There are DIY options aplenty ahead of your big day, and of course the at-home upkeep is vital to maintaining the best skin, hair and nails of your lives. But to get you on the right track, there’s nothing quite like being in the hands of an expert. Discover the top London-based treatments, therapists and to have on speed dial: these are the best beauty experts for brides.
Best Treatments For Brides
The Lanesborough Signature Massage with GROUND Wellbeing
By Isabella Foulger, Co-Founder & Editor
For the ultimate balancing experience pre nuptials – in an uber-luxurious setting – look no further than this brand new Signature Massage with GROUND Wellbeing available exclusively at The Lanesborough. Adopting a truly 360° innovative approach to wellbeing, the Club & Spa prides itself on partnering with world-leading brands and experts in the fields of health, fitness, and beauty with GROUND Wellbeing becoming the latest. The Lanesborough Signature Massage with GROUND Wellbeing embraces the art of flowing with firm movements to effortlessly encourage a deep state of relaxation and calm. You can expect to drift between consciousness and achieve inner stillness, with slow, rhythmic techniques that help release tension and ultimately soothe the soul. Pre treatment, you can choose one of the luxury oils which will be applied, each boasting their own benefits and formulated with natural ingredients such as sweet almond oil, chamomile, rosemary, bergamot and heavenly lavender.
The Lanesborough Signature Massage with GROUND Wellbeing is available as a 60-minute, 90-minute or 120-minute ritual priced at £190 for 60 minutes, £220 for 90 minutes, and £300 for 120 minutes. For more information on The Lanesborough Club & Spa, visit: www.lanesboroughclubandspa.com
The Valmont Vitality Facial at Cafe Royal
By Rosalyn Wikeley
It’s not often that Piccadilly Circus and serenity share the same sentence. But just behind its headache-inducing screens and swarms of tourists lies a heavy, unassuming door with Narnia-like quality. Welcome to Akasha Spa, the high-gloss, marvellously marbled Hotel Café Royal’s very own oasis, and perhaps central London’s best kept secret. As well as a subterranean 60 ft pool that would make a country hotel spa blush and the delightful sauna-steam-room-hot tub sequence, the spa is renowned for its holistic approach to treatments, making for a forward-thinking menu rather than your classic pummelling list. It follows then that facials are not the classic scrub, squeeze and plump sort, but channel informed approaches to stress, pollution and the toxic nature of modern life. Hens and brides-to-be should opt for the Valmont Vitality of the Glaciers facial where a nimble-fingered therapist massages super-charged nutrients deep into the skin’s layers, improving circulation and triggering cellular renewal. The best part? A cool collagen mask finale leaves skin looking plump and luminous, so you’re set to head out for supper (without needing to wait for marks or redness to go down in the changing rooms)!
Prices from £220 for 60 minutes/£262 for 90 minutes hotelcaferoyal.com
The Immersive 360° at The Nomad Hotel
By Sophie Stoneham
Talented facialist Katie England’s new wellness residency at NoMad London specialises in holistic skincare, providing the perfect antidote to all the wedding preparation stress. Her treatments are all individually tailored and results-driven and we would recommend booking a series in the run-up to the D-Day. One of her unique signature treatments is The Immersive 360° – a 90-minute treatment that aims to regenerate your skin and lymphatic system. Through scent, sound, pressure therapy massage for the lower half of the body and boosted oxygen intake, this bespoke full-body treatment promotes reactivation of the lymphatic system, which detoxifies, stimulates blood flow to your skin, and supports metabolism. Katie starts by popping your lower half of the body in the SLIMYONIK® AIR Bodystyler which gently activates your lymph system, boosts your metabolism, and increases the flow of blood to your skin and fatty tissue – it feels like a big comforting hug with just enough pressure. The treatment then starts with a skin cleanse with gorgeous smelling Wild Source Baobab, Calendula, Sweet orange oil followed by a pink clay mask, and a massage to open the lymph system – with part of the treatment time dedicated to Katie’s renowned facial and buccal massage techniques. I was a little apprehensive ahead of the buccal part but it was surprisingly relaxing and released all the tension from the jaw area as well as creating lymphatic drainage. This was followed by facial cupping which is designed to stimulate blood flow and as a result natural collagen production and was weirdly enjoyable.
You will leave NoMad rosy cheeked and glowing just wishing you can do it all again soon. My skin felt plump and completely rehydrated and my tired eyes’ dark circles had even disappeared.
Katie’s bespoke facials are elevated into the ultimate holistic experience: a 90-minute health retreat for skin, body and mind – The Immersive 360° is £320 for a 90-minute treatment www.thenomadhotel
A Manicure with L’Atelier Green Paris at The Lanesborough Club & Spa
By Kendra Leaver-Rylah
London’s resplendent stalwart whose Regency good looks and gilded rooms have survived any modernist design notions has antiques abound, without the dust, and silk curtains, sweeping ceilings and a profusion of chandeliers evoke the palatial, and at points the eccentric pile of a European prince. The Lanesborough is known as being unapologetically and somewhat fantastically traditional and the spa and health club is certainly worth edging out of their exceptional suites for. Regarded as one of the most luxurious spas in London – if not the best – the spa is a maze of dark-wood rooms and pretty marble steam rooms filled with ice buckets and a vitality pool that dazzles. What better way to while away a spare hour than to sit back and relax in this beautiful haven. Sat in their swishy seats, the team from L’Atelier Green clip, buff, file, and then you start the indulgent part – an organic rose petal mask followed by a 24-carat pure gold and Led Lumijade ritual. Finally they paint your nails to perfection with one of their organic plant-based nail colours – it really is the perfect beauty boost. Whether you’re popping in for an express manicure ahead of Champagne in the Library Bar or planning long-overdue pamper hour with your girls – this is a must for the summer.
For more details to go: https://www.lanesboroughclubandspa.com/the-spa/the-brands/latelier-green/
GEL-Lys Lashes at Camilla Lashes
By Olivia De Courcy
The lash artist behind some of the most prolific brides (including certain royal weddings, we hear), Camilla is loved by her international clients for her excellent tailored technique – even the most glam set can look somewhat natural, because it’s all bespoke to your eye shape. Not only that but her hygiene is second to none, which is important as a bride: the last thing you want is a gunky eye infection before the big day. These are no ordinary eyelash extensions. Camilla specialises in a technique called GEL-Lys, which uses LED light to cure each lash, meaning not only do they dry instantly, but they last 30% longer than traditional lash extensions: infills are only needed every 5-6 weeks, as Opposed to 3-4. Camilla’s bridal package is what to go for, where she offers one full set, to act as a ‘trial’ to see how you like the lashes, and one infill to have a few days before the big day, meaning Camilla can make any last-minute tweaks to the lash design so that it’s practically perfect for when you say ‘I do’.
Bridal package £642.40, including a 15% saving compared to booking a full set and infill separately. For more information and to book, visit camillalashes.com
Sarah Chapman Skinesis
By Isabella Foulger
Located on the Pavilion Road in Chelsea, Sarah Chapman’s team is the go-to for ‘your skin but better’, results-driven facials. Unless you have a specific treatment in mind, book the Bespoke Luxury Facial, where a therapist will tailor the entire 90 minutes to your skin’s needs, including options such as LED therapy, microneedling, peels, hydration masks, extractions and more. Importantly, they’ll ask what your current routine is, so it’s worth making some notes on your phone before you visit, and your therapist will be able to prescribe suggested routines or treatment plans based on your skin’s individual needs. For London-based brides looking for the best facials, Sarah Chapman Wedding Glow: Signature Skin Experience is the package to book. It comprises of three treatments, across three separate visits: six months before the wedding, two months before and then two days before. You’ll also get two special pouches including Sarah Chapman minis to gift to your mum and/or bridesmaids.
Sarah Chapman Bespoke Luxury Facial, £190 for 90 minutes. www.sarahchapman.com/
Flavia Morellato at Harvey Nichols
Flavia Morellato ‘Let’s drain it all’ is the Dame of drainage’s strapline, alongside the unique, physique-altering massage. Flavia’s technique helps with everything from de-puffing and reducing cellulite, to boosting circulation, immunity and the metabolism, it’s a technique that stimulates the body’s lymphatic system and works to flush out excess liquids and toxins from our system and subsequently helps to combat water retention and inflammation – making this an essential treatment ahead of the big day.
The Flavia Morellato Method aims to address the common issues caused by the busy lifestyle Londoners and helps with almost anything – if you’re struggling with digestive issues, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, or to just feel that little bit flatter ahead of the big day. She helps to eliminate all traces of water retention and puffiness to leave you feeling lighter and more streamlined in just one session. https://www.flaviamorellato.co.uk/
The Townhouse at Harrods
A good manicure is hard to beat but a great manicure is something you’ll be thinking of for months to come – and that’s what you want for your wedding, right? Townhouse Nails are the go-tos for high-precision manis and the most delicate but on-trend nail art. If you’re after a trad nude, you’ll be spoiled for choice with their impressive array of pinks, creams and whites – and if it’s a French manicure that keeps popping up on your Pinterest board, then you’re in the best hands: that’s Townhouse’s signature. Technician wise, ask for Ioanna, who is the mastermind behind many of the nail art designs and collaborations but she really comes into her own when creating a bespoke design just for you. Her prep is unbelievably detailed – you can tell the quality of your manicure depending on how long is spent on prep – and steady hand is exactly what you need.
Find Townhouse Nails in Fitzrovia, at Harrods, Knightsbridge and H beauty Milton Keynes.
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