The London best: Massages

Want to smooth away the stress? Our writers test five of the best treatments in town

5 July 2012

1. London College of Beauty Therapy body massage

At the LCBT the beauty therapists of the future offer salon-grade treatments at purse-friendly prices. Every kink was worked out of my back and I almost fell asleep during the scalp massage. High praise — unbeatable price. Nick Curtis

£20 for 75 minutes, 47 Great Marlborough St, W1, lcbt.co.uk

2. The Sanctuary, Hot Lava Shell Massage

A massage for relaxation rather than deep tissue pummelling, where tiger clam shells imported from the Philippines do the hard work. Leaves muscles tension-free and skin baby soft. Rachael Sigee

£85 for 55 minutes. The Sanctuary, 12 Floral Street, WC2, thesanctuary.co.uk

3. Spa NK Thermal Deep Tissue

Using warm herbal oils, smooth hot and cold stones and a firm hand, this can iron out every knot in your back. An all-over body treatment that sends you away ultra-relaxed. Katie Law

£85 for an hour. Available Westbourne Grove, W2, and Hans Crescent, SW1, branches, spacenk.com

4. Blissage

The spa pitches this as the perfect tension-tamer, and it certainly lives up to the billing. Plus, you can raid the Bliss brownie stash and sit in the sauna when you’re done. Rosamund Urwin

£92 for an hour. Bliss Spa, 60 Sloane Avenue, SW3, blissworld.co.uk

5. Ushvani hot oil treatment

A blend of coconut and hibiscus oil is heated before being poured over the entire body. After the massage, a slathering of menthol and camphor balm takes care of any post rub-down ache. Emma McCarthy

£180 for 90 minutes. Ushvani Spa, 1 Cadogan Gardens, SW3, ushvani.com