London has a remarkable concentration of some of the prettiest, most impressive beauty salons and health clinics – whether you are seeking a manicure, massage, facial or the full works. Not sure where to start? We’ve scoured the breadth of the city to bring you the finest destinations in the British capital for a spot of self-care, from Knightsbridge to Marylebone to Dalston. Here’s our guide to the best beauty salons in London.

Central London

Pfeffer Sal, Fitzrovia

Best for: balancing science and nature in a contemporary setting

Tucked away down Warren Mews in Fitzrovia, Pfeffer Sal is a serene labyrinth of cosy rooms in a palette of exposed brick and polished concrete. Treatments balance science, nature and relaxation, and your first session begins with a high-tech scan in order to devise a tailor-made treatment. Facials include bespoke peels, microneedling and laser treatments to target fine lines, pigmentation and congestion. Select from a range of price points and skin-boosting add-ons.

The Stables, 10B Warren Mews, W1T 6BY, visit pfeffersal.com

Townhouse, across London

Best for: manicures, pedicures, nail art

Townhouse looks more like a cocktail bar than a nail salon, with a marble-topped nail station where guests sip drinks while technicians file, buff and polish to precision. Nail colours are named after London street names and neighbourhoods, including pearly pink Berkeley Square and powder blue Hampstead Heath. There are 15 Townhouse locations across London including Canary Wharf, King’s Road and Kensington.

Locations across London, visit townhouse.co.uk

DryBy, Marylebone

Best for: brilliant blow drys

DryBy on Mortimer Street is arguably London’s most stylish blow-dry bar and nail salon. Owned by Krisztina Van der Boom, upstairs it’s bright, airy and open-plan, conjuring beautiful blow dries at polished marble tables, while downstairs is low-lit and warm for ambient manicures and pedicures. The communal tables and gorgeous interiors make it the perfect choice for a catch-up with friends. DryBy uses vegan, non-toxic Bio Sculpture gel Nailberry polish, and it is also one of London’s leading salons for nail art.

74 Mortimer Street, Marylebone, W1W 7RZ, visit dryby.co.uk

Kichi, Mayfair

Best for: a seriously impressive glow

Kichi is a beauty brand and skin clinic based in Mayfair, run by aesthetician Natasha Clancy. Her client base is stuffed with A-listers, models and industry moguls, including Poppy Delevingne and Olivia Wilde, thanks to high-tech laser resurfacing facials that are some of the best and most long-lasting in London. A numbing cream is applied to the face, before an advanced thulium laser creates tiny microchannels in the skin, allowing a generous cocktail of potent antioxidants to penetrate deep beneath the skin’s surface. A non-invasive alternative to Botox, Clancy can hone in on stubborn lines to smooth skin and tighten pores. Skin feels dry and flaky for about five days afterwards (so leave adequate time before your big event), before revealing a soft, supercharged glow that lasts up to eight weeks.

14 Hanover House, Hanover Square, W1S 1HN, visit kichi.studio

Radiance London, Fitzrovia

The pretty lanes around Fitzrovia are full of gorgeous independent hair salons, day spas and nail bars and Radiance London is one of our favourites. Hidden behind its pretty-yet-petite storefront is a warren of subterranean treatment rooms catering to everything from full body massages and waxing to lash lifts and high-tech facials. A wide range of brands are on offer here too, with face and body treatments utilising products from carefully curated names including Dermalogica, Decléor, Dermapen, AlumierMD and more. This is the destination when you’re in need of top-to-toe maintenance.

12 Charlotte Place, W1T 1SL, visit radiancelondon.co.uk

West London

Ilāpothecary, Kensington

Ilāpothecary made global headlines when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were spotted browsing the herbal wellness store on Kensington Church Street in 2019, prior to the birth of Prince Archie of Sussex. The boutique brims with scented scrubs, serums, and candles, made using a blend of aromatherapy oils, vitamins and British-grown medicinal plants. Alongside the shop, Ilāpothecary has a relaxing treatment menu of massages, acupuncture and facials, including a Digital Detox Facial – ideal for those of us guilty of a little too much screen time.

99 Kensington Church Street, W8 7LN, visit ilapothecary.com

The Harrods Hair, Nail and Beauty Salon, Knightsbridge

Best for: the full works

The Hair and Beauty Salon at Harrods is a gilded temple to all things wellness, which occupies a large swathe of the fifth floor. Select from facials by Dermalogica, Guinot and QMS Medicosmetics, followed by a mani-pedi at Townhouse, and myriad massages and body treatments, from sculpting seaweed wraps to aromatherapy experiences. The serene space also boasts UK’s only Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Bar, known for its meticulous brow shaping. Finish with a blow dry in the hair salon, where services also include Japanese-style ‘scalp facials’, intensive, hydrating treatments and a ‘library’ of hair extensions.

87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL, visit harrods.com

Skin Matters, Holland Park

Best for: in-demand facials, gorgeous interiors

There is a four to five-month waiting list to see Skin Matters founder and facialist Joanne Evans. Trust us, though, when we say she is worth the wait. Evans’ bespoke facials couple a no-nonsense, medical approach with a welcome dose of pleasurable pampering, while you’re all tucked up in blankets on a toasty waterbed. There is also an array of rejuvenating body services on offer, including massages, IPL and laser hair removal, Morpheus 8 and firming treatments. With bare plaster walls and velvet sofas, the Skin Matters studio feels more like a modern home than a beautician. Call now and you might get in by Christmas.

119B Portland Road, Notting Hill, W11 4LN, visit skin-matters.co.uk

Teresa Tarmey, Notting Hill

Best for: results-driven facials

Teresa Tarmey’s Notting Hill HQ is as chic as they come, with expansive white walls, high ceilings and polished concrete floors. Tarmey is a world-renowned skin expert and packs a magnitude of skincare wizardry into a one-hour facial: a lactic acid peel, extraction, microneedling, LED light therapy and either laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), to target pigmentation and broken capillaries – all with tailored tinkering depending on your skin type and concerns. It’s no wonder Sienna Miller, Julianne Moore and Carey Mulligan are all fans.

206-208 Kensington Park Road, W11 1NR, visit teresatarmey.com

Cloud Twelve, Notting Hill

Best for: holistic wellbeing

Cloud Twelve is a serene wellness clinic and lifestyle club set over three floors in Notting Hill. While the children’s interactive play zone on the ground floor may be for members only, the spa, beauty salon, yoga studio and plant-based brasserie are open to all. The salon is designed with Feng Shui philosophy and offers hair appointments using cruelty-free Aveda products, as well as Nailberry manicures and pedicures. The wellness clinic specialises in Chinese and naturopathic medicines, as well as being one of few spas in London to boast sauna, steam and salt rooms.

5 Colville Mews, Notting Hill, W11 2DA, visit cloudtwelve.co.uk

Lisa Franklin, Knightsbridge

Best for: high-tech facials

Lisa Franklin is one of London’s most revered facialists, with a gleaming white clinic on Brompton Road. Bouquets of flowers sit next to high-tech machinery designed to tighten, tone and rejuvenate. It is one of few clinics in London where you can try Evoke by InMode, which uses non-invasive radio frequency facial technology to contour the face and neck.

251 Brompton Road, SW3 2EP, visit lisafranklin.london

South London

Linnaean, Nine Elms

Best for: top-to-toe pampering

Linnaean at Embassy Gardens is a hop, skip and a hairbrush from the newly unveiled Battersea Power Station. In a palette of mint green and soft coral, it is one of London’s most picturesque wellness destinations, designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (also behind Annabel’s private members’ club). Linnaean’s moniker is a play on Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, and reflects its commitment to natural, plant-driven treatments and products. The expansive treatment menu ranges from detoxifying hydrafacials and body treatments to waxing, semi-permanent make-up, injectibles and non-invasive surgical treatments.

There is a glossy hair salon on the ground floor, alongside expertly curated shelves of skincare and beauty products by brands including Susanne Kaufmann and Dr Barbara Sturm. Upstairs, settle in on a velvet armchair for a manicure or pedicure using non-toxic gels and polishes that are 90 per cent vegan. We can think of few better places to while away a whole afternoon.

2 New Union Square, Nine Elms, SW11 7AX, visit linnaean.co.uk

East London

Still, Dalston

Still offers a haven of calm on Dalston’s busy Kingsland Road, with burnt orange interiors, marble tabletops and moody dark accents. With a focus on natural nail and skincare products, guests can segue from a manicure to a massage, followed by a session in the infrared sauna. There is also reflexology, reiki and calming crystal healing facials – ideal for keeping your chakras in check.

450 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4AE, visit still-london.com

Read more: London’s best blow dry bars

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