If you want to experience a whole day of absolutely decadence and are willing to pay for it then The Sanctuary is the place for you. Imagine spending your whole day in a bathrobe as you are pampered and fed!

Rehana and I had done a little research finding the perfect day spa to spend our day and, as we were limited to finding something within central London, The Sanctuary with their offer of day entry plus 50 minute massage for £109 (which was about a 20% saving) was the winner. The Sanctuary is quite well hidden away within the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden and I probably would never have even realised it was there if I hadn’t gone today! Its an all women spa so sorry boys this recap won’t be for you.

The Sanctuary provides most things you will need at a day spa – toiletries, bathrobes, water and sometimes juice, and an endless supply of towels but you’re advised to bring your hair products (hairspray etc.), flip flops and bikini if going naked is not for you (and most women inside the Sanctuary actually maintained that bit of modesty.)

We planned to get to the Sanctuary for about 10.30 so that gave us about seven hours to make use of the facilities. I thought this was more than enough time but when you factor in at least one treatment, lunch and use of the “Sleep Retreat” (a 20-minute relaxation on a vibrating lounge bed and tranquil music – apparently the first spa in the world to have these beds) the day just literally flew by and I was left wanting more! 🙂

When you first arrive you’re giving a robe to change into, a locker to store your outside gear, a bag to put whatever you want carry around with you on the day and directed to the main restaurant to peruse the menu and make a booking for lunch if you want. There are two lounges where you don’t have to book in lunch and can get a selection of sandwiches etc. but at the prices of the sandwiches and salads (about £10) you could have sat in the restaraunt and picked up a hot main meal (about £12.50). From the restaurant, whether you book or not, you’re then supposed to be picked up by a hostess to take you through the facilities. Unfortunately for us for whatever reason (maybe because it was so busy) we didn’t end up with a hostess. Didn’t really need one though as The Sanctuary is fairly easy to navigate around.

So, on to the facilities. The Sanctuary has two swimming pools (one that is host to the infamous swing which everyone MUST try and the other a 13.5m exercise pool), a Hamman Steam Room (very nice but not too hot), a Sauna, a Sanarium, a couple of spa pools, and most importantly a couple of relaxation areas. The Koi Carp Lounge is the a largest one and has all manner of cushioned benches, large sofas or sun bed type beds to relax on. The only drawback was that The Sanctuary can get pretty busy and if you’re in a group of three or more finding space for your group to sit/lie/sleep near each other can be difficult.

Rehana and I started the day making use of the facilities – a bit of time in the exercise pool for Rehana, a bit of time in the Hamman Steam Room (divine!) and the sauna for me before trying out the swing in the atrium pool near the Koi Carp Lounge. Pretty nice way to spend a couple of hours. We then grabbed a bit of lunch from the Restaurant (filled with healthy offerings and, if not generous servings, are just enough) before making our way to our respective treatments – mine a 50-minute hot stone massage and Rehana’s a 50-minute aromatherapy massage. My massage was amazing – my therapist was very good and explained everything she was going, she used nice oils and the stones were hot hot hot. It felt soooo good that when I got up I nearly fell over I was so relaxed! After our treatments it was a bit of afternoon tea (two giant scones!) and then a relax in the lounge. Before we knew it the end of the day had arrived and it was off for our Sleep Retreat. An interesting experience and I actually think I went into some meditative state which I thought I would neer achieve.

By this time the facilities had closed and as you can imagine it was a madhouse finding a spare shower and space to get ready. At least Rehana and I had checked out early so we didn’t need to line up with the rest of them to finalise our bill!

Overall I had a fabulous time at The Sanctuary. Time simply flew by and I think that was because of the company, thanks Rehana, and the whole mentality that you’ve got a whole day just to relax and lay around. Nice! There were only a couple of negatives mainly that it was quite busy and, aside from the upfront payment for use of the facilities and the treatment, you can expect to have some additionaly costs (at least another £20-30 for food and drinks.) Otherwise it was pretty perfect!