Forty Minutes (Jen, June 12, 2005)
(pictures courtesy of mandarinoriental.com)

"We strongly encourage you to arrive 40 minutes early to take advantage of our amenities”, Fran Edwards, Marketing Assistant at the Mandarin Oriental London, told me.  Forty minutes?  Sure, I’ve been told by plenty of spas to arrive early so that I can enjoy the spa amenities, but 40 minutes early?

Knowing my uncanny ability to be late for everything, I planned to arrive at the Mandarin Oriental, London a whopping 90 minutes in advance.  I actually arrived a little over an hour early.  And trust me when I tell you, I very easily could have used the full 90 minutes I had planned.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, London had so many extras that time simply slipped away from me.  I started my experience by changing into my thick robe and spending some quality time in the Amethyst Crystal Steam Room.

Unlike any other steam room I had been to, this steam room was built with granite and stone, which gave the room a more “natural” feel.  One entire wall of the large steam room was glass and overlooked the Vitality Pool.  This wall of glass made the room feel more open than traditional steam rooms since the light from the pool area shone through.

There was an illuminated amethyst crystal hanging in the room which is supposed to bring the mind and body together.  The steam experience was perfected by the relaxing music actually playing inside the steam room!  I could have stayed there all day, but I had other amenities I wanted to play with.

I next ventured into the Sanarium, which is very similar to a Sauna.  The difference is that the Sanarium is not as hot and the air is moister, a combination that is better for your skin than a traditional Sauna, according to my spa guide at Mandarin Oriental, London.  I didn’t notice much difference between the Sanarium and a Sauna, so I didn’t spend too much time in there.  I then took advantage of the full body shower.  It’s a small shower room that has massaging shower jets from head to toe coming at you from all three walls of the shower.  It was an amazingly refreshing feeling.

Feeling revitalized from the shower, I headed into the Vitality Pool, a large whirlpool filled with warm (not hot) mineral water.  The jets are preprogrammed to come on at different times around the pool and are supposed to focus on different areas of your body.  I literally floated in the mineral water pool, which created a sense of inner peace for me.

Leaving myself with just a few minutes to spend in the Zen Colour Therapy relaxation room, I showered again and headed to this modern room with it’s constantly changing lighting.  This room made the entire experience incredible!  It was a small room, with only 4 cushioned wicker lounge beds, a table offering mango juice, cranberry juice and a bowl of green grapes, and three alcoves built into the main wall with rocks and orchids on display.  Each bed had a headset with relaxing music playing, a personal light for reading, and the ability to automatically adjust, up or down, the head and feet of the bed.  There were also several thick towels on each bed so that I could get extra cozy.

As I put on my headset, I was mesmerized by the constant blending of colored light coming from the alcoves.  I was so relaxed and so glad that I arrived at the spa even more than 40 minutes early to use these fine amenities.  And just as I closed my eyes, I was tapped on the shoulder by my therapist.   That’s when I realized that this wonderful experience had only just begun

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