Review: Elemis Spa London Heathrow

Inside the British Airways lounge complex in Heathrow Terminal 5 is an Elemis Spa designed for business and first class passengers as well as those holding an Executive Club Gold card. Premium passengers can enjoy a complimentary 15-mintue treatment prior to their flight, though securing an appointment can prove difficult.

BA actually has four Elemis spas at London Heathrow:

• Terminal 5A South (07.00-21.00)
• Terminal 5B departure lounge (07.00-21.00)
• T5 Arrivals lounge (06.00-14.00)
• Terminal 3 departure lounge (07.00-21.00)

For this review I will focus on the Terminal 5A South spa.

Here’s a current look at treatments available:

Just For Men

Deep Clean Aviator Facial

Power-up your skin! Deep clean and energise your skin, combining innovative sonic cleansing and high-potency actives, to fight the effects of flying.

Muscle-Ease Power Back Massage

For the ultimate journey! Feel recharged and energised as we knead away tired, aching muscles from the back, neck and shoulders.

First Class Power Shave

Feel refreshed after the skin-smooth power shave, exclusively developed by award-winning shave guru, Richard Anthony.

Not suitable for beard removal and does not include beard design or grooming

Face

Firm Up and Fly

Super-lifting on the go! Experience visible results with innovative skin-lifting face technology to help smooth and contour your skin.

Runway Ready Skin Recharge

Prepare your skin to be runway ready! This highly effective facial combines revolutionary sonic cleansing to revive travel-weary skin.

Jet Lag Eye Reviver

Pre-flight eye renew! Advanced infusion technology and anti-ageing superactives help soothe tired eyes and smooth away fine lines.

BIOTEC Hands-On facial

BIOTEC works to switch your skin back on for visibly healthy, nourished and energised skin.

Body

Dream Flight Back Massage

Take flight! Feel stress-less and rejuvenated as we ease away muscle tension and stiffness from the back, neck and shoulders.

Pre-Flight Reviver – Neck & Shoulder

Loosen up! Melt away tension in the neck and shoulders to help alleviate stress and leave you feeling revitalised.

Deep Relax Scalp Massage

The pressure’s on! Help release tension headaches and feel travel-ready with an intensely relaxing scalp massage.

Grooming

Jet Set Power Polish

Perfectly polished in an instant! Get your nails shaped-up, then select one of the stunning nail colours from Essie. Optional shape and buff available to male travellers.

If the polish application is smudged or chipped we are unable to offer a correction service.

Sky High Brow Shape

Up, up and away! Celebrated brow experts, HD Brows have created a bespoke service to give you an instant brow lift and shape.

Stopover Super-Charge

For those who prefer some private chill-out time, our intelligent massage chair delivers a multi-dimensional massage to banish fatigue and leave you feeling revived and refreshed.

Securing An Appointment

Only first class passengers are entitled to make an appointment. You can request the appointment online via this page, though I recommend calling +44 161 448 3013 and making the appointment over the phone. This will allow you to confirm your appointment immediately. Bookings open 28 days prior to departure.

When I traveled first class on British Airways I called 25 days before and most times were already booked…

My Experience

I reserved a 15-minute neck and shoulder massage. At 8:30a, precisely on schedule, I appeared at the front desk of the Elemis Spa, located directly adjacent to the Concorde Room. There were two others in line in front of me, but both simply added their name to the shower queue.

Although I was welcomed warmly, the lounge attendant told me that I would need to wait a few minutes longer for my massage in a salon-like area. In the meantime, she provided a detailed form to fill out. It felt like I was visiting a new doctor’s office, with many medical-related questions on what amounted to a release of liability form.

Finally, my masseuse showed up, a lovely woman from Surrey…who talked my ear off for the entire 15 minutes. She struck up the conversation, she asked questions, and she ended up doing much of the talking.

When you think of massage ambiance, you tend to think of candles and soft music, not a discussion about the British economy and the Monarchy. But I did not mind. She meant well and I did not hold her gabbing against her.

The massage wasn’t bad either. Rather than laying on a table, you sit on a chair:

She used different Elemis oils during the treatment and hot and cold towels to “awaken” my senses:

I was invited to relax and offered a cup of tea after the treatment:

I returned to the spa more recently as a Club World passenger (with no appointment). Even though the spa appeared empty, I was told no appointments were available. I was offered the use of a chair massage (like you see in many Asian lounges) for 15 minutes…which I took.

CONCLUSION

Part of me wants to write the spa experience is just a gimmick, and it is, but it is more than that. It also represents an effort to offer a useful service that I was thankful to take advantage of. Though my talkative masseuse may have been a bit unorthodox,  don’t miss out on the experience if you are flying on BA out of London in a longhaul premium cabin.