Words by Lorelle Williams
Located on Regent Street in the heart of London’s charming Mayfair, The Langham is one of the best-known hotels in the city. One of the largest and most modern hotels in London when it was first built – at a cost of over £30.5m in today’s currency – The Langham has welcomed guests from across the world since its opening by the Prince of Wales in 1865.
Mark Twain, Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde were amongst some of the high-profile regulars at The Langham in its first few decades of opening, and as the hotel grew in popularity throughout the 20th century it became a favoured spot with royalty and politicians, including Princess Diana, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Today, celebrities still look to The Langham as being their home from home when visiting London, with Angelina Jolie and Lady Gaga being two of the most notable names to check in in recent years.
No hotel of such grandeur can survive today’s market without a spa and The Langham knew just this when it built Chuan Body + Soul, a peaceful, underground spa for both hotel and non-hotel guests alike to retreat to from the crowded streets of London.
The spirit of the Chuan Spa is inspired by the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine – wood, fire, metal, earth and water. On arrival, guests are given a questionnaire to determine which element they are most in harmony within at that moment. The questions ask about the client’s preferred season, food type and colour, as well as their least favourite time of the day, their least favourite weather condition and their current overriding mood. Together with a sensory test, the result of the questionnaire will direct the therapist to the most suitable products for the client’s treatment.
Demonstrating their commercial awareness of current trends in the fast-growing spa industry, Chuan Body + Soul has gone beyond offering treatments solely in the spa itself and has introduced a sleep programme for hotel guests known as ‘Sleep Matters by Chuan’. Services in the programme include acupressure on the ear to improve circulation and improve sleep, and a bath being drawn in the guest’s hotel room with an infusion of oils to complement one of the five elements.
I was invited to Chuan Body + Soul to experience the 24Kt Golden Opulence by AMRA. When I arrived at the spa, I was given a glass of sparkling iced tea and a consent form to complete ahead of the treatment, then shown to the female changing rooms. The changing rooms were large, such that the sauna and steam room were a part of the space, and there were well lit vanity areas for guests to groom themselves before leaving the spa.
Once changed, I was met by my therapist, Nicole, who led me to the treatment room and talked me through the treatment which has been created exclusively for The Langham London. The 24Kt Golden Opulence by AMRA starts with an exfoliation using crushed gold to remove impurities from the skin. Nicole scrubbed every inch of my skin over the course of an hour then instructed me to wash off any residue in the treatment room’s shower.
While I did so, she changed the sheets on the treatment bed in preparation for the second part of the treatment, the massage. 24KT gold body oil was poured onto my skin and massaged in using the AMRA 24KT gold hot stones. Every muscle was kneaded and rubbed for over an hour. After the treatment I was encouraged to spend some time in the sauna for the oils to be absorbed further then to cool down in the spa’s 16m swimming pool.
The Langham London’s spa facilities are available for non-resident guests between Mondays and Fridays only. In order to gain access to the spa facilities, a minimum spend of £150 per person is required.
Factbox
Address: 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA
Phone: 020 7636 1000
Website: langhamhotels.com
