Spring into Action

After a period of total indulgence over Christmas, it’s easy enough to commit to a health and wellness regime come January. But sticking to it is another matter. By spring, those salads and strength training sessions can seem like a distant memory – which makes shedding the winter jumpers an even more daunting prospect.

Thankfully, help is at hand in SW1X. From state-of-the-art gyms and cool new classes to cutting-edge beauty treatments, here are some of the best body-confidence-boosting offerings in Knightsbridge…

Taken from the Greek word thalassa, meaning “sea”, thalassotherapy utilises everything from salt and algae to silt and sea mud to cleanse, soothe and revitalise dull skin. The Bamford Wellness Spa at The Berkeley offers an indulgent 120-minute Renewal Ritual (£250), which begins with a Dead Sea salt full body exfoliation, leaving the skin smooth and silky, followed by a gentle Dead Sea Mud wrap. And while that soaks in, you receive a relaxing facial. After showering off, the experience ends with an invigorating massage which helps eliminate fluid retention.

For years, athletes and A-listers have extolled the virtues of cryotherapy – exposing the body to freezing temperatures to improve physical and mental health. Now, the beauty world has jumped on board with cryofacials – or “frotox”. Using targeted jets of dry ice (liquid nitrogen) on the face to gradually lower the temperature of the skin, it encourages a reduction in redness, inflammation and puffiness. The Wellness Clinic at Harrods offers a Signature Cryotherapy Rejuvenation Face Treatment (£250 for 60 minutes), which uses a controlled system of -30°C cooled air and pure CO2 to enhance oxygen levels and stimulate collagen and elastin in the skin.

Going under the knife used to be the only option if you wanted dramatic results, but these days aesthetic tweaks can be achieved easily with injectables. At the London Beauty Clinic advanced technologies and treatments include Microneedling (using thin needles to encourage collagen and elastin production (£200 for a one-hour session) and Nasolabial Fold Filler (used to fill in and plump up smile lines – £350 for one session).

Meanwhile, over at The Lanesborough Club & Spa, there’s a new partnership between The Luxury Aesthetics Group and Dr Kaywaan Khan, offering an extensive menu that includes Botox, dermal fillers and skin boosters (an injectable moisturiser). And for an overall wellness boost, there’s the Platelet Rich Plasma Regeneration – a concentrate removed and separated from the blood, to promote healing in a variety of conditions (from £350).

Too squeamish? The Lanesborough also offers the internationally renowned and non-invasive Signature HydraFacial (£275 for 60 minutes), which detoxes, cleanses, exfoliates, brightens and generally leaves you looking rested and rejuvenated.

London’s Bulgari Hotel was the location for the first Workshop Gymnasium – which counts Lady Amelia Windsor and Cressida Bonas among its fans – and was such a hit that the brand has now expanded to Milan, Bali, Dubai, Paris and Tokyo. Jointly founded by entrepreneur Hani Farsi and Lee Mullins, who is one of the world’s leading personal trainers, you can expect an invigorating, all-encompassing workout, with everything from yoga to pilates and even water barre (a class that incorporates traditional ballet techniques in water).

Another state-of-the-art offering in Knightsbridge can be found at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Sign up for a Bodyspace Lifestyle Performance membership and its team of experts will take a 360-degree approach to your fitness and wellness: they’ll help you increase your physical capabilities with personalised workout programmes, draw up a nutrition plan and even help you with your stress management and sleep issues. And thanks to Bodyspace’s exclusive collaboration with the Institute of Sport and Exercise Health, you can sign up for athlete-grade tests, such as a muscle strength profile using an isokinetic dynamometer and a musculoskeletal and health assessment with sports medicine experts.

Kirsty Nutkins is a freelance journalist who has written for Country & Town House, the Daily Telegraph, The Times and Marie Claire