Lush

Had a great massage today (The Good Hour) at the Lush Spa in the basement of this shop. I arrived a few minutes early, while Holly was still getting my room ready, and another staffer chatter with me while I waited. Holly came up to get me, and escorted me downstairs to a lovely little room filled with Lush products!
Before leaving the treatment room so I could undress, Holly turned on some music (sea shanties, ahoy!) and set a Big Blue bath bomb into a bowl of dry ice, filling the room with sea-​scented smoke which really set the mood for the massage. I rang the bell when I was ready for her, and she came in right away to start the treatment.
I chose Wiccy Magic Muscles as my massage bar (though she also offered me a few others), and it was great. The combination of the heat and cold from the massage bar was wonderful. Holly also used an ice cold jelly disc to really get at some tough knots around my neck. She didn’t get all my knots out but, to be fair, they had been building up and tightening for months and one session won’t do it. But she really loosened them, far more than I expected.
Afterwards, Holly set me up with a lovely cup of tea and some biscuits and fruit, and wrapped up the rest of the massage bar to take home. The whole thing cost 80 GBP and was well worth it. I’m not sure I will be able to go back nearly as often as I’d like (it’s a bit pricey for me right now, and I live quite a bit away), but as a treat, it’s excellent.

Excellent customer service!

To add on to zoecb’s previous comment on the good hour, I’d say that the massage in itself is more thorough than I’ve ever tried. The therapist really worked on my knots and I felt lighter for weeks afterwards. I just booked a new appointment and I recommend you do the same!

I had the Good Hour treatment really wonderful. The décor is charming (like a country kitchen in the waiting area) and lots of snazzy gimmicks like sea mist on the floor and a soundtrack of sea shanties (which I will be buying!) the products smell heavenly, the therapist was lovely and you get tea and biscuits afterwards!

the spa is an amazing experience!!! The service and people that work here are lovely!!!

I love Lush Spa so much. Went back to London (this spa was definitely a factor!) on a trip to Europe earlier this year, and got both The Spell and The Good Hour.
The Spell I got the day I arrived, and if I had it to do again I’d go when I was not so jet-​lagged, as I was fighting sleep for much of the treatment. It’s lovely — my feet felt fantastic after, the music was wonderful, and I loved the head, neck, and shoulders massage and the hot stones my therapist, Sophie, placed under my shoulder blades.
It was The Good Hour, though, which I got at the end of my trip, that stands out as the best massage I’ve ever had. I loved everything about it, from the «sea mist» created with dry ice and a Big Blue bath bomb, to the modernized sea shanties, to the cup of tea with optional splash of rum after the treatment.
Most importantly, though, it was the best therapeutic massage I’ve had. I was having a lot of problems with my neck and with migraines, and after the trigger point work of this massage, they were GONE. I walked out of there feeling like every muscle in my body was jelly. Amazing. I’ll be back, although I’d prefer Lush opens some spas in the US, so I can go all the time!

This is the Lush first shop I encountered. It’s an ethically-​focused toiletries and cosmetics company, specialising in natural and organic products.
Their manufacturing premises are, by their own description, ‘more catering kitchen than production facility’, and many of the items (such as soap) are sold as simple blocks, without packaging. A new touch is putting the name of individual production personnel on some of the products (which some people clearly like, but I find gimmicky). Their staff are dedicated and friendly, and very willing to help out with advice.
So why only three stars? Well, I’ve been a bit disappointed with some of the their products in the past (the ‘bath bombs’ aren’t as much fun as they suggest) and, despite the fact that the products are supposed to be natural, I find the smell in the shops to be overpowering. This may simply result from the lack of packaging, but the competing fragrances from strong essential oils ends up feeling decidely unnatural to me.
So, good for a whacky present for someone who likes that sort of thing, and good if you are concerned about how ethical the Bodyshop really is these days, but it’s not on my regular list.