The gift of time
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London raises the bar in a city enjoying a wellness wave. We speak to the team who curated the ultra luxe concept
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RE P O RT BY WE N DY G O L L E D G E
andarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) opened The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London in June 2024, in the iconic Hanover Square. A sister to the group’s flagship, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, the subterranean wellness facility was designed by Tokyo-based studio Curiosity. Strikingly modern water-drop lighting runs throughout, creating an intimate, serene environment, while wicker objets d’art by Julia Clarke meld nature and art, bringing elements of the outside in. The 795sqm spa – conceptualised by assistant director of spa and wellness at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair and The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Michelle Matthews, and Jamie Pagan, MOHG’s area director of spa and wellness – is a haven of discreet and intimate luxury. A traditional welcome A striking green Ming marble reception area speaks to the spa’s oriental heritage, and every guest is welcomed with tea and offered slippers in exchange for their shoes – an Asian tradition that welcomes and invites them to leave the world behind. Facilities are dominated by a beautiful 25m indoor swimming pool – the longest hotel pool in Mayfair – with tiles that graduate from black to white, symbolising swimming into the light. The sauna, steam room and three vitality pools are discreet and private, something Matthews says was front and centre when creating the concept for the spa. “Mayfair is all hustle and bustle, parties and shopping. We wanted the spa to be a direct contrast to this. Very high end, private, serene and easy,” she says. “Secluded areas, intimate pockets of space to withdraw to – this was our overarching vision.” The gift of time The goal is to give guests two luxuries – simplicity and time – as an antidote to the fast pace of life. “Time is our most valuable asset, one that money cannot buy,” says Matthews. “Instead of a complicated menu that takes times to understand, we’ve developed two key choices: 14
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