The ultimate urban spa retreat: COMO Shambhala, London

In a city like London, there’s no shortage of world-class hotels and spas. From mammoth spas that span over several floors decked out in marble to the most indulgent private treatment rooms complete with their own sauna and hot tub, it can get quite hard to really tell them all apart. Never one for flashiness or in-your-face luxury, the COMO Shambhala spa at the COMO Metropolitan London hotel in Mayfair relies on their industry-leading and high-quality wellness programmes and spa treatments to speak for themselves – and they do.  In fact, much of their business comes from word-of-mouth alongside regular guests. 

Sleek and minimalistic, the COMO Shambhala may not have fancy facilities, but their treatments are guaranteed to melt away the stress and pressures of city life – helping to alleviate pains, soreness and tenderness that you may not have even realised were there. It’s also great for those who don’t have much time. There are a total of six treatment rooms, including one double and one single treatment rooms, which have their own private steam facilities. 

The facials offerings are extensive and carefully curated, featuring Guinot and Dr. Hauschka as well as an exclusive collaboration with Dr Perricone’s clinical skincare range. The massages and body treatments are done with COMO Shambhala’s own line of premium-grade small-batch massage oils and scrubs, lotions and body oils. 

We tried the Deep Tissue massage (£125 for 75 minutes; £145 for 90 minutes). While it wasn’t the strongest or most immediately-gratifying type of massage, the treatment amazingly left our bodies feeling light, more limber and more relaxed for the rest of the week – proving that massages don’t always have to be painful to deliver good results. 

comohotels.com/en/metropolitanlondon/wellness