Spa of the week: Ushvani Spa, Chelsea

A little oasis of calm off the King's Road
UShvani Spa
Juliana Piskorz21 May 2019

On a Monday evening I usually feel like I’m about to a) collapse, b) kick someone c) cry, so in order to try and break the cycle I decided to book myself into a spa.

Nestled off bustling Pavillion Street you’ll find a grand but discreet doorway lined with wooden Tudor-style panels, and a small golden plaque that reads “Ushvani Spa” - if you weren’t looking closely you would miss it altogether.

The front door inches open and I am greeted with a plume of spicy fragrance, and a pool of dappled orange light which, on further inspection, is being reflected by the tangerine-painted back wall.

The dark wooden furniture, balmy temperature and illuminated figurines which adorn the staircase make you feel as though you’ve stumbled into a temple in Kuala Lumpur. As the heavy mahogany door swings shut, everyday stresses seem to melt away along with the outside world.

(Ushvani Spa)
UShvani Spa

Famous for...

The Ushvani Spa was opened up by Usha Arumugam, who, after studying at Oxford University, worked as an attorney in New York for several years. Arumugam visited several spas in her years as a lawyer and always harboured a suspicion that they were missing something, until one day she decided to try it out herself. After four years of careful research, she opened Ushvani, a Malaysian-inspired day spa in London and oasis of calm a stone's throw away from the bustling King's road.

The spa welcomes both women and men, who have a separate therapy room upstairs as is Malaysian custom, while the sauna and plunge pool is reserved solely for female clients. In keeping with the spiritual ethos, an airy, high ceilinged room upstairs doubles as a Vinyasa yoga studio, running classes every Tuesday.

The spa has since won several awards and is the favourite haunt of London model Suki Waterhouse.

The yoga sudio

The treatment:

Citing stress as my biggest concern, my therapist Elsa recommended the Jade Stone massage, which the spa introduced as a one-off treatment to celebrate Chinese New Year but proved so popular they kept it going indefinitely. The treatment consists of a hot stone massage using warm Jade stones known for their calming properties, followed by a traditional body and scalp massage.

Within the first five minutes of the treatment I feel my tense muscles palpably loosen and after twenty minutes I am almost asleep. The soothing Malaysian music in the background and Elsa’s skilful pummelling, smoothing and kneading make you feel a stone lighter by the end of the 90 minute treatment.

After the treatment guests are led into a little antechamber to drink detoxifying herbal tea and gnaw on delicious pieces of glacé mango.

(Ushvani Spa)
UShvani Spa

You'll leave feeling...

So relaxed you will be ready to flop into bed and not resurface for at least ten hours. Don’t be tempted to wash off their special blend of massage oil, it's a dry oil so once it’s all soaked in your skin will feel like a new born baby’s, not a hint of grease in sight.

Jade Stone Ritual Massage, 120 mins, £250, book here.

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