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The best pre-holiday beauty treatments in London

Prep for your holidays by booking in at one of our favourite London beauty spots.

Written by
Katie Rosseinsky
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Jetting off somewhere sunny or sandy, and in dire need of some beautification? To make things easy for you, we've hunted down the best pedis, spray tans and waxes in every corner of the capital.

CHECK THIS OUT: The best places to shop for beauty products in London

CENTRAL
  • Shopping
  • Home decor
  • Knightsbridge
Harvey Nichols

London’s premier tan man James Read has set up a bronzing studio on the fourth floor of Harvey Nicks, promising tanning treatments worthy of an A-lister. A tan from one of his personally trained team costs between £25 and £50, while appointments with Read himself start at £45.

www.harveynichols.com
NORTH
Daniel Holfeld

NORTH

MILK Beauty

Milk Beauty have a North London hub, so they’re able to dispatch top-notch beauticians to N-postcodes at high speed. Their team of mobile tanners arrive at your door with a pop-up tan tent and a range of Vita Liberata shades. £30. 

www.milkbeauty.co.uk
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  • Shopping
  • Clapham
Anesis

Perched right by the entrance to Clapham Common tube, Anesis is a one-stop beauty destination (offering tanning, facials, hair styling, waxing and manis) that’s worth braving the Northern Line for. For a no-streak glow, opt for the Sienna X rapid spray tan (£30), which develops over 1 to 3 hours. 

www.anesis.co.uk
EAST
  • Shopping
  • Spitalfields
Benefit

As well as dishing out playfully retro-inspired make-up, Benefit’s boutiques also offer a similarly chirpy salon experience. Away from the bustle of the shop floor, you can pop in for a Vita Liberata spray tan – prices start at £25. 

www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk
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WEST
  • Shopping
  • Notting Hill
Privet

At faux-bucolic beauty shed Privet, tans are administered in the archly named Orangerie. That’s not to say you’ll end up looking like a tangerine – you can choose the intensity of your St Tropez hue, or opt for a subtle ‘body contouring’ service. From £30.

www.privetbody.co.uk
CENTRAL
  • Shopping
  • Lingerie and swimwear
  • Soho

Strip

Part waxing joint, part lingerie shop, Strip is a one-stop destination for your nether-regions. The Soho branch boasts luxe undies labels and treatment rooms that are themed according to wax ‘flavour.’ Prices start at £6.50 for a navel line, and go up to £85 for a full leg wax.

www.stripwaxbar.com

  • Shopping
  • Islington

Ministry of Waxing

The smooth operators at Ministry of Waxing use specially made waxes to make the de-hairing experience a remarkably painless one. The straightforward menu lists every wax you might ever wish for in very plain terms. £6-£99. 

www.ministryofwaxing.com

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  • Health and beauty
  • Hair salons
  • Wimbledon

Gina Conway

Prone to freaking out before getting a wax? Treatments at Gina Conway’s Aveda salon begin with soothing aromatherapy inhalations to take the edge off. It’s enough to make the experience one you’ll look forward to repeating every six weeks. £16-£59.

www.ginaconwaysalons.co.uk

EAST
  • Health and beauty
  • Beauty salons
  • Shoreditch

Barber & Parlour

Redchurch Street’s multi-storey beauty hot spot specialises in beauty treatments that are pretty speedy and pretty cheap. Head to the first floor to get de-fuzzed at the Cheeky Parlour. A full leg wax will cost you £32, while bikini line grooming starts at £20.

www.barberandparlour.com

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WEST
  • Health and beauty
  • Spas
  • Bayswater

The Porchester Spa

Located in a gorgeous old Twenties building, what the Porchester Spa might lack in fluffy robes and ambient music, it more than makes up for with cheap and effective beauty treatments. A full leg wax and bikini line tidy-up will set you back a measly £32. 

www.better.org.uk

CENTRAL
  • Shopping
  • Department stores
  • Soho

Margaret Dabbs Sole Spa

Margaret Dabbs is London’s high priestess of podiatry. The Medical Pedicure (available at the newly souped-up Liberty Sole Spa) is like an MOT for your trotters, sloughing off dead skin to leave even Hobbit-y feet as soft as a baby’s. £80 - £125.

www.margaretdabbs.co.uk

  • Shopping
  • Primrose Hill
Cowshed Primrose Hill

The northern outpost of the Cowshed herd excels at glossy, long-lasting treatments for tired-out hooves. Prices start at £15 for a quick polish change and go up to £60 for the luxurious Ultimate Cowshed Pedicure. 

www.cowshedonline.com
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SOUTH
  • Shopping
  • Putney
London Grace

London Grace is a nail bar with an actual bar, so you can order a cocktail or glass of fizz while your toes are tended to. Founder Kirsten has spent time developing a brand of nasty-free nail polishes, too, and the Top Notch pedi (from £25) uses a luxe coconut lotion that’s been specially formulated in-house.

www.londongrace.co.uk
EAST
  • Shopping
  • Shoreditch
Imarni Nails

Imarni is the nail art supremo behind the talons of FKA Twigs and Jourdan Dunn. If you’re after something a little cooler than a French polish, head eastward to her Boxpark pop-up salon. A Mini Pedi in a show-stopping shade costs £20, while the more intensive Lux treatment is £42. 

www.imarninails.com 
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WEST
  • Health and beauty
  • Beauty salons
  • Notting Hill

MYZ Beauty Boutique

For a thorough foot overhaul at this bijoux salon, opt for Maryam’s Favourite (named after MYZ’s glamorous founder). The 45 min treatment (£40) uses warm paraffin wax (less scary than it looks) to soften and soothe neglected feet. 

www.myznailsboutique.com

Looking for more ways to pamper yourself?

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London is vibrant, varied, exciting, seductive, sprawling... and just a little bit exhausting. At some point, you're probably going to need to pause to unwind.

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