Leaving city stresses firmly at the door, the Aveda Institute cuts a striking first impression and lures passers-by with the promise of head massages and herbal teas – holistic hairstyling, if you will. The interior design is smart to say the least; stylish recycled woods and metals manage to emulate a Zen-like calm, but subtly placed partitions also allow for energized stylists to bustle about without disrupting the mellower clientele.

Downstairs, Aveda’s, intimate, low-lit spa also exudes a similar calm, cool, collected ambience. Cafe del Mar sets the tone for a tuned in audience, while an organic bamboo, wood, and stone interior is further enhanced by Indian and Balinese style carvings – providing a deliberate departure from London living.

Treatments, while not exactly abundant, are expertly delivered and based on nature’s five key elements. A Signature Elemental massage provides rejuvenation for the soul, while Botanical Skin Resurfacing (Aveda’s kinder alternative to traditional microdermabrasion) is a softer, more environmentally sound way to radiant skin. Considering Aveda employs 100% wind power as its manufacturing energy source and grows its own herb garden on the roof, here is a venue that yields a conscience that’s (nearly) as refreshed as your skin.