Mellow lighting is used throughout the spa, including the thermal rooms / photo: megan whitby
London’s wellness scene is increasingly competitive, with global operators investing heavily in urban retreats in the capital (see www.spabusiness.com/london). From the moment you step inside Surrenne, the private wellness club at the city’s latest hotel, The Emory, it’s clear a new niche combining health, luxury and playful innovation has been carved out (see p74).
Entering Surrenne at the lowest basement level, I’m struck by the inviting atmosphere where wood-clad interiors, bathed in mellow lighting, are accentuated with copper touches and cosy seating. The health cafe is approached by what seems to be a feature wall filled with bubbling blue liquid.
To my surprise, it’s a secret door which slides aside to unveil an opulent bathing hall with a 22m pool, 24k gold ceiling and mosaic walls twinkling with crystal geodes. Come evening, guests can swim by candlelight while underwater speakers create a soundtrack for their workout. Funky spa robes, striped pink pillows and slippers with bright orange accents add a fun twist.
Around the thermal pool are a sauna and an aromatherapy steamroom with a pink glass portal. The standout feature, however, is a TechnoAlpin snow shower, which provides a refreshing finale to contrast bathing cycles.
Tracy Anderson at Surrenne An impressive circular staircase leads to a modern gym with advanced cardio equipment.
Up two floors is the temple where devotees of Tracy Anderson can go to work out. Anderson is known for having helped a range of celebrities with their physical transformations, including Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow, who became her business partner in 2008.
Marking the UK’s first studio dedicated to Anderson’s classes, the space – currently booming with music during a class – has been a major draw for members and can be heated to 95˚C with 75 per cent humidity during workouts, which has a number of benefits.
“Sweat encourages the body to release toxins and improves the skin’s elasticity and tone,” says Anderson. “The heat also keeps the muscles warm, ready to move and malleable.
“When you exercise and sweat, you’re utilising the body’s natural cooling mechanism. All it wants in return is new water. Now that’s cleansing!”
Stella McCarTney’s first facial A pivotal step in bringing Surrenne to fruition – and defining Maybourne’s longevity and wellness brand – is aligning itself with global experts such as Anderson. On the spa side, this included an exclusive partnership with Stella by Stella McCartney, which saw Surrenne offering the world’s first facial using the fashion icon’s skincare products (see p76).
McCartney is a staunch leader in sustainable clothing and ethical fashion and this ethos is echoed in her consumer-facing beauty range based on natural formulas and refillables.
The 60-minute £220 (US$291, €260) treatment, which launched as a one-off pop-up service and has just ended, used McCartney’s beauty products, which are claimed to be 99 per cent organic and 100 per cent vegan. The ritual worked on reflex points, lymphatic drainage and deep tissue manipulation to release obstructions and promote plumpness in the skin.
“Stella is a great friend and it’s inspirational how she’s single-handedly trying to change the [fashion] industry,” says Theron.
“It was important to me that customers who really believe in sustainability had a choice at Surrenne. And we also saw that the gentle, yet still effective, organic ingredients appealed to younger customers and we get a lot of teens coming in with their mums.”
Striking spa Surrenne’s spa and medical clinic features solar sculptures, soft pink lighting, mushroom artwork and crystals. The spa’s reception and shop retail top-end products ranging from energetically charged perfumes and VR goggles to workout gear and skincare tools. Behind this is a hyperbaric oxygen chamber suite and a diagnostics room.
Eight treatment rooms feature artwork by Damien Hirst and Helle Mardahl, including one double room with two hammam suites clad in white marble.
Attention to detail underpins all aspects, taking the notion of luxury wellness to new heights. Yet the quirky touches temper its exclusivity and invite guests to embrace a life of balance, fun and wellbeing.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 3
Editor's letter: At a crossroads
As the UK prepares to host this year's Global Wellness Summit, fresh research shows its wellness industry must address a number of issues if it's to maintain levels of unprecedented growth
Spa People: Charlotte Church
The Welsh singer talks about how growing up in the media spotlight has influenced The Dreaming, her healing retreat business
Spa People: Julia Bradbury
Leading a series of Walk Yourself Happy retreats based on her best-selling book and years of TV presenting
Spa People: Samantha Dunn
Shaking up the industry with her new, affordable DIY consultancy programme for entrepreneurs
News report: Big spenders
Finn Partners’ latest research shows how China’s high-net-worth women are redefining luxury travel
News report: Step back in time
Two new GWI reports analyse the growth of the global spa and hot springs markets over the past 10 to 15 years
Interview: Dillip Rajakarier
Following a 450 per cent increase in core revenues, Minor Hotels is planning 200 more properties. Megan Whitby sits down with its CEO
New opening: Kintsugi Space
Patrizia Bortolin talks to Lisa Starr about creating a transformative women-only sanctuary in Abu Dhabi
Research: To inform and inspire
The UK Spa Association has conducted its first survey of spa businesses in the country for 18 years. GM Bobby Griffiths unveils the numbers
Research: From wellness to wellbeing
A new study uncovers four wellness consumer market segments ripe for innovation. WELLSurvey co-author Kevin Kelly reveals the findings in a Spa Business exclusive
First person: To the source
Jane Kitchen takes to the sulphurous waters of Terme di Saturnia in Italy and shares details about its exciting upcoming sister site in Milan
Promotion: L'OCCITANE en Provence – the art of recovery
With an approach to wellbeing that’s both holistic and grounded in science, the latest massage from L’OCCITANE en Provence promises to have a powerfully-beneficial effect on customers, both in the spa and at home
New opening: Surrenne at The Emory
The £15k memberships at this wellness club in London sold out in just weeks. Creator Inge Theron tells us why
First person: Playful wellness
A Stella McCartney facial and Tracy Anderson studio are just two USPs Megan Whitby finds at Surrenne
Promotion: TechnoAlpin – naturally cool design
TechnoAlpin’s snow technology is not only an effective way to introduce gentle cold therapy into the spa environment, it’s also a powerful biophilic design element that can bring the wonder of nature indoors
Promotion: Biologique Recherche – potent partnership
A new anti-senescence serum from Biologique Recherche offers transformative results and raises the bar in anti-ageing skincare when combined with its iconic collagen formula
Promotion: Comfort Zone – A longer life for skin
Created to combat the visible signs of ageing, Comfort Zone’s latest range revamp is based on the company’s pioneering research into cutaneous cellular longevity
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN – Clinical excellence in skincare
With laboratories based in Montreal, G.M. Collin’s highly researched derma-corrective treatments have been helping skincare professionals deliver exceptional and exclusive results worldwide for many decades. We talk to VP Myriam Sayer
Mellow lighting is used throughout the spa, including the thermal rooms / photo: megan whitby
London’s wellness scene is increasingly competitive, with global operators investing heavily in urban retreats in the capital (see www.spabusiness.com/london). From the moment you step inside Surrenne, the private wellness club at the city’s latest hotel, The Emory, it’s clear a new niche combining health, luxury and playful innovation has been carved out (see p74).
Entering Surrenne at the lowest basement level, I’m struck by the inviting atmosphere where wood-clad interiors, bathed in mellow lighting, are accentuated with copper touches and cosy seating. The health cafe is approached by what seems to be a feature wall filled with bubbling blue liquid.
To my surprise, it’s a secret door which slides aside to unveil an opulent bathing hall with a 22m pool, 24k gold ceiling and mosaic walls twinkling with crystal geodes. Come evening, guests can swim by candlelight while underwater speakers create a soundtrack for their workout. Funky spa robes, striped pink pillows and slippers with bright orange accents add a fun twist.
Around the thermal pool are a sauna and an aromatherapy steamroom with a pink glass portal. The standout feature, however, is a TechnoAlpin snow shower, which provides a refreshing finale to contrast bathing cycles.
Tracy Anderson at Surrenne An impressive circular staircase leads to a modern gym with advanced cardio equipment.
Up two floors is the temple where devotees of Tracy Anderson can go to work out. Anderson is known for having helped a range of celebrities with their physical transformations, including Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow, who became her business partner in 2008.
Marking the UK’s first studio dedicated to Anderson’s classes, the space – currently booming with music during a class – has been a major draw for members and can be heated to 95˚C with 75 per cent humidity during workouts, which has a number of benefits.
“Sweat encourages the body to release toxins and improves the skin’s elasticity and tone,” says Anderson. “The heat also keeps the muscles warm, ready to move and malleable.
“When you exercise and sweat, you’re utilising the body’s natural cooling mechanism. All it wants in return is new water. Now that’s cleansing!”
Stella McCarTney’s first facial A pivotal step in bringing Surrenne to fruition – and defining Maybourne’s longevity and wellness brand – is aligning itself with global experts such as Anderson. On the spa side, this included an exclusive partnership with Stella by Stella McCartney, which saw Surrenne offering the world’s first facial using the fashion icon’s skincare products (see p76).
McCartney is a staunch leader in sustainable clothing and ethical fashion and this ethos is echoed in her consumer-facing beauty range based on natural formulas and refillables.
The 60-minute £220 (US$291, €260) treatment, which launched as a one-off pop-up service and has just ended, used McCartney’s beauty products, which are claimed to be 99 per cent organic and 100 per cent vegan. The ritual worked on reflex points, lymphatic drainage and deep tissue manipulation to release obstructions and promote plumpness in the skin.
“Stella is a great friend and it’s inspirational how she’s single-handedly trying to change the [fashion] industry,” says Theron.
“It was important to me that customers who really believe in sustainability had a choice at Surrenne. And we also saw that the gentle, yet still effective, organic ingredients appealed to younger customers and we get a lot of teens coming in with their mums.”
Striking spa Surrenne’s spa and medical clinic features solar sculptures, soft pink lighting, mushroom artwork and crystals. The spa’s reception and shop retail top-end products ranging from energetically charged perfumes and VR goggles to workout gear and skincare tools. Behind this is a hyperbaric oxygen chamber suite and a diagnostics room.
Eight treatment rooms feature artwork by Damien Hirst and Helle Mardahl, including one double room with two hammam suites clad in white marble.
Attention to detail underpins all aspects, taking the notion of luxury wellness to new heights. Yet the quirky touches temper its exclusivity and invite guests to embrace a life of balance, fun and wellbeing.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2024 issue 3
Editor's letter: At a crossroads
As the UK prepares to host this year's Global Wellness Summit, fresh research shows its wellness industry must address a number of issues if it's to maintain levels of unprecedented growth
Spa People: Charlotte Church
The Welsh singer talks about how growing up in the media spotlight has influenced The Dreaming, her healing retreat business
Spa People: Julia Bradbury
Leading a series of Walk Yourself Happy retreats based on her best-selling book and years of TV presenting
Spa People: Samantha Dunn
Shaking up the industry with her new, affordable DIY consultancy programme for entrepreneurs
News report: Big spenders
Finn Partners’ latest research shows how China’s high-net-worth women are redefining luxury travel
News report: Step back in time
Two new GWI reports analyse the growth of the global spa and hot springs markets over the past 10 to 15 years
Interview: Dillip Rajakarier
Following a 450 per cent increase in core revenues, Minor Hotels is planning 200 more properties. Megan Whitby sits down with its CEO
New opening: Kintsugi Space
Patrizia Bortolin talks to Lisa Starr about creating a transformative women-only sanctuary in Abu Dhabi
Research: To inform and inspire
The UK Spa Association has conducted its first survey of spa businesses in the country for 18 years. GM Bobby Griffiths unveils the numbers
Research: From wellness to wellbeing
A new study uncovers four wellness consumer market segments ripe for innovation. WELLSurvey co-author Kevin Kelly reveals the findings in a Spa Business exclusive
First person: To the source
Jane Kitchen takes to the sulphurous waters of Terme di Saturnia in Italy and shares details about its exciting upcoming sister site in Milan
Promotion: L'OCCITANE en Provence – the art of recovery
With an approach to wellbeing that’s both holistic and grounded in science, the latest massage from L’OCCITANE en Provence promises to have a powerfully-beneficial effect on customers, both in the spa and at home
New opening: Surrenne at The Emory
The £15k memberships at this wellness club in London sold out in just weeks. Creator Inge Theron tells us why
First person: Playful wellness
A Stella McCartney facial and Tracy Anderson studio are just two USPs Megan Whitby finds at Surrenne
Promotion: TechnoAlpin – naturally cool design
TechnoAlpin’s snow technology is not only an effective way to introduce gentle cold therapy into the spa environment, it’s also a powerful biophilic design element that can bring the wonder of nature indoors
Promotion: Biologique Recherche – potent partnership
A new anti-senescence serum from Biologique Recherche offers transformative results and raises the bar in anti-ageing skincare when combined with its iconic collagen formula
Promotion: Comfort Zone – A longer life for skin
Created to combat the visible signs of ageing, Comfort Zone’s latest range revamp is based on the company’s pioneering research into cutaneous cellular longevity
Promotion: G.M. COLLIN – Clinical excellence in skincare
With laboratories based in Montreal, G.M. Collin’s highly researched derma-corrective treatments have been helping skincare professionals deliver exceptional and exclusive results worldwide for many decades. We talk to VP Myriam Sayer
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
