Akasha at Hotel Café Royal

Revolutionise the way you workout at Akasha. Yes, you’ll find a spacious gym that’s undoubtedly one of the best-equipped in London. But unlike other hotel fitness centres, there’s more than just treadmills and weights on offer here. This 360-degree wellness centre takes a holistic view of the health of your body, mind and soul.

Alongside the 18m lap pool, Akasha’s 300sqm gym offers cutting-edge LifeFitness equipment with personal entertainment centres and huge touch screens. Forget bright strip lighting. Here, changing LED lights twinkle and pulse, matching the super swish feel of the most exclusive boutique gyms in the capital.

Or take a class led by expert instructors who are simply the best in their field. Choose from a weekly schedule of functional training, assisted stretching, karate box combat and circuits. Want to feel more zen? There’s a whole alphabet of different yogas to try, from dynamic through to Vinyasa and Yin, along with sound bath healing and electronic music meditation.

Akasha also has a number of wellness experts it can call on for private sessions. Alongside some of London’s best known personal trainers you’ll find a spiritual mentor, aquatic bodywork practitioner, osteopath, acupuncturist and physio.

The spa has its own Lounge Bar for healthy and nourishing dishes. Beautifully presented, the food here mirrors the holistic ethos of the gym. Its Four Element menu has been meticulously designed with ingredients that reflect the essence of earth, air, fire and water so that you get the perfect balance.

Here for an extra special occasion? Nothing says celebration like Michelin-starred dining and the Hotel Café Royal’s restaurant has not one but two of them. Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal secured this grand accolade just six months after opening its doors, so you know you’re in for something special. 

With just a 34-seat capacity, booking is absolutely essential, but oh-so worth it. Enter the elegant dining room, adorned with silk panels, and relish in innovative French cuisine through an eight-course tasting menu or a weekday set lunch.

The Hotel Café Royal also has innovative ways to cater for those with a sweet tooth. An award-winning afternoon tea is served with a flourish in the ornate, Grade II listed Grill Room, a place which was once a favourite haunt of Oscar Wilde. Or try Cakes & Bubbles, created by Michelin-starred Spanish chef Albert Adrià and offering a parade of sweet treats washed down with an extensive menu of Champagne.

While it’s not currently on offer at the spa, the hotel itself serves afternoon tea. And to say that afternoon tea here is a once-in-a-lifetime experience might just be understating it.

Why? Because it’s served in the hotel’s jaw-dropping Grade-II listed Grill Room. Dating back to 1965, the glittering gold Rococo gilding, shimmering mirrored walls and frescoes are almost too much to take in. You’ll feel like you’re sitting in a life-sized jewellery box.

This feast for the eyes deserves an afternoon tea to match. With a jazz pianist to accompany you, sink into a crimson velvet chair and enjoy course after decadent course. Begin with an amuse bouche, move on to savouries served on warm, fluffy brioche, cleanse your palate with a refreshing sorbet before it’s time for the main event - scones and cakes made by the in-house patisserie team.

Tempted to turn your spa day into a spa stay? You’re in luck. There are some 160 guest rooms and suites at the Hotel Café Royal. The 160 rooms, including 53 suites, are all beautifully designed with luxe features that give it a slick, modern feel, along with views over the rooftops of Soho, or all the way down Regent Street.

Even standard category Deluxe rooms are exquisite here. Expect luxurious marble bathrooms, rooms in the eaves with sleek oak panelling and underfloor heating keeping things cosy.

It is. The spa and gym are accessible by lifts from guest rooms, while the two lower levels of the spa can be reached by internal lifts within the spa. There’s an accessible changing room that includes a shower and toilet on the reception level of the spa, too.

For overnight stays, check-in is at 3pm and check-out at 12pm. Early check-in or late check-out is subject to availability, but if this can’t be accommodated you’re still welcome to enjoy the spa facilities. For spa day packages, arrival times vary so please check your booking confirmation.

This subterranean oasis has a highly desirable location that puts you right at the centre of the action. You’ll find Akasha Holistic Wellbeing nestled in the basement of the sumptuous five-star Hotel Café Royal, less than a minute’s walk from Piccadilly Circus.

Because it’s right at the crossroads of some of London’s most fabulous locations, you won’t be short of things to do. Indulge in some of the world’s best shopping on Regent Street, soak up the glamour and history of Mayfair, or enjoy the buzz of Soho. The historic department store Fortnum & Masons is under half a kilometre away. Rumour has it they invented the Scotch egg so it would be rude not to try the delicacy while you’re in town.

It is. The spa and gym are accessible by lifts from guest rooms, while the two lower levels of the spa can be reached by internal lifts within the spa. There’s an accessible changing room that includes a shower and toilet on the reception level of the spa, too. 

While children under 16 can’t have a spa treatment, the hotel itself is perfect for your little urban adventurers. There are activities and a playroom laid on in the summer holidays, family-friendly rooms and custom children’s menus for picky eaters. 

The hotel offers toys, puzzles, games, and books to entertain little ones in the room, and kids aged five to 16 can splash about in the Akasha pool as long as they’re with an adult. 

Your swimming session needs to be booked in advance, but children’s hours at the pool are Monday to Friday 9am to 10.30am and 4pm to 5:.0pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 11am and 4pm to 6pm. 

While the spa itself isn’t dog-friendly, the rest of the hotel is fabulously welcoming to canine companions of up to 12kg in weight. Four-legged friends of overnight guests can stay with them in guest rooms and are permitted to join their owners in restaurants and bars. If you’re here on a spa package, dogs are accepted within the hotel’s restaurants and bars at the discretion of management.