Walking through the doors of Thai Square Spa is a revelation. Despite being perched on a corner looking over the honking and rushing of Trafalgar Square, this place is impossibly tranquil. We arrived to a moodily lit reception and softly spoken front-of-house, and it felt like the relaxing treatment had already started.
Downstairs, the main treatment area, is a surprisingly large and boldly decorated space full of white lounge chairs and columns. There’s a jacuzzi, a sauna and a steam room, but what we’re here for is the treatments.
Thai Square Spa proudly calls itself one of the most authentic Thai experiences in central London, and they have a whole lot of treatments to prove it. There’s a traditional Thai massage, with pressure point work and stretching techniques, or Siamese serenity, which includes full body exfoliation and a restorative clay mask. We opted for the ‘Thai herbal healer’.
After a foot-bathing session, it was time for the full-body ‘ritual massage’. The therapy is described as traditional, aiming to ease tense muscles with the use of herb-infused poultice. And they really do mean full-body — everything from the soles of my feet and toes to my neck and scalp were moulded and moisturised. In classic Thai style, this certainly reached deep into the deepest of tissues, but it did feel like I’d been given a new pair of shoulders afterwards.
Post-massage, you can opt for a bob in the jacuzzi, or sit and sip your herbal tea in the stillness of the lounge area — before disrobing, getting dressed, stepping outside, and forgetting that you were ever so calm.