What’s New in Wellness: CF's Guide To Living Well This Month

The traditional gym is having a bit of identity crisis – after all, who really wants to spend (normally a lot of) money to step into a space that can feel overwhelming. Virgin Active Mayfair has responded by taking inspiration from London’s leading members’ clubs instead. Reopened in July following a major transformation, the club is now Virgin Active’s first UK Social Wellness Club, bringing training, recovery, nutrition, work and socialising together under one roof. The revamped space includes five boutique studios, a 20-metre swimming pool, contrast recovery spa, Finnish and infrared saunas, cold plunge, Hyperice recovery technology, longevity treatment rooms, co-working spaces and a nutrition café. There’s new fitness trends to keep an eye on too, including Muay Thai, which launched at the club in August. Members can join a rolling seven-week programme or book individual sessions, learning punches, kicks, knees and elbows alongside functional conditioning. Importantly, the class is designed to be accessible to all experience levels, with structured coaching intended not just to build your strength and skills, but your confidence and mental resilience too. Virgin Active is betting that the future of fitness isn’t simply about the hour you spend working out. Here, it’s about creating spaces where people can train, recover, eat, work and connect in a way that supercharges every part of their day-to-day life.

Forget simply a spare toothbrush or shampoo in the shower, at Rosewood London, selfcare is now officially part of the room service, courtesy of the hotel’s first in-room beauty experience, the Skin|Cycles Beauty Bar. Created in partnership with Alice Henshaw’s leading skincare brand, the curated collection of products will be available exclusively across 18 of the hotel’s most luxurious suites, starting from the Grand Premier Suites. Designed for modern travellers who see their trips as a way to go beyond the core tourist attractions, a Rosewood hotel stay is now your opportunity to treat your skin to best-sellers including the ExoYouth Cleansing Balm, Revive Eyes Elixir, and White Quartz Gua Sha. But the experience goes beyond just products beside the bathroom sink. As a guest you’ll be given a booklet guiding you through rituals including lymphatic drainage massage, turning the collection into something closer to an in-room spa ritual; perfect if you are short on time. The Beauty Bar also taps into a growing appetite for wellness on the move; especially the idea that travel doesn’t have to mean abandoning your usual skincare routine.

Imagine you had a crystal ball that helped you look into the future at what your health might be and – most importantly – how to take steps to improve it now. That’s what HOOKE Clarity aims to do. Preventative healthcare is having a serious moment right now, and HOOKE London is leaning into the shift with the launch of its new physician-led health assessment designed to give wellness seekers a more detailed picture of their health before symptoms appear. The assessment involves a detailed blood analysis covering hormone balance, metabolic health, inflammation, cardiovascular risk and thyroid function, alongside healthspan markers linked to energy, recovery and cognitive performance. But the emphasis isn’t just on collecting data that you then file away in a drawer. Rather than being left to decipher the science, you receive one-on-one time with a physician to help decode your results, plus personalised recommendations – and an action plan so you can map out your long-term goals. As longevity becomes less about simply adding years to your life and more about understanding how we can maintain quality of life as we age, this is your supercharged annual health check-up that allows you to function at your true best.

If you get your motivation from a really enthusiastic gym class, pump the music loud in your headphones whenever you go running, or simply feel a little bored with your current exercise routine, Metrix is going to be your new favourite way to challenge yourself. Described as the ultimate fitness and music experience, the event is designed to be less ‘elite’ than other fitness competitions like Hydrox, instead combining high-energy workouts with the atmosphere of a social occasion – so it actually feels more like fitness-meets-nightlife. Competitors work in pairs across five stations – including burpees, sleds and shuttles – with each station lasting ten minutes and participants challenged to complete as many reps as possible. There’s a live DJ to keep your energy high, and the session is followed by post-event recovery and socialising, including ice bath and sauna sessions, food and drink pop-ups and brand activations from names including Lululemon and BonCharge. You’ll have to be quick to secure a slot though. There’s only four events hosted a year, with the next one taking place at Magazine London in September. 

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Lead image: ila RegenX

Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty and wellbeing. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too.