Sharing the love: a hen party spa day at K West Hotel & Spa

Going on a spa day or break is a great pleasure for the joy and benefits that it gives to oneself - the level of which never fails to amaze me no matter how many getaways I'm privileged enough to go on. However, much like giving gifts at Christmas, there is also enormous happiness (perhaps more) in seeing friends and loved ones discover and experience the joys of a good spa as well.

In recent weeks, I had the pleasure of visiting K West Hotel & Spa in London. Tucked away on a side street just a few moments from Shepherd's Bush station, I have visited over the years. However, it's been a long time since I actually had the chance to spend time enjoying the facilities and a treatment.

The trip was small (sophisticated?) hen party gathering - we were spending the day pampering and preening at K West Hotel & Spa before heading off for dinner at The Shard in the evening. As a group of four, all in our mid-to-late thirties and in varying stages of life - from full-time mums to expectant parents to brides-to-be and the odd minor injury, we faced the regular challenge of a group getaway - finding something that everyone would enjoy, could take part in and could get to without disproportionate difficulty. K West Hotel & Spa came up trumps in every way.

Benefits of a spa break at K West Hotel & Spa

• First of all, if you're looking for a London based spa, K West Hotel & Spa is remarkably easy to get to. It's on a quiet street but mere moments on foot from the station.
• The spa has just the right amount of facilities and they allocate you an hour's use as part of your spa day, which is exactly what's needed before a treatment. There's no swimming pool; it's a small but perfectly formed thermal suite complete with multiple heat and ice experiences.
• Thermal facilities are exactly what you need to prepare for a spa treatment. They include a hydrotherapy pool (with inbuilt loungers that were much loved by the newly expectant mum in particular), a Scandinavian sauna, a sanarium, steam room, foot spa and little booths down the side of the room that allow you to relax in - just the right size for four of us to squeeze in.
• The treatments are beautiful, using Aromatherapy Associates skincare products and with a highly informed and skilled team of accommodating therapists. The shower facilities include products to use, you're provided with towels, slippers and robes.
• After you have spent time in the spa and had your treatments, head up to the hotel restaurant for lunch or afternoon tea. We had lunch included in our package, which was exactly what we needed. Portions are sizable and the light environment is uplifting.

The spa facilities

Combining pregnancy and injury, we were not the most straightforward of spa guests, but the team could not have been nicer or more accommodating. The thermal suite was exactly what we needed to prepare for our treatments and if you fancy a visit to the spa I really do recommend making the most of that portion of the day. The heat and ice experiences prepared the skin and muscles to make the most of our upcoming full body treatment.

The spa treatments

After using the facilities, we showered and changed into dry swimsuits so that we could keep the products on our skin afterwards to work their magic even more. I always recommend taking two items of swimwear so you don't have a treatment in soggy garments and you don't get oils on your underwear.

We all had the same treatment, but it was adapted to individual needs. It was a 70-minute head-to-toe experience, including three treatments: a Back Massage, Express Facial and a Foot Massage.

Such is the case when racing around London, we had all arrived carrying varying degrees of stress. The thermal suite went a long way to easing that, but post treatment it was like four completely different women emerged. For me, the great pleasure was seeing how happy and effusive everyone was about their experience. The minor injuries, the stress, the general daily anxieties seemed to lift for a while, and it was a wonderful way to get everyone into the spirit of the occasion - celebrating our friend and the happy journey she's embarking upon.

Hen parties are about different things for different people - I often think that's what makes a spa experience so versatile - the many options that are available. I think perhaps the biggest thing about a hen party however, especially one like this, where it was so small, is that it's about spending quality time together. That's exactly what this delivered. Even the 70-minutes not spent in each others' company was very much about giving us the head space to be present for the occasion. For want of a better word, it was a bonding experience, and a truly special one at that.