Spa of the week: the UK’s first CBD Hammam ritual with Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square

Derived from cannabis, Cannabidiol (or CBD oil) has appeared in everything from coffess to croissants over the past year and is now making its way onto the London hotel scene.

CBD lifestyle brand Apothem has collaborated with London’s Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square to create the UK’s first CBD hammam experience.

Recently listed by five-star authority Forbes Travel Guide as one of its five-star London hotels, Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square is a moments’ walk from the Tower of London.

Housed in a Grade II-listed heritage building dating back to 1922, you’re welcomed by grand neo-classical columns and not one, but three doormen. After catching a quick glimpse inside, I quickly slid past the grand foyer to the lift that took me swiftly to the lower floor spa.

Famous for:

(Four Seasons/Apothem)

At just three years old, the spa at Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square is already earning its chops with its extensive treatment list. The newest, opening this week, is the Apothem Detoxifying CBD Ritual – the first of its kind in the UK. The experience, dotted with wellness buzzwords, includes a scrub in the spa’s private hammam, followed by a lymphatic drainage massage all while using the very en vogue CBD oil.

The treatment:

I didn’t expect to be sitting next to my therapist in my underwear within two minutes of meeting her. I was in the private hammam at the Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square’s subterranean spa one evening post work, the hot marble bed warm underneath my thighs. Frankie, my therapist, then told me to lie down while she poured warm water all over me (ladies, tie up your hair) before lathering me in the earthy-smelling Apothem CBD oil. As I stare up at the glistening ceiling, the sounds and sweet scents of the hammam intoxicating, I’m rubbed top to toe in salt scrub and washed again, leaving my dry winter skin glowing once I’d towelled off. Feeling shiny and smooth, we vacated the hammam and hopped over to one of the eight calming treatment rooms.

(Four Seasons/Apothem)

Unlike a regular massage (the firmer, the better in my opinion), a lymphatic drainage massage uses light pressure and gentle rhythmic strokes to help reduce toxins and increase the flow of lymph – a fluid in your body that transports nutrients and oxygen to cells. I was asked to lie face up on the heated bed while Frankie worked her magic, using light strokes and Apothem’s Sculpt formula – a sweet smelling botanical blend of pure CBD and rosehip oil – to encourage my body’s lymph flow. And, before I could panic that my back wouldn’t get any attention, I was asked to flip over so Frankie could continue the soft sweeps as I lay on my front, fighting with all my might not to fall asleep.

Left to decompress in the female-only relaxation room afterwards, with nuts and herbal tea, this was the ideal way to finish the soothing treatment.

Verdict:

The private hammam experience is one every London spa devotee should have, you’ll be scrubbed, bathed and left feeling silky smooth. While the lymphatic drainage massage was deeply relaxing, I prefer my massages to leave me thoroughly worked out, my muscles in a pulp.

(Four Seasons/Apothem)