I took the best bath I’ve ever had in my life at Surrenne. Well, it was being bathed, actually, by one of the therapists inside the ultra-luxury London spa, who for 90 minutes performed one of its signature full-body treatments, leaving me squeaky clean and relaxed in a way that defied my predisposition to frayed nerves.
Located inside the RSHP-designed Emory Hotel in Knightsbridge, which opened its doors in April 2024, Surrenne is described as ‘London’s new next-generation wellbeing and longevity members’ club’. The programme and facilities on offer have been dreamt up by Inge Theron, founder of Face Gym and Inge Theron & Associates, the latter being the skincare specialist’s namesake spa and wellness design agency, which counts other Maybourne properties – such as Claridges and The Berkeley – amongst its portfolio of clients.
Surrenne London is the future of luxury spas
‘We knew that Maybourne planned to have an ambitious rollout strategy committed to wellbeing for their guests,’ Theron explains. ‘Once the commitment of a long road ahead to create the best in luxury hospitality alongside a longevity and wellbeing club was there, we started working on a new brand name for the club. Surrenne is a beautiful fusion of serenity and energy, two key states for wellbeing.’
And this is where Surrenne differentiates itself from other spas in the capital. Blending ‘high-end science-based and evidence-backed protocols’, it stands out from the crowd for providing more than just your common or garden facial, working holistically with the brain and body. ‘With Surrenne we decided to go hard: results-driven, data-driven, science-backed,’ says Theron.
The result is, alongside having a pacifying effect on the mind and body, also rather mind-blowing. Surrenne is painstakingly considered, up to the fire sprinklers on the ceilings (leafed in gold, no less), down to the fitness floor, which includes a fully decked-out gym complete with personal trainers, and an ‘interactive digital fitness studio’ with a range of virtual fitness classes on demand.
The continual lullaby of ‘AI-generated soundscapes’, which follow you around centimetre of the 2,000 sq m space, aid in the atmosphere of tranquility. ‘From the moment you walk in, your multi-sensorial receptors are engaged to stimulate the neuro receptors to calm you down or energise you – depending on your need-states,’ says Theron. ‘We chose to work with a team of neuroscientists from Virtusan on the multi-sensorial aspect of the club, which includes the lighting the sounds, the colour palette, and the scent.’ In the medical suite, in-house general practitioners and specialist doctors will tailor-make a bespoke health programme for you. This could include a stint in the medical-grade 2.0 Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, VO2 Max testing, and ‘microbiome mapping’, if you choose.
There are seven treatment rooms in total, including an Ashiatsu room, where a team of ‘massage masters’ perform their magic. Here is where I underwent the Scalp & Body Spa Ritual – which involved lying on one of Surrenne’s solid onyx heated beds (which felt a little like lying on top of a Barbara Hepworth sculpture), and was combed, brushed, exfoliated, and then slathered with various oils, herbs, and clays, from head to toe.
There are additional ‘wet’ areas too, of course: a pool, a custom sauna with a frozen Aloe Vera station for post-heat exposure, a steam room with a unique daily infusion, and one of the UK’s first snow showers. Another UK first includes the arrival of the Tracy Anderson Method, which has a dedicated studio at Surrenne, replete with the Anderson-devised ‘Super G Floor’, a bouncy subfloor underneath a wooden surface designed to minimise impact on joints when performing her exercises, based on Nasa research involving trampolines.
The esteemed list of Surrenne collaborators continues with Stella McCartney, with a signature lymphatic facial treatment using the 99 per cent organic products from her brand’s beauty line, and nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson, who now works as a consultant at the health club and created the ‘micronutrient longevity’ smoothie and drinks menu served in the Surrenne Health Café. Ferguson also spoke to me about her involvement with the programme, in tandem with a consultation where we discussed how to address my sleep (or lack thereof) with diet. ‘It’s great to work as part of a team here at Surrenne, and be able to refer clients to other experts in-house,’ she says. ‘They really take it to another level with medical support, nutritionist support… It’s the future of spas. They’ve done an incredible job.’
‘It's community-driven at the heart of it: the culture, the services, and the programming,’ says Theron, reiterating Ferguson's sentiment. ‘The industry is moving at such a fast pace, so we all already have our eyes firmly on the future, which I believe are long-stay retreats at Surrenne. So for one or two weeks or more, you can stay here to regenerate and renew, before travelling home feeling like the best version of yourself.’
Surrenne is located in the Emory Hotel, Old Barrack Yard, London SW1X 7NP.
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