The word wellness is on everyone’s lips right now, so I thought I’d introduce you to some of the best and most dreamy (in my opinion) London has to offer.
These are more than just aesthetically pleasing. Whether you live in our capital city or whether you are visiting, make sure you take some time out of your schedule to book in with these incredible places.
Dimple Amani
You may have noticed previously I’d mentioned the most incredible face Oil and Kansa wand I’d received from Dimple Amani to try at home and to be honest I was rather pleased (dare I say it) with the results from trying it myself.
This, however, is nowhere near the results you will get from visiting the lady herself. Utilising the power of Ayurveda and lymphatic drainage for exceptionally transformative, instant results Dimple is a magician; she knows her craft inside out and has the most incredible talent. Visiting her was a dreamy treat, it was the end of January and I could feel my good intentions were beginning to wane.
Dimple was introduced to the healing benefits of Ayurveda by her grandmother who shared her beauty secrets and the profound connection between the body, mind and soul. This inspired Dimple to create her own bespoke treatment culminating 18 years of expertise; The Amani Method – a unique combination of Brazilian and Ayurveda Techniques. Delivering the very best massage experience with transformative, instant results.
For an hour I was treated to the most incredible massage and facial, the highly personalised Ayurvedic-inspired body sculpting treatments are designed to help clear energy blockages, and trapped emotions and flush out water retention, improving digestion. Before you even have your dreamy treatment; her aura immediately puts you at ease.
The techniques she uses are incredible, I had a dreamy Amani method facial with Dimple herself alongside a body shaping treatment. I’ll start with the facial. This Detoxifies the skin and focuses on stimulating the lymph nodes by incorporating the Kansa Wand – an ancient Ayurveda sculpting tool made from copper which eliminates toxins and alkalises the skin. My skin was gently exfoliated and deeply cleansed, while oxidation took place.
Dimple’s bespoke techniques incorporating the Kansa Wand instantly depuffs the sensitive eye area and contours the face releasing any muscle and jaw tension, even down to the fact that one side of my face carried more tension and the other side carried more water retention due to my Invisalign and the way I was sleeping.
My jawline was instantly sharper, my cheekbones were more defined, so far so aesthetically good… but do you know what? The most incredible feeling was the release of the tension; the whole combination of the texture of my skin, months of retainers and self-inflicted work deadlines were erased there and then; If there was one treatment I could only ever have for the rest of my life, that’d be it.
You’d think that it couldn’t get much better no? Let me continue as I’m smiling as I type this. The dreamy Body shaping treatment is a highly specialised body shaping technique and is a unique combination of deep intense sculpting strokes exclusively designed in a specific method so that the body responds at optimal levels in breaking down cellulite, draining excess fluids and detoxifying the body.
Until a few years ago I would find training easier, I’d always carried a little water weight on my thighs and the dreaded cellulite was OK, it was fine and I could easily cut back and train more for a few weeks to get my abs back. Fast forward to two months before forty-four years old and I’m finding things a little harder. Don’t get me wrong; I made peace with my hips a while ago and I’m happy with the way my waist is going with daily pilates, but from time to time no matter how careful I am; I just feel bloated. The one thing I’d not done in my excitement meeting Dimple was not taking any before and after pictures.
Dimple quite simply massages away bloat and reintroduces your abs, my stomach was concave post treatment and you are left feeling instantly relaxed, lighter and leaner, with truly exceptional results. These techniques alongside Dimple’s knowledge of the body create a healing treatment leaving you wholeheartedly nourished.
Bodyism
Founded in 2006 in London, the dreamy Bodyism takes an innovative and holistic approach to wellness to improve the mindset, movement, nutrition and sleep of people to create beautiful, healthy and happy bodies. “We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence yet driven by the simple philosophy “Be kind to yourself”. Ironically when I lived in West London, I walked past Bodyism from time to time, I’m so annoyed with myself for this faux pas, in a world of my own!
Located in the heart of Notting Hill on Westbourne Grove, the Flagship Club operates on a membership system with a cafe, retail area and dreamy treatment rooms that welcome everyone. Delivering customised one-to-one training schedules and group classes across multiple disciplines, from barre, pilates and yoga to sculpt, boxing and warrior. Every session involves a holistic approach that will revitalise, rehabilitate and energise you on a mental and physical level and the Yoga class I joined with the founder Nathalie did that and more.
Susie our Yoga teacher taught us a blissful class and I was then fortunate enough to sit down with Natalie for one of their deliciously dreamy plant-based protein shakes. From the days of training their clients in their Notting Hill mews to a full female management team with 50 staff; Natalie is the ultimate multitasker, a mother of three with a relentless energy that is evident in everything she does.
This ethos of hard work and attention to detail has paid off, everything at Bodyism is thoughtfully considered, from the aesthetics and quality in the changing rooms to the incredible food. “We believe in being kind to yourself from the inside out, starting with how you nourish your body. The menu at our Bodyism Café has been ethically tailored to serve locally sourced, vibrant dishes, with vegan, gluten and sugar-free options”.
They’ve also designed a range of unparalleled health supplements each providing a powerful baseline to help you reach your weight loss and wellbeing goals. From plant-based proteins that reinvigorate your gut to beauty-boosting elixirs to help your skin glow, there’s a Bodyism supplement for everyone, each lovingly designed to help transform your health and happiness.
This mantra permeates the dreamy Notting Hill HQ, the gentle buzz of the café meets you as you step through into the gym and class space, there are no more than 200 members at any one time, thus creating a luxury that a multi-chain gym could never boast of. Established in 11 locations today, their state-of-the-art wellness facilities are embedded across the globe in leading hotels, corporate offices and residential properties; Natalie mentioned forays abroad… I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next; secretly hoping it’s a Mediterranean retreat, now how amazing would that be?
Inside the Dreamy blow dry bar, Duck & Dry
Here’s the deal, most of these places I’m sharing with you are Chelsea, Notting Hill or thereabouts. My years exploring and living in these areas means that I’ve been ever so lucky to check out a few great places. The Duck & Dry I visited was on Kings Road, near my favourite restaurant (Il Frantoio if anyone fancies proper northern Italian food). Aesthetically this place is stunning with its beautiful, dreamy façade, it is the best wellness venue for effortless hair styling and weekend bubbles with friends.
It features cool styling pods, a cocktail and dreamy Prosecco bar, and a beautiful group styling area. Their ethos is to celebrate the natural beauty of your hair, and after eight years and thousands of blow dries; they have cornered the market, even down to their amazing in-house collection of products that are just as amazing as they are. Side note, the amazing Rhiannon blow-dried my hair into perfect beachy waves using their new sea salt spray and it was amazing!
Beauty Method by Bethany
Bethany is an advanced skin and aesthetic practitioner based in Chelsea, London and she is literally a five-minute walk from dreamy Duck & Dry at the Courtyard on Sydney Street. Bethany has created the Beauty Method which incorporates all things beauty; non-surgical aesthetics (fillers and anti-wrinkle injections), advanced skincare, skin boosters such as Lumi Eyes and Profhilo, fat dissolving injections, IV drips, PRP for facials and hair growth and semi-permanent make up. Bethany has a holistic approach, providing bespoke treatments that are suitable for each client’s individual preference, focusing on promoting natural beauty, glowing skin and healthy, dreamy hair.
She has worked in aesthetics and beauty since 2018 and has trained in the most advanced technique of Phi Brow Microblading, creating bespoke eyebrows for each client. Her ethos has always been ‘Look good, feel better’ – focusing on each client’s natural beauty and enhancing it. Recently there has been an increase in demand for treatments that focus more on health and longevity as opposed to just aesthetics. Clients want treatments that fix the skin and body from within. This shift is evident in both consumers’ knowledge and demand for various treatments, such as IV nutritional therapy.
IVNT ensures 90-100% absorption of the vitamins at high doses whereas vitamin tablets get broken down in the stomach and the body only absorbs 20%. Higher levels of vitamins and minerals in your bloodstream lead to greater uptake into cells, which theoretically will use the nutrients to maintain health and fight illness. Depending on the vitamin cocktail used for IVNT, other specific benefits are; Immunity boosting, anti-ageing, recovery from jet lag, strengthened skin, hair and nails.
The first IV vitamin drips were developed and administered by Dr. John Myers in the 1970s. His research led to the popular Myers Cocktail. These types of infusions generally take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. This method allows the nutrients to be absorbed quickly and directly into the bloodstream and thus produces higher levels of the vitamins and minerals in your body than if you got them from food or supplements. Higher levels of the vitamins and minerals in your bloodstream lead to greater uptake into cells, which theoretically will use the nutrients to maintain health and fight illness.
I’m looking forward to sharing with you more from the amazing people and brands I have met over the past few weeks, London has so much to offer and now there is a new evolution of wellness we can find more professionals that are the best in their fields.
