My honest review of London’s newest wellness hotel after its £1,500,000,000 glow-up

If London is a tapestry of history, a city where a single street can tell centuries of stories, then a new chapter is unfolding at an iconic building in bougie Bayswater.

Located on Queensway in the famously affluent neighbourhood, Whiteleys was the department store in its 18th-century heyday, but in later years, it lost its sparkle. Then a major renovation gave it CPR.

Following a £1.5 billion glow-up by Foster + Partners, the Grade-II listed landmark has just reopened as a cutting-edge wellness hotel that has everything from a biohacking lounge to a fermentation lab. (A what?)

It’s the first UK outpost of luxury wellness hotel brand Six Senses, with 109 rooms and suites, plus a spa and an exclusive social club for members.

Six Senses Hotels CEO Neil Jacobs’ has declared that the property is ‘unlike anything we have seen’ in the British capital.

As a former Tatler staffer and lover of the luxury scene, I had to put that claim to the test.

Six Senses is a bit about alternative medicine and going ‘back to nature’, and a lot about love of the good life. The current version, at least.

Back in the 1800s and 1900s, ‘luxury’ meant maximalism: big parties, decadent food and champagne on tap.

These days it’s less about excess, and more about time, longevity and how you feel when you leave.

With the global wellness economy now valued at $6.8 trillion and forecast to account for nearly 7% of global GDP by the Global Wellness Institute, it’s hard to ignore how far this shift has gone.

Many brands have followed this cultural shift, but Six Senses was writing the script long before wellness became such an alluring word.

Founded in 1995, the brand’s ethos is to ‘take people beyond destinations and reawaken their senses so they can disconnect yet be reconnected … to themselves, others, and the world around them’.

How do they do that, then?

In this new London location, you can have a consultation with a ‘medical herbalist’, spend time in a cryotherapy pod, have a full body MOT or enjoy a vast array of outlandishly indulgent spa treatments.

When I went to check it out earlier this month, I had a 60-minute sculpting facial, which was not only one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had in a while, but also left me with a whole new complexion (see below).

The design of the spa is a marvel: a maze of poured-concrete tunnels with low lighting, state-of-the-art facilities and sweeping Romanesque ceilings.

The 20-metre pool is, without question, one of the best in the city, too.

But it’s not about spectacle, it’s about creating a space where you’re encouraged to switch off entirely, something that now feels like the real marker of true modern luxury in a place like London.

My appointment at Alchemy Bar with one of the in-house herbalists was the first time I’d had this kind of experience.

The design is like Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, and a Victorian apothecary were stuck in a blender.

Led like a hybrid of a medical consultation and therapy session, the herbalist gets to know your body, lifestyle and emotions through a series of questions before making an assessment.

The Alchemy Bar is inspired by traditional European herbalism, drawing on the properties of different herbs and botanicals to create something tailored to you.

From there, the herbalist designs a unique blend, either as a tea or tincture, for you to take home and continue using after your stay.

If I am honest, however, the sheer volume of what’s on offer can feel a bit intimidating.

With cryotherapy, medical consultations, herbalism, treatments and biohacking all on offer, there is a danger of turning relaxation into another itinerary to navigate.

The technology is impressive, but ultimately it’s the feeling of leaving calmer and better rested that makes the stay memorable.

My junior suite keeps pace with the spa. It’s all soft lighting, muted tones and a sumptuously comfortable bed with sleep mist waiting to be spritzed.

In most rooms, mine included, the bath is encased in Crittall glass right in the middle of the room.

The design certainly looks good, but some might find it less practical on the privacy front. Personally, though, I think it’s sexy as hell.

The minibar is not included. It’s well stocked, though, with a good selection of fancy soft drinks, including Karma Cola and ginger beer, which I’m partial to.

There was also a rather small container of pick ’n’ mix sweets which looked delicious but for £8 I think you’d struggle to justify that jelly baby.

In the evening, I took myself on a date for seasonal cocktails at Whiteley’s Bar which, I don’t say lightly, were some of the best concoctions I’ve tasted.

Dinner was a 10/10 experience which is almost impossible to critique.

A gorgeous touch on the menu is the option to ‘trust the chef’, where the maestro creates a bespoke menu based on your preferences.

This led me to the joy of some of their top dishes: tuna tartare, Oxford Sandy & Black pork chop and their signature crispy smashed potatoes, each course paired with an impeccable selection of wines by their director of wine, Eugenio Egorov.

At dinner and breakfast, there is a wide range of pickles, kefir drinks and ferments, all designed by their in-house fermentation specialist.

Perhaps that is what Six Senses gets right. It doesn’t just tack wellness onto the side of a luxury hotel and call it a day.

It has woven the idea through every part of the experience, from what you eat and drink to how you sleep, move, relax and spend your time.

That philosophy extends beyond the hotel itself and into Six Senses Place too, the members’ club within the building.

After check-out, guests receive an email which signs off with a note: ‘London moves fast, but our doors are always open whenever you feel like returning for a different rhythm.’

It’s a nice message, but this kind of living, of course, comes at a price.

Rooms at Six Senses London start from around £600 a night. Spa treatments and immersive wellness experiences are charged separately, with current packages starting at around £425 per person.

Once you throw in dinner and drinks, you’re easily looking at a four-figure stay.

As a best in class destination, this is to be expected, and if you have the money to spend, Six Senses London is the perfect place to do it. 

That’s the catch 22 of modern wellness: slowing down and investing in yourself can be wonderful, but only if you have the budget to do so.