AIRE Ancient Baths London — Attraction in London

AWFUL EXPERIENCE WISH ID READ THE REVIEWS FIRST You are asked to arrive 30 minutes early despite not going into the spa until your allocated time. The baths themself are aesthetically appealing, however if the lights were to be turned on it’s really nothing special. Several different pools ranging in temperature. One of the pools had floating bogies in which made me feel repulsed. The jacuzzi style pool was filled with a frothy layer which can only be described as scum. The steam room was just an average steam room. There was no area to lay down, relax or read as you might find in other spa’s. You have no idea when your massage will be and are just told someone will collect you when they’re ready. After spending about 35-40 minutes in the baths we were called up for our massage. It should also be noted a large percentage of the therapists are male and you are not informed about this prior to your treatment. However this was not an issue for us. I’d like to make it clear I am well versed in massage, having been a therapist myself for over 10 years, and having regular massage treatments. Upon entering the massage room, I communicated to the masseuse that I prefer firm pressure due to my sensitivity as an autistic individual. Unfortunately, throughout the session, the masseuse did not enquire about the pressure. I therefore requested twice for increased pressure, the technique remained basic, consisting mostly of effleurage and the therapist claimed she couldn’t apply firmer pressure. It was when she began to make contact with my spine that I became increasingly anxious and asked her to stop completely. Whilst I understand that Aire does not offer deep tissue massage, I also understand the difference between firm pressure and being stroked like a cat, as well as points on the body which should be completely avoided, such as bones. As a guest of a high-end spa, I expected better communication and the ability to adjust the treatment accordingly. I was disappointed that the therapist did not consult with colleagues and offer an alternative therapist or solution when it became apparent that my preferences weren’t being met. I was instead offered to either get up and leave the treatment room or lay and wait until my mum’s treatment had ended! Feeling extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable I left the room. My mums treatment was disturbed as the male therapist stated he would have to leave whilst I got up. The subsequent interaction with the senior therapist outside the room lacked courtesy and understanding. He simply told me “We don’t do deep tissue here” and told me I could take a seat in the waiting room, I was offered no apology. He eventually offered to rectify the situation by offering another therapist, who was better than the first. However, I had to go back into the treatment room disturbing my mum’s treatment yet again and only had approximately 10 minutes of massage. I was contacted later in the day by a representative who offered a 15% discount on my next visit. However, considering the extent of my discomfort and the impact on my overall experience, I found this resolution inadequate. I would most definitely not be returning to Aire to redeem my 15% discount! I was also informed that I could not escalate the matter beyond this representative. I did however contact the director and informed him of the above and that the main issue lies that there didn’t seem to be any protocol in place if the customer is not satisfied with their treatment and the staff should have been informed on how to deal with such matters in a less disruptive way. This is normal practice in even low-level high-street salons, let alone a high-end spa. I requested a refund for the treatment because I did not receive it in full, through no fault of my own. After a one day investigation I was offered apologies and 25% discount on my next visit as he believed no protocol was breached. This is likely because they have no protocol in place!

SHORT VERSION My spine still hurts 2 days later, spend your money...

It was interesting to discover this hidden spot in central London and have an opportunity to try the authentic and signature spa experience.

The meeting and greeting at the entrance was very welcoming. We got guided downstairs and introduced to the facilities. It was good to know the basic details. As a first time visitor I was curious to know a little bit more about the place and experiences, so it would have been helpful to get a bit of the intro about the place, the story of the baths, what extra services are available etc.

The background music felt very relaxing and tranquil, a carefully crafted and unique playlist which is soothing and pleasurable to hear

The natural candles and shades from the lights are creating a very warm and cosy environment.

Steam room was very nice, enjoyed it a lot. Interesting experience with floatarium, very unusual and relaxing.

The water in jacuzzi area(unlike all other areas) seemed to be highly chlorinated, this was making it harder to breath and generally enjoy the experience, it might also be potentially unhealthy for long exposures.

The lavatory felt a bit under maintained, there have been hair flocks laying on floor and water spills which felt uncomfortable and not sanitised.

After some time spent downstairs we’ve been invited to the massage. This experience came across as a bit amateur. When doing the head, neck and other parts, the therapist(Ketu) moved from one spot to the other in a disconnected manner, this is particularly important to consider when propagating the blood in vessels and lymphatic drainage so that it follows the natural flow rather then abruptly. I had some muscle tension around neck area and unfortunately didn’t feel that this has been sensed by the therapist. Generally it was a relaxing massage overall but very very simple, despite asking for a bit more intense and pressured touch I felt that the therapist was not very skilled at applying the right pressure in the appropriate spots in order to release the muscle tension.

I have been a bit discouraged to not have been asked any questions related to health conditions or preferences before the massage, not that I had something to be worried about, however there might be other people who could have had.

The massage room temperature felt a bit cold and there seemed to be no scents which made it a bit harder to relax and detach.

Something else to mention is that the therapist(Ketu)had a fairly low level of English language proficiency which made it a bit challenging to interact. For instance during the massage there have been a number of times the therapist would come close to my ear and whisper “kiss me“ I felt quite embarrassed to be completely honest… until I figured out it was a special flavour of pronouncing “excuse me” :)

After salty and choline water the skin gets quite dry, it would be good to be able to apply a face moisturiser just before leaving. Body moisturiser is available in the lockers area but not sure it’s suitable, would be helpful to have a face one.

A bit more on the bright side.The truffle chocolates and Prosecco were delicious, adding a vibrant touch to the overall experience

Great selection of premium fabrics for robes, towels, a joy to wear.

Very pleasant interaction with hosts, Yulya was particularly nice to speak to, very kind and attentive to details.

The herbal tea available around the different relaxation areas was tasty and revitalising, perfect for keeping yourself hydrated between the different sessions

Overall it was a nice experience, thank you for this...

This review is a bit late, because the experience that triggered this post took place a few weeks back. But I think it’s important context for anyone considering booking an experience at AIRE.

I bought a gift box for £363 (Ancient Relaxing Massage, incl. Cava & Truffles + Wine Soak) for someone I care deeply about, a few weeks back, and asked her about her experience only recently. What she told me was shocking.

Apparently, the employees at AIRE repeatedly confused her with a guest who arrived earlier that day, because they share the same first (not that unusual) name. She could hear the employees talking into their mouthpieces about the mix-up between her and the other customer. This resulted in some initial issues and she had to wait around for nearly an hour just for her experience to begin.

Fine, things happen. But instead of course-correcting operations/internal communications, my friend was repeatedly mixed up with the other guest at nearly every stage of her experience, completely forgotten/left to figure things out or find an employee in the hallways to point her to her next stop, and so on.

As a result, even though she was booked for a 2-hour experience starting at 6pm. But ultimately she was at AIRE until 11pm—not because she was receiving an extra long, ultra-pampered experience, but because the employees literally forgot she was there, repeatedly, and because she didn’t have her phone or watch with her she was constantly waiting around, constantly second-guessing herself as to whether she was supposed to be where she was for as long as she had, or if she had been forgotten again.

And then there’s the actual quality of service. The guy who assisted her with the wine soak ran through the script about the purported health benefits of the experience, but then LITERALLY told her that the soak was “pretty much a gimmick”. Then he apparently asked her if she wanted a beverage, she asked for a glass of water, he left and never returned, and she ended up waiting in that room for over half an hour for her water, or in the least for someone to guide her to the next experience when it was time. There are a few other such examples, but this review is already long enough and I think you get the point.

For what this place charges, the employees should not be repeatedly mixing you up with other guests, forgetting to guide you to the next stop, then telling you that you’re late when you finally find your way to the next stop, or that you’re at the wrong stop/missed something before getting there, as if these repeated mix-ups are your fault. All this, for the price of a round-trip flight to Istanbul and a trip to a hamam with half the atmosphere but ten times the service.

Given all the positive reviews this place has, maybe it was everyone's first day on the job the day my friend went, I have no idea. All I know is that it was amateur hour, every hour for the five hours my friend spent being forgotten, brushed off, and then suddenly rushed while at AIRE.

These are not trivial, nitpicky issues. The entire point of a spa is carefree comfort and relaxation. And the next time someone I care about is looking for a spa recommendation, I don’t know where I’ll point them towards—but I do know that I will explicitly tell them...