I've had this week off work and I decided I very much deserved a lovely treat to myself, so I figured a trip to a Spa would be lovely! Initially, I was planning on getting a Lush Synaethesia massage, but in the end I settled on the Tranquility Ritual from Adamina Day Spa in Kensington.
As long as you don't walk the wrong way out of High Street Kensington tube station like I did, Adamina Spa is really easy to find. It's about a 5 minute walk from the Tube (turn left not right!) and is located on Kensington High Street.
The Spa uses [Comfort Zone] treatments and offers a wide range of beauty services including massage, mani/pedi, ipl and various wraps and rituals. From the minute you step inside, you feel removed from the business and rush of the high street and transported into a luxurious haven.
Adamina Spa have gone for a slightly vintagey feel with soft lighting, antique dressers and pictures of old movie stars dotted around. The receptionist took me down to the changing room, where my wardrobe was waiting for me with a (very short!) robe, slippers and towels. I was invited to use the steam room if I wanted (free of charge for anyone having a treatment) or to use the relaxation room, where comfy seats, Pukka teas and lemon water awaited me. I took a quick nip into the steam room, which is a bit like a dark stony cave. It is unisex, although when I was there it was super quiet and there were no men booked in that day. I then headed to the relaxation room to enjoy a cup of Love tea (my favourite Pukka tea!) and to flick indulgently through glossy magazines whilst I waited for Vicki, my therapist. Now, one thing to note is that whilst I was in the waiting room, I started to hear a few building work noises... they weren't too loud, so I wasn't too worried. More on that later.
Vicki was absolutely fantastic. She came down to meet me in the relaxation room and we chatted a little about my treatment (I went for the Tranquility Ritual - a 90 minute massage, body mask & facial) and also about my seizures (I think I may have terrified her a little bit but she hid it well!). Vicki wanted to know what I wanted to get out of the treatment itself and also checked how much pressure I liked in my massage (AS HARD AS YOU CAN GO was my reply). This was a nice touch - often if you go for something like a Tranquility Ritual, you don't get a say in how hard or soft your massage is. You just get the "set" package. She also allowed herself time to work more on my back than anywhere else because it's so tight.
This is where the review has to take a bit of a fork in the road part. I'll start with the good. Vicki was incredible. She made me feel so safe and relaxed (I was a little anxious because it's a long time since I've had anything nice and spa like). The bed was heated and adjusted to fit my body and I was covered by a lovely warm duvet/blanket for the whole treatment. It was like being in a cosy bed more than on a spa table. She only uncovered the bits of me she needed at that exact moment. Perfect. Also, I don't know if this is the case for all Adamina Spa treatments or just mine, but there was lovely classical music (and the odd bit of Opera) playing instead of Whale noises. The ritual itself consisted of a facial first and then having my body massaged with a thick lotion/mask (think Origins Drink Up for the body). Vicki is an fantastic beauty therapist - I really can't praise her highly enough. She had a perfect, seemingly intuitive touch.
However, remember those building noises? Turns out my treatment room was right next to where the building works were being done. Now, Adamina have absolutely no control over them. It isn't their building works and poor Vicki was so incredibly apologetic and did still provide a wonderful treatment despite this, however the Tranquility part of my Tranquility Ritual was sadly lacking. There were parts where I had to put my fingers in my ears because it was so loud (and because certain pitches or types of noise can affect my seizures - thankfully I was ok). From what I understand, these building works have been going on for a while. From my wandering around, I think I was definitely in the worst treatment room for this. There were some downstairs that didn't seem as loud. As I say, Vicki was exceptionally apologetic and lovely about this.
After my treatment, I was lead back down to the relaxation room where I could stay for as long as I wanted. Instead I decided to just get dressed and head out for lunch. There's a wonderful monsoon shower that you can take advantage of should you need to as well!
One thing that did soften the blow of the building works was that all New Customers (Monday-Friday) receive 50% off off their treatments (Although I actually think that the receptionist over charged me by £2.50.. by the time I'd realised though I was already eating lunch and I didn't want to go back to query a couple of pounds). You also get 50% off if you mentioned I've recommended you - just mentioned Emily Birkinshaw when you book.
I really would recommend Adamina Spa though, despite all the building works. The treatments are beautiful and the Spa itself is a wonderful haven from the busy rush of the High Street. It's just a shame that the building works detracted from all of this. If you, like me, are bothered by noise, it might be worth asking if you could have your treatment downstairs. It's also worth noting that the building works are intermittent and I had a good 30 minutes where there was just a gentle hum, so there's a high chance that they won't affect you at all. And as I said, despite all of this Adamina Spa was still a lovely place to visit.
I had the Tranquility Ritual at Adamina Spa, which I paid for myself.
