6 min read
London’s oldest spa with incredible art deco interiors is just £30.90
metro.co.uk
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
The Porchester Spa has been a fixture in central London since the 1920s (Picture: Porchester Spa) 2026 has seen record rainfall, with some parts of the UK experiencing showers every single day. So, it’s safe to say that if there was a time to treat yourself to a relaxing day inside one o...
2026 has seen record rainfall, with some parts of the UK experiencing showers every single day. So, it’s safe to say that if there was a time to treat yourself to a relaxing day inside one of London’s most interesting spas, it would be now.
Just a 10 minute walk from Paddington station is the Porchester Spa, a vintage gem that first arrived in the city in the 1920s.
Marketed as a ‘serene space to unwind and recharge’, the spa has undergone a number of extensive refurbishments, including a multi-million pound glow up in 2020 and an £800,000 face lift in 2025.
With an entry fee of £30.90, the Porchester offers one of the most affordable spa days in London, attracting both history buffs and city dwellers looking for an interesting spot to rest their legs.
What facilities does the Porchester spa offer?
Finding a spa day in London that doesn’t break the bank can be a mammoth task.
Some facilities often don’t allow you to solely book spa access, requiring you to book a treatment as well. So, the fact that the Porchester offers this option is definitely an immediate win.
Having kept many of its original features and interior in-tact, a visit to the Porchester is a pretty unique experience — offering a very different aesthetic to the more modern and sleek spas you typically find in the capital.
The spa offers three kinds of sessions: ladies only, men only, and mixed. All must be booked in advance.
Once you get inside, you’ll find two steam rooms, a sauna, a plunge pool and relaxation lounge.
And if that wasn’t enough, there are also three different types of Turkish baths to soak in. Guests are invited to sashay from the Tepidarium (warm water), to the Caldarium (hot water) and finish up with a quick dip in the Laconium (very hot water).
A swift plunge in the cold water and you’re ready for a herbal tea.
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The spa’s on-site café serves cold and hot drinks, sandwiches and small snacks. What’s a spa day without a nibble or two?
And if a slice of cake and dip in the pool isn’t enough to make you prepared to face the London showers, the good news is there are a number of different spa treatments on offer.
Alongside traditional seaweed and hot stone massages, you can also purchase packages such as the ‘restorative massage spa experience’. At £92 this will get you a 60 minute full body massage and full use of the spa facilities.
There are also a number of facial experiences you could try out, for example a 60 minute Thalgo Facial priced at £98. This treatment also includes use of the pool and other on-site facilities.
Other beauty treatments available include waxing and eyelash and eyebrow primping.
‘Dark, gloomy, and strange. Needs a deep clean’
While the interior is something to marvel, some guests have complained that the spa’s facilities are not up to scratch.
One solo traveller who visited the spa at the beginning of 2026 noted that while the ‘architecture is iconic’, the facilities are in need of a ‘deep clean’.
Another guest shared a similarly disappointing experience: ‘The Turkish bath’s hottest room was only 50 degrees and the benches were falling apart. The sauna was also packed and again not very hot. And the steam rooms were filthy due to people exfoliating their skin…’
I’m not entirely sure that last point is the Porchester’s fault. But it is still less than ideal.
‘Not for everyone but I loved it’
However, if you embrace the Porchester for what it is: an affordable community spa within an iconic historical building, you might have a much more enjoyable experience.
One TikTok user, @Bodilyhautonomy, recorded a much more positive visit, telling their followers: ‘Don’t go if you’re expecting something pristine, this is just a real community space and a part of history, not for everyone but I loved it!’
In a similar vein, Rosie Dart, a fiend for vintage finds in the city, spoke incredibly highly of the spa following their visit.
The creator emphasised to unimpressed customers in the comment section that the Porchester is ‘not a luxury spa by any stretch’ but that they actually don’t mind that!
‘I think it’s still well priced for what you get considering how expensive most spas are in London.’
A number of others users agreed with Rosie on this, sharing that the Porchester is worth a visit more in regards to the history it holds as opposed to the relaxation on offer.
Why not take a trip and see for yourself?
Looking for a London spa with a difference?
Metro’s Lifestyle Editor, Kristina Beanland, recently spent a morning at Banya The Bathhouse, a traditional Eastern European bathhouse.
Guests are invited to sweat out their sins in a sauna (which is actually a little cooler than the ones you’d find in Finland), before standing under a bucket, pulling a chain and dousing yourself with ice-cold water.
There’s also a small plunge pool, chilled to 6°C.
For £185, the Banya Classic package gives access to the spa for three hours and a traditional parenie ritual, you also get a table in the lounge, your base from which to use the facilities.
To the uninitiated, this luxe cafè-come-restaurant looks like any other you might find in Belgravia.
Only, rather than sipping a morning coffee, a man in the corner is downing a shot of vodka fresh from a plunge (the clock had not yet struck 10.30am), and a group of women enjoy their breakfast while wearing swimwear, pools of water gathering at their feet.
Read more about Kristina’s spa day to remember in her full review, part of Metro’s new travel series, So, Is It Worth It?
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