London

Best scrubs and rubs
Ahava’s salt butter scrub
Israel’s best-selling product line has at last opened a dedicated shop, in the middle of Covent Garden. As well as selling the extensive product range, which includes suncare, hair care and products for men, there are also treatment rooms downstairs. Ahava uses the minerals and mud of the Dead Sea as key components in its products and they’re the only Israeli company licensed to extract them, so you’re getting something unique. The salt butter scrub is the perfect treatment to have before a tanning session because dead skin is sloughed off while the newer skin is softened, resulting in an even, long-lasting tan (fake or otherwise). The full works, including mud wrap, takes 90 minutes and costs £85 but the express version gets skin almost as soft and costs £40 for 30 minutes.
Ahava, 39 Monmouth St, WC2 (020 7240 8815/www.ahava.com) Covent Garden tube. Mon-Sat 10.30am-7pm, Sun 12noon-5pm. Feature continues

The Porchester Spa’s cleansing massage
Since its overhaul, this Bayswater fixture is a much more pleasant place to enjoy a treatment. If you like the idea of the Russian steam rooms, then the Porchester’s version of traditional Russian birch-leaf treatment, the shmeise, performed by Lee Balch will flush out pores and leave you feeling energised, cleansed and ready for a busy holiday itinerary. After a massage in the steam room with a raffia brush, you dry off with cold towels and then get a more vigorous pummelling on a marble slab, leaving you feeling reborn. It costs £25 and lasts for about 15 mins.
Porchester Spa, The Porchester Centre, Queensway, W2 (020 7792 2919) Bayswater or Royal Oak tube. Lee Balch shmeise for men Wed 12noon-10pm, Sat 10am-10pm; Women (or men) on unisex day Sun 4pm-8pm.

Best pedicures
Bliss’ perfect pedicures
Bliss does one of the quickest and best pedicures in London. We rate them because they leave feet silky smooth and nails so shiny and bright they stay looking good for weeks. Efficient rather than relaxing, it will certainly last the distance when you’re away. It’s admittedly difficult to beat the Double Choc pedicure (brownies and hot chocolate included) but the new hour-long Heel Magnolias treatment (£60), using a magnolia scrub and warm milk, will give you the softest feet on the beach.
Bliss, 60 Sloane Avenue, SW3 (020 7584 3888/www.blissworld.com) South Kensington tube. Mon-Sat 9.30am-8pm, Sun 12noon-6pm.

Browns’ Pimm’s pedicure
It’s Pimm’s time at this Mayfair hotel spa – and not just for parched throats. This seasonal pedicure is available during the summer for £85 and lasts 90 minutes. You’ll be treated to a glass of Pimm’s and a fruit platter on arrival, which you can tuck in to while your feet are massaged in sweet cherry, exfoliated with brown sugar, soaked in lemon and orange water and treated to a cucumber wrap. All this plus careful cutting, filing, cuticle work and a cream massage.
Brown’s Hotel, Albemarle St, W1 (020 7518 4009/www.brownshotel.com) Green Park tube. Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 10am-6pm.

Lanesborough Hotel Spa’s nail haven
Some of the most decadent treatments around can be had at this plush hotel spa. The nail treatments use award-winning manicurist Leighton Denny’s excellent products. The pedicure is a great way to relax before jetting off. Forget the painful cheese grater: his exfoliating scrub is much kinder on the feet. Cuticles are then tidied, and nails trimmed and shaped, followed by a choice of polish. Costing £60, the results are hard-wearing and neat with long-lasting shine.
Lanesborough Hotel Spa, Hyde Park Corner, SW1 (020 7259 5599/www.starwoodhotels.com) Hyde Park Corner tube. Open Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat, Sun 10am-8pm.

Just for men
Gentlemen’s Tonic great grooming
A range of treatments for men from waxing and grooming to facials and tooth whitening (the latter from £300). Treat yourself to one of many GT packages, such as The Hemingway, which combines a bloody Mary, aromatherapy facial and massage (£140 for 135 mins). Or, ‘for the intrepid among you’ there is the Shackleton package (a haircut and finish plus a beard trim or the ultimate wet shave, £60 for 60 minutes). A haircut and finish is £39, and a manicure is £30.
Gentlemen’s Tonic, 31a Bruton Place, W1 (020 7297 4343/www.gentlemenstonic.com) Bond Street or Green Park tube. Mon, Fri 10am-7pm, Tue, Wed 10am-8pm, Thur 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

Nickel’s waxing for blokes
This grooming stop-off for men has excellent products on the ground floor and minimalist treatment rooms below stairs. With an atmosphere that’s neither overly macho or camp, newcomers to the male grooming scene will feel comfortable. The waxing services are a must prior to posing on the beach, with the back costing £30 to de-fuzz, the chest £25 and the trusty ‘back, sack and crack’ at £45.
Nickel, 27 Shorts Gardens, WC2 (020 7240 4048/www.nickelspalondon.co.uk) Covent Garden tube. Mon 12noon-6pm, Tue, Wed 10am-7pm, Thur, Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.

WholeMan’s Real Time Out Treatment
This super-smart New Bond Street day spa and shop run by attentive and professional female therapists, is the place to come for top-to-toe beautification. If you have neglected your grooming regime (or never really had one), this place will get you sorted and ensure you leave looking and feeling better. The one hour and 45-minute Real Time Out treatment includes a de-stress massage, revitalising facial and stimulating foot treatment. Our tester looked visibly relaxed and silky-skinned afterwards and said he felt more supple after the deep tissue back and shoulder massage. In-house naturopath, Nicole Davies gave him a herbal cream for a skin complaint and even some herbal tea to help relax and detoxify.
WholeMan, 67 New Bond St, W1 (020 7629 6659/www.wholeman.co.uk) Mon 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

Most authentic fake tan
Suzie Lung’s fantastic Fantasy Tan
The redoubtable Suzie Lung will personally spray you from head to toe while you perch in paper knickers and shower cap. The result is excellent, lasts a week and she can even spray on shading to make you look more toned and lean. The cost is £45 and don’t forget to wear loose black clothes for the journey home.
Suzie Lung, Basement flat, 50 Manchester St, W1 (07957 771 503) Bond St tube. By appointment only.

Best back treatment
Bloww’s back beautifier
This hairdresser and day spa in one is known for its high-end, high-tech treatments in the basement therapy rooms. There are a whole host of wraps to choose from if you fancy losing a couple of inches, but there is also the useful and unusual Back Profector treatment (£80 for 45 minutes), which uses fruit acids and rye ferments to transform the much-neglected back area into clear, supple and smooth skin ready to be shown off.
Bloww, 4 Regent Place, W1 (020 7292 0300/www.bloww.com) Piccadilly Circus tube. Open Tue 10am-7pm, Wed, Thur 10am-9pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm.

Best hair treatments
Parlour’s hair smoothies
This friendly Shoreditch salon has been tending to locals’ locks and beauty requirements for the past five years. Indulge in a ‘hair smoothie’ made from MOP’s delicious organic products (from £20). Meanwhile, if your feet need a little TLC, go for one of the summer pedicures: the line-up includes chocolate foot masks, peppermint soaks and lemon zings (from £40 for 45 mins).
Parlour, 3 Ravey St, EC2 (020 7729 6969/www.theparlouruk.com) Old St or Liverpool St tube/rail. Mon-Thur 11.30am-8pm, Fri 10.30am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm.

Best all-round beauty boost
Cowshed’s time package
At this trendy day spa in Holland Park it’s possible to buy a package of treatments charged by duration. A swift 30 minutes costs £75, a full hour £105. Each time span has a choice of five different packages, from the ‘maintenance’ (consisting of a facial, eyebrow tidy and manicure or pedicure) to the shave treatment for men and even a spruce-up for scruffy teens.
Cowshed, 119 Portland Rd, W11 (020 7078 1944/ www.cowshedclarendoncross.com) Holland Park tube. Mon-Fri 8.30am-8pm, Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-5pm.

Fordham White’s waxing and haircuts
Once you’ve had a trim in the hair salon, Fordham White’s popular body salon will add the finishing touches. As well as a selection of facials, you can have all your waxing done here (£15 for the underarm area or bikini line; £35 for a full leg wax) and get your eyelashes tinted so you don’t have to bother with waterproof mascara in the pool. A tint costs £20 (30 minutes), getting them permed – for wider, more youthful-looking eyes – is £45 (45 minutes).
Fordham White, 47 Greek St, W1 (020 7287 8484/www.fordhamwhite.com) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon, Tue 10am-7pm, Wed-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm.

Julique Day Spa’s pre-holiday treats
An uplifting treatment which includes hand and body massages, facial cleansing, a penetrating cream mask and Julique’s Travel Blend oil moisturisers. Refreshing and revitalising, it will also help alleviate the symptoms of jet lag and travel fatigue while leaving your skin hydrated and soft. Prices from £69.50.
Julique Day Spa, 300-302 Chiswick High Rd, W4 (020 8995 2293/ www.apotheke20-20.co.uk) Chiswick Park or Turnham Green tube. Mon-Fri 9.30am-8pm, Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-8pm.

The Sanctuary’s body refining
The Sanctuary offers many body and face treatments but one of the best to try just before you jet off is the Refining Body Contour (£65 for 50 minutes). This is a great all-round holiday body primer, with dry body brushing to revitalise lymphatic and circulatory systems which may have become sluggish in London’s humid air. Externally, body brushing also makes skin glow. After this, the thigh and hip area (where toxins, and therefore cellulite, tend to accumulate) are treated to a deep massage leaving skin smooth and taut.
The Sanctuary, 12 Floral St, WC2 (0870 0630 300/www.thesanctuary.co.uk) Covent Garden tube. Mon, Tue 9.30am-6pm, Wed-Fri 9.30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm.

Best pre-holiday relaxation
Float’s relaxation plan
Float now offers a package combining a one-hour floatation session with another one-hour treatment of your choice, such as deep tissue massage or a Living Nature prescriptive facial (£95 all in). After floating suspended in salt water and the dark, your body will be perfectly primed for the treatment.
Float, 2a Bridstow Place, off Westbourne Grove, W2 (020 7727 7133/ www.float.co.uk) Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Grove tube. Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 10am-6pm.

Best facials
Depilex’s Oxyjet facial
A good starting point for preparing your skin for a holiday is Wigmore Street’s no-nonsense two-floor beauty salon – a recent and welcome discovery of ours – with its seaweed-green decor and decorative fish tanks. What’s brilliant about this place is that it’s affordable, offers an impressive range of treatments from facials to cellulite-busting Endermologie and EpiLight hair removal and it’s open long hours and on Sundays. We indulged in the lengthy Oxyjet facial (£75), which involved an hour-and-a-half of having oxygen sprayed, puffed and pumped on to our skin. The session ended with a full-on mask covering our tester’s entire face and neck. It’s intensive but worth it – our tester’s skin was left feeling baby soft, plumped and gorgeous.
Depilex, 45-47 Wigmore St, W1 (020 7486 0852/www.depilexlondon.co.uk) Bond St tube. Open Mon-Thur 9am-8pm, Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

Shu Uemura Iyashi Space’s magical facials
This Japanese brand is best known for its rainbow-coloured eyeshadows and theatrical false eyelashes, but hidden under its Neal Street shop is a dedicated treatment room offering Shu Uemura’s range of facials. The only branch in the UK, the treatment area is swathed in black curtains, to keep it nice and dark, and filled with soothing Japanese music. There are three different facials to choose from: the Chikara (energising, 45 mins, £30); Chowa (harmonising, one hour, £65); and Iyashi (healing, one hour, 45 minutes, £95). We tried the last and longest and, in the best possible way, it really does feel like it goes on forever. First, cleansing oil chosen for your skin type goes on and from then on the face – not to mention various parts of the body – is subjected to heavenly sensations and smells. While the cooling mask does its magic, the therapist gets working on your shoulders and neck, arms, feet and finally the head. Skin is left glowing and peachy but don’t worry about heading back to the streets with a naked face; float upstairs to get your make-up redone by the experts.
Shu Uemura, 24 Neal St, WC2 (020 7240 7635/www.shuuemura.com) Covent Garden tube. Open Mon-Sat 10.30am-7pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.

Best for lovely lashes
Martyn Maxey’s lash extensions
Long, dark, luscious lashes look fantastic in the pool when you don’t have any other make-up on. The Jinnylash system – using false but natural-looking lashes which are applied individually rather than in a strip – last for a good few weeks if you use a gentle cleanser and don’t rub them. A full set is pricey, at £175 (for 90 minutes), but just getting the outside corners of your eyes done will look just as glam, if not even more natural, and costs a more palatable £95 (60 minutes).
Martyn Maxey, 18 Grosvenor St, W1 (020 7629 6161/ www.martynmaxey.co.uk) Bond St tube. Open Mon-Sat 9am-6.15pm.

Best hair removal
BeautyWorksWest’s laser hair removal
A secluded spa, deep in the heart of Notting Hill, which offers state-of-the-art treatments and techniques, this is a results-driven kind of place so you can expect to walk out looking radiant. As well as offering all manner of effective facials and body contouring treatments (Endermologie is just one) here you can have laser hair removal; a good option for those with hair in unwanted places who are bored of waxing and shaving. Basically a pulse of light is absorbed by the hair, heating the shaft at the dermis and damaging the follicle to inhibit regrowth. Four to five treatments are recommended for permanent results. From £80 per session.
BeautyWorksWest, 8-9 Lambton Place, W11 (020 7221 2248/www.beautyworkswest.com) Notting Hill Gate tube. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat and Sun 10am-6pm. Time Out readers can get 10 per cent off the Ling Oxygen Plasma and Ultrasound Facial (usual price £100) by taking this copy along.

Otylia Roberts at Greenhouse
Brazilian beauty pro Otylia Roberts is probably the most famous waxer in town. And with good reason: her method is quick and fuss-free and limbs are left all soft and smooth. Prices range from £22 for bikini wax to £49 for a Brazilian.
Otylia Roberts, Wigmore St, W1 (020 7486 5537/www.otyliaroberts.co.uk) Bond St tube. Mon-Thur 10am-7pm, Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat 9.30am-4.30pm. Time Out readers can get £5 off any bikini or Brazilian waxing treatment by taking this copy along.

Scin’s hair zapping
The place for fantastic and affordable hair-removal treatments starting from as little as £12. In addition, there are one-hour anti-cellulite treatments priced at £65 with 10 per cent off when you book a series of six and 15 per cent off a booking of 12.
Scin, 27 Kensington Park Rd, W11 (020 3220 0121/www.scin.uk.com) Ladbroke Grove tube. Mon-Wed 9am-7pm, Thur 9am-8pm, Fri, Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 12noon-5pm. Time Out readers can get a free Quick Fix pedicure with every one-hour facial or massage (£60) by taking this copy along.

Strip’s waxing services
Good value with cheerful service, this is the place to dash to if you want to lose unsightly hairy bits in a hurry. Bikini waxing starts at £20, eyebrows are £15 and legs from £24. Strip also caters for men wanting to get smooth for summer.
Strip, 112 Talbot Rd, W11 (020 7727 2754/www.2strip.com) Notting Hill Gate tube. Mon-Thur 10am-8pm, Fri, Sat10am-6pm, Sun 12noon-5pm.