hair colouring and grooming treatments.
The steam room, marble plunge pool, sauna and hammam massage table have all had little touch ups whilst staying true to the spa’s inspiration – the Turkish baths at the Royal Automobile Club here in London and the original YMCA in New York. Given that the hammam is the spa’s signature treatment and that it’s not too common amongst London hotels, we went by to give it a try.
The signature hammam treatment, using Parisian brand La Sultane de Saba products (which are all natural and free from parabens, silicones and microbeads) is based on the traditional Moroccan ritual and designed to rejuvanate the body and help boost the immune system. It starts with ten minutes in the steam room, which on a cold January day was a real treat in itself, before moving over the hammam massage table, also lovely and warm.
After a quick hose down, savon noir (that’s traditional black soap made from olives and eucalyptus) is applied all over your body to help soften the skin ahead of the exfoliation. It’s quite an intensive scrubbing using kessa gloves – imagine you’re a rough piece of wood and the therapist is sanding you down and you get the vibe – but it’s not uncomfortable and it really does work, getting rid of a shocking amount of dead skin.
It’s another hose down to wash all of that away and then it’s on with a clay wrap all over your body. You can also have it mixed up with some organic honey and applied to face too, which we can highly recommend, and once that’s had ten minutes to work its magic, it’s one final hose down and a splash of rose tonic to finish things off.
It might not be limb-bearing weather quite yet but if you’ve been hibernating for the last few months and are ready for a refresh, this hammam will have you quite literally shedding your skin and looking good as new.
Brown Hart Gardens, London, W1K 6TF
thebeaumont.com