On Valentine’s Day this year, my boyfriend handed me two sheets of paper detailing a luxury spa day and afternoon tea at the 5* Athenaeum Hotel in Mayfair, London. To say I was excited would be an understatement! The choice of a 60-minute treatment came included, from a full body massage or facial to a body scrub or warm gel wrap. You could even mix and match the treatments, such as having a 30-minute facial and 30-minute massage.
With Mental Health Awareness Week just passed, alongside my university essay deadlines and my boyfriend’s busy work life, last weekend happened to be the best time we could’ve booked. Although we made the booking months ago to make sure we could combine the afternoon tea with the spa day, it worked out so perfectly!
We arrived at the spa in the morning and were shown down to the instantly relaxing spa area. We popped into the changing rooms to get appropriately attired into dressing gowns and slippers before heading to our double treatment room. All the treatments sounded amazing but we were both set on the full body Swedish massage to release stress and tension.
60 glorious minutes of massage was amazing. From foot and hand to neck and shoulders, the treatment was so relaxing that it was hard to not fall asleep! It’s the combination of that calming, instrumental music and the aromatherapy smells that instantly puts me into a calming state.
After a thoroughly enjoyable massage, we headed to the rest of the spa to enjoy some time together in the hot tubs, steam room and sauna. Accompanied by a glass of prosecco, we dipped, steamed and saunaed our way to total physical relaxation. It was amazing!
Heading back to the changing rooms to get dressed (where there were the incredible Dyson hairdryers and a shower equipped with gorgeous Espa products, but a surprising lack of cosmetic accessories like cotton pads and shower caps), we were soon back up in the Reception area being shown to our table for Afternoon Tea.
Galvin at The Athenaeum is run by Michelin-starred chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin. It’s a modern space set right in the heart of the hotel and serves up delicious looking meals and the Afternoon Tea was definitely one of them!
The Afternoon Tea was delicious. Two pages of different types of tea was just the beginning, followed by a whole selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. Mini chocolate tarts, Battenburg cakes, macarons and pear mousse are just a select few of the tasty treats on offer. A glass of champagne went down swimmingly with the filling selection of tidbits and we were so stuffed, relaxed and rejuvenated after our visit to The Athenaeum.
It was the perfect relaxation day and a great way to spend some time together – a fantastic gift and experience for us to share! I love the Buyagift vouchers, they’re such a great way to give a memorable and thoughtful gift to someone whilst allowing them the flexibility of choosing when to use it. All in all, The Athenaeum Hotel gave us a wonderful break from the world for the day and a great stress detox.
The Girl In The Window 