spa LONDON: Cleopatra’s Milk & Honey Ritual

Landing back in England after my holiday had definitely put me on a bit of a downer. Although I love my job and life here, returning to normality definitely hit me with a bump. Thankfully, the team at spa LONDON had invited me in for a bit of pampering on Monday evening at their York Hall venue in Bethnal Green, which was exactly what was needed to get me ready for the world again.

With seven locations to choose from in the city, spa LONDON’s aim is to offer day spa experiences and treatments at affordable prices. York Hall was actually the UK’s very first public sector day spa and the spa itself is located within York Hall Leisure Centre – and it’s also part of Greenwich Leisure Limited, a charitable social enterprise. The whole ethos of affordable well-being really appeals to me, and unlike other spas, York Hall offers concessionary prices for seniors, students and those not in work.

Alongside the Thermal Spa Experience at the centre of the spa, there are also an extensive range of treatments on offer including massage, waxing, facials and body treatments. I was booked in for the Signature Cleopatra’s Milk & Honey Ritual*, inspired by (you guessed it) the bathing ritual said to have been undertaken by Cleopatra to preserve her youthful beauty.

I rarely have lots of cash to spend on pampering myself, and this was actually my first ever full-body spa treatment. Before the experience, I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea if I had to wear my bikini for the treatment (nope), whether I needed to take all my makeup off first (nope) or generally what the experience would be like. It turns out, I had nothing to worry about. The therapist delivering the treatment was absolutely lovely and friendly, explaining everything she was going to do as she went along. I did feel slightly awkward when I realised all I’d be wearing is a paper thong but she made me feel perfectly comfortable, using a towel to uncover sections of my body at a time so I never felt overexposed.

The first element of the treatment involved a body wash and scrub using black soap to cleanse and exfoliate almost every bit of skin on my body. The scrubbing felt relatively coarse, but not at all uncomfortable (even on my slightly sunburnt shoulders!) – it was actually really invigorating, and definitely sloughed away any dead cells and polished my skin nicely. After the wash and scrub, the really luxurious part took place – the warm milk and honey treatment. It was stickier than I expected, but felt incredibly nourishing even from the first drops. Once all the product had been applied to my body, I was wrapped up in a towel for it to work its magic, while the therapist gave me a mini-facial and applied some of the product to my hair too – complete with a mind-blowingly relaxing scalp massage.

The next part involved hopping into the shower to wash off the mask, which actually took a bit of time due to the stickiness – plus, I didn’t quite manage to get it all out of my hair and had to re-wash my hair once I arrived home. So if you have somewhere to be afterwards I’d probably recommend skipping the hair treatment step, even though it’s made my hair super soft and lovely. Finally, I got to choose a moisturising milk to have massaged in – I opted for a cocoa-vanilla scent that made me feel ridiculously pampered and fabulous.

Lying in the treatment room with beautiful scents and calming sounds, I genuinely forgot about the bustle of the city around the building. The Signature Cleopatra’s Milk and Honey Ritual costs £59 for a 50min treatment, which I think is really excellent value compared to other spa treatment prices I’ve seen around, especially in London. I’d definitely head back to York Hall again, as the experience I had made me feel absolutely spoilt with pampering. After the treatment, my entire body felt and looked amazing – my skin is radiant and hair super-glossy and moisturised. As well as looking great, the treatment also left me feeling great; ready to get back into life with a fresh body, mind and attitude – which is exactly what I needed!

What are your favourite spa treatments?