CACI SYNERGY at Lisa Franklin Clinic Privé
You know you’re in a for a treat from the moment you enter Lisa Franklin’s Knightsbridge Clinic: the dusky pink, cool grey and warming copper, alongside an attention to design details and furnishings, transports you far away from the pace outside. Housed in a 100-year-old renovated building, the clinic is London’s CACI flagship, meaning that those in search of effective wrinkle reduction and boosted elasticity can find this, as well as a wide range of rejuvenating facials and treatments, under the one roof.
Although it’s been around for over 25 years (the treatment was a favourite of the late Princess Diana’s) CACI has continuously refined and improved its offering and is now loved by age-defying celebrities ranging from Jennifer Aniston to Jennifer Lopez. Harnessing the power of LED rejuvenation coupled with S.P.E.D® microcurrent technology, the treatment delivers non-invasive dual action that tightens and firms. When I left the clinic, my skin was glowing and radiant, and the area under my eyes looked visibly less exhausted.
From £125; for best results, a course of 10 treatments over 4-5 weeks is recommended followed by monthly maintenance.
CLOUD TWELVE, Notting Hill
Spanning three floors of escapism, Cloud Twelve is discreetly located in a mews-end in Notting Hill. The ground floor hosts a Kids’ Club with an enchanted forest theme and a number of workshops and activities for those aged 0-11; my children would have loved it in their time but today, I am blissfully
unencumbered and head straight upstairs to the spa.
Cloud Twelve offers a range of face and body treatments, including those tailored for men and for pre-and post-natal mothers. With the tension of endless desk hours in my neck and shoulders, I opt for a one-hour long CBD oil massage: my therapist’s hands, by turns, glide and unkink, leaving my spine feeling straighter than it has in ages.
After my treatment, I spent some time in the steam and salt rooms; only the call of my stomach urged me to head to the brasserie, where a tapas style menu features vegan and vegetarian options, including baby tender-stem broccoli with chilli oil dressing and toasted buckwheat seeds, and vegetable ceviche with sweet soy dressing, orange and yuzu. Cleansing juices, smoothies and teas are available, but if you feel that you’ve already been virtuous enough, there is also a wine, beer, sparkling and coffee menu.
XSCAPE STUDIO, One Marylebone
Opened in April 2021, Chameleon, housed in the setting of central London’s Grade 1 listed One Marylebone, is a riot of greenery and deliciousness – and, in addition to the restaurant’s programme of cultural and immersive pop-ups, the recent launch of Xscape Studio has provided a soothing reprieve to Mondayitis.
Yoga, led by yogini and ex-ballerina Meroula Hondrou, is an energetic form of Vinyasa Flow, which works every muscle in the body. As tough as the session feels, at times, the setting is beautifully nurturing and safe, thanks to low light and Meroula’s palpable positivity and encouragement. If, by the end of the session, you feel that you’ve worked a little harder than you anticipated, then sound healing, led downstairs in the Soane Hall by Harriet Emily, will cocoon you into a different kind of bliss. We started our journey with soul-awakening cacao and were led on a peaceful journey, via Harriet’s calming intonations and the thrumming reverberations of her drums and gongs. Supine and blanketed, prepare to bathe in the vibrations and drift away.
@xscapestudio
By Sarah Rodrigues
Image right: Mike Portlock.