Spa treat in the city

Good Housekeeping's Emma Creamer was wooed by the Radisson Edwardian Hotel at London's New Providence Wharf

As a four star deluxe hotel you'd expect the Radisson Edwardian to have the ‘wow' factor and it certainly does - situated on the river, it boasts beautifully designed uber stylish bedrooms many with river views and all equipped with state-of-the-art entertainment systems.

 

Lounging around in my fluffy white dressing gown after soaking in the free-standing bath (I'd had a hard week!), in a bathroom five times the size of mine and stocked with top-of-the-range toiletries, I felt very movie star-like. As an extra touch of luxury all have walk-in wet rooms with separate rain showers.

 

There's exquisite bed linen, super thick towels and fruit and chocolates laid out for your delectation. You really feel that you're being treated. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the metal mesh nude sculptures on the wall!

 

I could've happily spent the afternoon flicking through the channels on the giant plasma screen but I'd booked in for two beauty treatments and after having had a quick nosy at the spa ( which takes up a whole floor of the hotel) I was pretty sure I'd regret it if I didn't go. 

 

East River spa

 

On entering the East River Spa you really do feel a sense of calm - unlike other spas I've visited there's none of that ‘production line' feel, where you sense they just want to get you in and out as soon as possible.  Instead, there's lot of soothing music, amazing smells and impeccably turned out therapists. In my experience, if the therapist looks like they take their own health and well-being seriously then you know that the treatment you receive is likely to be top notch. 

 

And I wasn't disappointed. The treatments were fantastic - only the most exclusive brands are on offer and before my therapist began my traditional Swedish massage she asked me what my specific needs were. I explained that I carried a lot of tension in my back and neck so would like her to concentrate on those areas.

 

Top treatments 

 

What followed was honestly one of the best massages I've ever had - it wasn't one of those ‘namby pamby' ones where you feel no different when it's finished. It was a proper deep tissue massage - as she worked I could feel the little hot knots of tension slowly melting away.

 

Likewise the facial. I'd chosen one for radiance, anti-ageing and deep hydration - I wanted to cover all bases! - and, before beginning, my therapist asked me questions about my lifestyle and carried out a skin examination for a customised facial.  I felt that she truly cared about what she was doing - which really makes such a difference. And two hours later I emerged with glowing skin, plus a neck and shoulders that didn't feel like they were on fire.   

 

Once you've had your treatments you can take yourself off to the relaxation room and recline on one of their ergonomically designed chairs, sip some herbal tea and gaze at the breathtaking river views below you. It's worth noting that if you want, you can arrive an hour early and make use of the herbal sauna and aromatic steam room which would set you up very nicely for your treatments.

 

Dinner treat 

 

A few hours later, with freshly washed hair and just a hint of make-up (I wanted to let my skin breathe) I headed down to Azura for dinner. After a glass of bubbly in the bar we took our table in the restaurant which overlooks the Thames.

 

The food was delicious- their philosophy is to only use seasonal British produce - I had some wonderful Scottish scallops (my favourite food in the world) followed by slow braised lamb shank. Afterwards we took our drinks onto the open air terrace which has lots of huge sofas to relax into. Gazing up at the stars, it was a perfect end to a great day.

 
More information 

 
Visit the hotel's website at www.radissonedwardian.co.uk or phone 0207 987 2050. For more information on East River Spa see www.radissonedwardian.com/eastriverspa, phone or email eastriverspa@radisson.com

 

Read last month's spa review: The Grove in Hertfordshire

 

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