Inside ESPA Life At Corinthia

Our first port of call was the changing room, which was a destination in itself, decked out with a sauna and fragrant steam room. Having changed into the sumptuous swaddling bath robes, we headed for the thermal floor. The aesthetic is dramatic and seductive: sheer black walls, flickering fires, and floor-to-ceiling marble. The dark swimming pool invites you in and the large glass sauna sits proudly with 360 degree views of the spa. We started our journey in the vitality pool, with its powerful jets which pound overworked muscles — pure bliss.

The treatment rooms at ESPA Life are to be found following a maze of marble corridors, as you descend deeper into the spa it becomes even quieter and more relaxing. Rooms are candle-lit, with plush massage beds, the perfect setting for my 90-minute ESPA resilience massage. This treatment was carried out with hot stones which worked the aromatic essential oils deep into my tight muscles as I tried my hardest not to fall asleep. The treatment finished with a scalp massage using ESPA’s pink mud scalp mask — a signature product. As the treatment drew to a close, my therapist fetched some fresh herbal tea, before I continued my journey of relaxation on the thermal floor, hopping between the sauna, steam room and vitality pool before making use of the ESPA hair and shower products to prepare for afternoon tea in the Crystal Moon Lounge.

The centrepiece of the beautiful space is the huge iconic chandelier, which, with its 1001 Baccarat crystals, creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. As we began our afternoon tea, sipping on generous flutes of champagne, the piano player began to play, a romantic accompaniment to the proceeding feast.

Our culinary journey began with delicate finger sandwiches with flavour profiles, a delightful deviation from the usual suspects: pickled cucumber with goat's curd, mint and zingy capers and roasted turkey breast with gem lettuce, parmesan and truffle cream were a triumph. We were then served plump scones with a selection of sweet jams and Cornish clotted cream. This was accompanied by my selection from the extensive tea menu, I opted for Jasmine Pearls, a heady and fragrant green tea blend.  Next up was a charming array of cakes almost too pretty to eat: from caramelised apple tart, to hazelnut rocher, and miniature lemon cookies, which we gladly took away with us to savour at home.

A day at ESPA Life at the Corinthia is pleasure in the purest form, well worth carving time out in your diary for.

Visit espalifeatcorinthia.com to book your visit.