Treatment Review: Holistic Massage and Aromatherapy Shower at Santi Skin Spa

After a hectic month mincing through the sales and hunching over my laptop, drowning in a sea of endless deadlines, I was greatly in need of a truly relaxing massage.

As January is also a month of sluggish systems and dull skin after frivolous festive feasting, I was in search of a massage that was also detoxifying in nature.

The Holistic Massage at South Kensington's Santi Skin Spa was clearly the answer. 





Beloved of well-heeled locals and the odd celebrity, this stylish urban sanctuary is renowned for its skin transforming facials, laser treatments and organic massages.

Upon arriving at the spa, I was impressed with its minimalist, calming decor. I was welcomed warmly and led to a seating area by a bookcase showcasing the latest books on luxury spas and holistic living.

After a calming chamomile tea I was led by my warm-natured therapist, Juta to an inviting treatment room, twinkling with an array of candles and evocatively fragranced with stimulating eucalyptus.

I was left alone for half an hour to relax in the aromatherapy steam shower - a sensuous steamy haze bathed in purple lighting. After a tumultuous journey trekking through the snow and battling with various armpits on the tube, this was a welcome moment of rejuvenation and the perfect start to my treatment.

Afterwards, when I had let go of all troublesome thoughts and rid myself of the city, I lay down on the treatment bed and focused on my breathing before Juta returned to begin the massage.

As with all Santi Skin Spa massage oils, the detoxifying and calming oil used for my treatment was hand blended by the spa themselves and certified organic.

A heady blend of anti-inflammatory liquorice, detoxifying fennel and purifying palmarosa in a silky base oil of sweet almond was smoothed over my skin as the tension I had been carrying with me for days began to fade away.

I succumbed to a much-needed blissful state as Juta used long, sweeping strokes to erase lingering stress and help disperse the toxins in my bloodstream.

After a zesty lemon and ginger tea, I left feeling deliriously relaxed, the usual rampant barrage of thoughts in my mind stilled, ready to face the fresh blanket of London snow.

The Holistic Massage with Aromatherapy Shower at Santi Skin Spa costs £100 and can be booked here.