Luxury in London: a hotel spa by a heliport!

Spa Verta is a premium hotel spa destination in Battersea sitting smack-bang beside London's heliport. You can't hear the helicopters coming and going from the spa or the hotel (which is very well sound-proofed) but you can see them. And it somehow feels like an incredible event to catch sight of them landing and taking off on this beautiful part of the Thames.

The spa is on two subterranean floors and it's a wonderful cavern of deeply indulgent and atmospheric treatment rooms, relaxation rooms and fitness suites with a hydrotherapy pool, a luxury sauna, a sensuous steam room.

French facials are the speciality of Spa Verta which offers fabulous treatments using Anne Semonin products (a brand highly respected in France). I had the Made-to-Measure-Facial which takes 60 blissful minutes, and promises effective visible results. And following an initial skin consultation we decided to focus on anti-ageing and deep cleansing - I am in my 40s and live in smoggy London, so fine lines and clogged pores are big concerns for me.

My lovely consultant Leila took all of this into account and decided which indivudally blended plant active serums, masks and aromatic intensive complexes would work best for me. Leila gave me truly incredible facial and, in answer to my many questions, she gave me lots of beauty tips along the way - many of which were not product related. So often beauty therapists simply take the opportunity to plug the products in the salon when you ask them a question but I got truly sound advice (and I also got peace and respectful silence when I wanted to relax).

Leila gave me three top tips, which I have incorporated into my skin routine...

1) I'd always underrated exfoliation but Leila highlighted the fact that it is vital for skin renewal and brightening of the complexion. Whichever exfoliator you go for, try to find one with fine beads rather than big beads. These are less harsh.

2) Do NOT massage in creams. Instead pat them in. Not only does this prevent the skin from stretching, it also stops the face creams being somewhat wasted on your hands.

3) Simultaneously mix and match face masks using a T-zone gel for the oilier parts and a gentler one for the sides of your face. A brilliant idea, as I often reach for a mask if I get a break out and then find my cheeks feeling horribly taut.

I had the facial in the afternoon and for the next week my face felt and looked fresh and radiant - people commented. I was seriously impressed with Anne Semonin products. Some of the products - eg the blue lavender-based ones - are produced seasonally as blue lavender is only harvested once a year in Canada. Such products are therefore a bit pricey and are not on sale all year. I love the idea of seasonality in beauty products! (To buy online, visit the Liberty website)

After the facial, I headed down to the pool and thermal rooms. The sauna and steam room were lavishly hot and sumptuous and I found a lounger that I really would have liked to live on. It was heated and very hard to leave! The hydropool was fun but small (it wasn't really big enough for a good swim), with a stimulating variety of underwater jet experiences.

The hotel itself boasts amazing views of the Thames and whether you walk right or left upon leaving the hotel, the river offers lovely walks. The Hotel Verta restaurant is well worth a visit, with fantastic food that's trendy, filling and beautifully cooked. And the bar area is the perfect venue for evening riverside cocktails.

An Anne Semonin Made to Measure facial costs £85; a day at Spa Verta costs £50 and includes use of all facilities. And if you should jet in by helicopter, you can phone ahead in-flight to book an on-arrival jet-set radiance treatment (£45 for 25 min) before you jet off again!

To book and for more info go to www.hotelverta.com

See last month's review - an inch-loss body wrap at London's May Fair hotel