The Spa at Dolphin Square … A Mum’s Review
The Spa in Dolphin Square … Mum’s paradise
There really is some curious synergy between The Spa in Dolphin Square and London mums. I recently had the good fortune of being treated to a complimentary Moroccan Majorelle at The Spa in Dolphin Square; what read on the treatment descriptions as an 85 minute experience was closer to a three hour journey of indulgance and descompression (and I was welcome to stay much longer). Book your appointments now, before word gets out and the prices go up, and have dad take the kids out for a Sunday afternoon while you relax.
When we assess spas, the talking points generally begin with location and proximity to transit, move on to setting and mood, then go on to talk about treatments and therapies, and finally products and value for money. The Spa in Dolphin Square does not merely tick all four boxes, it completely obscures the boxes from perception.
First, proximity: located minutes from the Pimlico tube stop, The Spa could not be easier to get to. It is also just a block away from the 24, 360 and C10. There are loads of places for the kids to wander off to, Chelsea and The King’s Road, The National Army Museum and the Kid Zone, the Transport Museum of London, The Science Museum, V and A, and Natural History Museums are all just a short bus ride away.
Then the setting, walking through the door you are immediately whisked away from the streets of London into a fantasy world not unlike romantic period dramas of pre-war Northern Africa. From the teak doors and trellised screens; candle lit nooks filled with cushions, mint tea and dates; wispy curtains and ambient exotic music, you really do feel like you have been immersed in a far more romantic world.
The treatments all closely follow traditional Moroccan rituals and for that reason they came across to me as more authentic, more inspired. The white marbled, dimly lit Moroccan Hamman is a truly beautiful place to sit and the treatment itself is incredible. A Tellak brings you into the hamman, dowses you with warm water, leaves you for a bit, returns and exfoliates your skin following traditional Moroccan custom. The Tellak then applies an amazing Moraccan organic soap made from crushed olives and eucalyptus, the Savon Noir, and scrubs your skin with this completely organic, intoxicating concoction. When I first read about this treatment, I honestly could not help thinking of Cherie Blaire, but somehow it was not at all awkward, it was amazingly pleasant and therapeutic. After your cleansing, you are again left to soak in the beautiful hamman. The ritual lasts 25 minutes and costs £37 on its own.
I popped into the salt-infused steam room for a few minutes. Not knowing what to expect, I was surprised at how salty the air really was; the sea air has been valued as having restorative properties across time and cultures and I will happily return to take in the treatment next time I am unwell. A fifteen minute steam is £15
The third ritual chamber is the Rhassoul room , and this is so intriguing and I have heard AMAZING. There are two chairs opposite each other with a gorgeous sliver bowl placed in between. The bowl holds the Rhassoul, a clay from the Atlas mountains that detoxifies and nourishes. You apply this to your body, steam, soak and cook it into you, shower off and go relax in the tepidarium after £45.
I was then led to the tepidarium for mint tea, dates and water. The tepidarium is a room of warm stone chaise lounges set high off the ground. You are surrounded by screens that obscure your space from the other chairs in the room. What luxury laying in an exotic setting with your senses being stimulated in ways you are not expecting. The stone is warm instead of the air, the tea is sweet, its such a relaxing ritual.
After my rest in the tepidarium I was taken to a treatment room where I was given the longest body massage, honey mask and rhassoul treatment in my hair. The oil was traditional Moroccan oil infused with roses, what an amazing scent I carried with my throughout the day. I have no idea how long the massage was. It could have been 15 minutes, it could have been an hour: I was completely satiated and did not feel, as I normally do, that another 15 minutes would be great.
The Moroccan Majorelle retails at £110 for the entire treatment. I arrived at 8:45 and was finished with my massage at noon, but could have easily stayed on longer drinking tea and relaxing. The quality of the products and the enormous skill the practitioners use, you will not be left wanting more. It is very good value.
London Mums, watch this space!!! The Spa at Dolphin Square and I are putting together a Mum’s Day Package for Sunday afternoons, a time just for mums.
