The Dorchester Spa

Consistently voted the top hotel spa in the UK (and who are we to disagree with the exacting standards of Conde Nast Traveller readers), The Dorchester Spa really is something special. A ?3.2 million expansion of The Dorchester hotel in 2009 saw the spa undergo a makeover by Fox Linton Associates with 1930s touches - like the chrome doorway that gives you your first impression - and a centrepiece chandelier made of 75,000 South Pacific pearls. The Spa features nine tranquil, sound-proof treatment rooms including two double suites, a manicure and pedicure suite and relaxation room, a hairdressing salon and gentlemen's barber as well as a fitness studio. Unusually, and uniquely, for a spa there's also an informal 'Spatisserie' dining room where you can enjoy a light lunch, afternoon tea with (gasp) cakes, biscuits and pastries - a radical departure from the purify-and-purge philosophy of most spas. You can even indulge in a glass of pink fizz, or a Spa Kiss cocktail with elderflower and English sparkling Nytimber. Treatments cover the full range of face and body treatments with four 'expert partners' to choose from including signature facials by Vaishaly - whose Marylebone salon is frequently by celebs like Elle Macpherson and Sophie Dahl - Carol Joy London, European skincare brand Kerstin Florian, and acclaimed British brand, Aromatherapy Associates.