The insider's guide to London's best spas

There are plenty of spas in London, but in these cashstrapped times how do you know which one's really worth visiting when you need a treat?

Look no further, because here The Good Spa Guide's new book — The Best Spas in Britain — reveals London's top sanctuaries.

The guide's anonymous spies have visited more than 30 London spas, scrutinising every aspect from the cleanliness of showers to the fluffiness of towels.

If in London and should you need a full day's pampering or quick lunchtime pedicure, here's where to go.

Each spa was then rated using the guide's bubble system; from one (Let me out) to five (I'm not leaving). Here, we reveal eight spas that won a bubble rating of five.

CITYPOINT CLUB

1 Ropemaker Street, EC2 (020 7920 6200, www.thecitypointclub.co.uk)

The CityPoint tower is the third-tallest skyscraper in the City, so it's pretty hard to miss.

There's plenty to do there because it's both health club and spa; modern and more functional than feminine but suited to pampering as well as wellbeing.

You'll feel perfectly at home wandering around the whole place in your dressing gown.

There's a 20-metre pool set up with lanes for serious swimmers and poolside loungers for lazy folk.

Or you can work out on the squash courts or in the well-equipped gym before relaxing with a spa treatment.

LE KALON SPA

Bentley Hotel, Harrington Gardens, SW7 (020 7244 5371, www.thebentley-hotel.com)

This hotel is home to the only authentic hammam (Turkish bath) within a five-star luxury hotel in London.

There are benches to sit on around the edge, and in the middle is a large knee-height marble slab, where you lie for your massage after the heat has relaxed you.

And the steam is hot. You may not think you'll enjoy having a bowl of cold water over your head, but we promise that you will.

If the hammam isn't bliss enough, Le Kalon offers a range of Karin Herzog chocolate treatments too.

Even better, all hotel guests have to make an appointment for treatments, so the discrete spa is never crowded.

Top treatment: Combination Hamman — follow up your Turkish bath with a traditional black olive soap exfoliation (using a goats' hair glove) and halfhour massage (£105 or Dh676 for 60 minutes).

EARTHSPA

Chantrey House, 4 Eccleston Street, SW1 (020 7823 6226, www.earthspa.co.uk)

The beautiful Belgravia treatment rooms have been decked out with a sharp designer's eye. Well-groomed regulars here enjoy Dermalogica and NV Perricone facials, Hungarian mineral mud treatments and an extensive beauty menu, including IPL laser treatments.

The small relaxation area is the epitome of shabby chic; flowers, candles and ornate mirrors are everywhere.

It's like a sitting room from an interior-design magazine, but full of personal touches. However, if you're looking for a day spa to lounge in this isn't the place for you.

Top treatment: earthspa stone massage ritual. Hot basalt and cool marble stones are used on the entire body for a re-energising treatment that can last either 70 or 85 minutes (£85, Dh547 or £100, Dh644).

MANDARIN ORIENTAL

The Mandarin Oriental is a soothing, understated spa in the middle of Knightsbridge. Its opulence lies in the standard of service and attention to detail; used towels are removed in the blink of an eye.

It's also home to one of the most relaxing relaxation rooms of any spa we have been to. The subdued lighting discourages the reading of magazines, as if even this minor activity is too demanding.

Treatments include the shiatsu-inspired ginger ritual, the life dance massage, Balinese massage, reflexology, oriental scrubs and wraps.

Book two hours of “advanced time'' and decide your treatments on arrival. Top-end rates, but in terms of location, ambience and spa perfection it's worth it.

Top treatment: Purifying ritual — a complete detoxing package treatment which includes a warm algae wrap, full body and scalp massage using lemon, cypress and eucalyptus oils and a skin-brightening facial (£340 or Dh2,190 for three hours and 15 minutes).

PACIFICA DAY SPA

1 Courtnell Street, W2 (0207 243 1718, www.pacificadayspa.co.uk)

These tiny treatment rooms are in a great location, a residential area of Notting Hill. The spa is chic and comfortable, with four treatment rooms and a small chill-out room tucked away at the back.

There's no sauna, steam room or pool, but there's a powerful “aromasteam capsule'' offering a fiveminute-steam treatment for one.

Staff are smart and friendly. If you like a kind of brisk, no-nonsense approach to beauty that is effective as well as sensual, you'll appreciate this.

Top treatment: The yoga pedicure, which combines a deluxe pedicure with reflexology plus a pair of holistic yoga sandals to take home (£75 or Dh483 for 60 minutes).

THE RITUAL ROOMS

13 New Quebec Street, Portman Village, W1 (08700 855066, www.ritualrooms.co.uk)

The Ritual Rooms are London's only private hair and beauty rooms. Situated in a quiet area minutes away from Oxford Street, you can have your hair done and spa treatments in your own, private room.

You book for the minutes you would like there rather than the specifics of your treatment, allowing flexibility and avoiding hidden extras.

We loved the Ritual Rooms' contemporary boudoir style and the comfortable relaxation area, with two leather recliners and a good stash of magazines.

Our spy also felt fantastic every day for a week after her Anne Sémonin anti-stress back therapy, combined with a cut and blow dry using Keratase and Bumble and Bumble products.

It's spa nirvana if you're fed up with having your hair done in a noisy, public hairdresser's salon.

Top treatment: Ritual Rooms l'experience — a bespoke facial and scalp massage, followed by a blow-dry.

A complimentary makeover can be added on if you wish; a useful service if heading out for the night afterwards (£156 or Dh1,000 for two hours).

SAVANA URBAN SPA

45 Hereford Road, W2 (020 7229 8300, www.savanaspa.com)

Savana urban spa is a white and airy oasis in the middle of noisy Westbourne Grove. Its speciality is the mix of complementary therapies and massage with beauty treatments and sheer indulgence.

There aren't many spas where you can combine reiki with a Brazilian wax, or flower remedies with a chocolate pedicure.

It focuses on indulging both inner and outer beauty, with a range of massages: Ayurvedic, hydrotherm, Thai, manual lymphatic draining to name just a few, in addition to baby massage and couples' massage workshops too.

If you're looking for beauty treatments with a wellbeing element, Savana is the place for you.

If pressed for time, try Savana's happy lunch hours. Three therapists co-ordinate simultaneous treatments for a halfhour beauty blitz — the spa equivalent of a Formula One pit stop.

Top treatment: Milk and honey body treatment — an exfoliating session of body brushing, followed by an oil and honey massage and warm milk cleanse that leaves the skin baby-soft (£85 or Dh547 for 55 minutes).

SHYMALA AYURVEDA

152 Holland Park Avenue, W11 (0207 348 0018, www.shymalaayurveda.com)

The focus on authentic Ayurvedic treatments and techniques sets Shymala Ayurveda apart; so many spas use Ayurvedic terms in treatments that have little to do with ancient Hindu medicine.

Here, you get the real deal in an elegant, bijou Kensington townhouse.

Choose from a range of traditional Indian Ayurvedic therapies, from udvartana (a body-firming treatment) through to a full 21-day panchakarma detox programme.

There's a yoga studio and regular spa treatments are offered too, so you can still get a body polish and manicure if you fancy it.

The décor is a mixture of traditional Indian and contemporary European design, with carved wooden furniture from Kerala, vividly coloured and embroidered fabrics and walls in cerise and gold.

A feminine spa that's just right for a quiet afternoon relaxing with your mum, daughter or best friend.

Top treatment: Cleopatra Ayurvedic herbal bath -- a unique blend of milk, herbs and essential oils combined with flowers and petals is added to a hot bath.

After a 30-minute soak, the therapist will moisturise your whole body (£40 or Dh258 for 45 minutes).