A long swim: inside London’s best 5-Star hotel pools for laps and luxury wellness

Swimming pools are a recurring theme in the work of Paris-based digital artist Vincent Smadja, who uses AI to conjure fantasy images from familiar landmarks. Two of his most striking creations reimagine the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe as a sprawling waterparks, wrapped in a tangle of bouncy slides spiralling around the monuments.

London, in its own way, already hosts something that feels almost AI-invented: the Sky Pool at Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms. Suspended between two buildings, the transparent pool looks like an architectural fantasy brought to life.

More broadly speaking, there’s been a resurgence of statement swimming pools, particularly in high-end hotels across the capital. As wellness culture expands, pools are no longer mere amenities, they’re centrepieces. Designers are leaning into glamour: infinity edges, unusual materials, rooftop settings and immersive environments that blur the line between relaxation and impactful design.

At Claridge’s Spa, designed by Andre Fu Studio, the pool isn’t trying to impress through scale but through atmosphere. Drawing on references from Kyoto’s temples and zen gardens, the space is intentionally restrained. At just 9 metres, it quietly rejects the idea of swimming as exercise and reframes it as a kind of meditative drifting as you listen to the sound of flowing water, what’s more the water itself is salt-treated reducing chlorine and bringing softness to the skin.

More under the radar is The Other House, known for its exuberant Baroque interiors. It features a 10m pool, steam room and sauna, open to both guests and members, with monthly access starting from £165. The focus is firmly on wellbeing, with an extensive treatment menu ranging from holistic massage, reiki and craniosacral therapy to hypnotherapy—and even sound healing sessions held in the pool. Membership also extends to its soon-to-open sister location in Covent Garden, which will feature a rooftop terrace and a restorative, luxury stone-hewn vitality pool.

One standout is the spa and wellness centre at The Peninsula London, designed by Peter Marino —the man with the golden touch, whose clients include Chanel, LVMH and Tiffany &Co. — Marino has long defined modern luxury as spaces that feel expansive and light-filled, yet quietly intimate. Here, a 1,300 sqm subterranean oasis somehow evokes a penthouse setting, thanks to a generous double-height volume crowned with overhead panels that shift in tone throughout the day, simulating natural daylight. This is a pool designed for serious lap swimming: wide and, at 25 metres, among the longest private pools in London. With restricted access times for families, it remains notably peaceful and quiet. Yet it also channels a resort-like ease, with a generous lounge area encircling the water, complete with chaises and cabanas. Service is discreet but meticulous: mid-morning, staff circulate with sugar-free fruit popsicles. Beneath the surface, underwater speakers pipe in gentle music, heightening the sense of escape.

Silver membership (for spa and gym) starts from £9,000 per year and includes a range of perks, such as a massage and a personal training session. Alternatively, booking a 90-minute treatment — such as the Ricari Body Signature Massage — grants access to the spa and wellness areas.

By contrast, the 25m subterranean pool at Bvlgari Hotel London leans into the aura of Romanesque spa culture with a touch of luxury cruise liner elegance. It feels distinctly neoclassical, with thick-set fluted columns framing a pool lined in shimmering blue mosaic tiles. The focus here is on regeneration rather than pace, making it better suited to unhurried breaststroke. Therapies include hyperbaric oxygen sessions, ‘Zerobody’ dry float therapy, ice bathing and chakra realignment massages. A 90- minute treatment includes one hour of spa access before and after.

The Asaya Spa at Rosewood London Chancery delivers unmistakable wow factor—unsurprising given the building’s extraordinary past. Formerly the U.S. Embassy, designed by Eero Saarinen, it has been meticulously reimagined under the direction of Sir David Chipperfield.

Opened in 2025, the hotel has already become a magnet for tastemakers, including Manolo Blahnik who cites it as one of his favourite London boltholds.

The property is dripping in museum-worthy modern and contemporary art as well as design rarities, while its restaurants are led by Michelin-starred chefs, plus there’s also the thrill of sipping cocktails beneath a giant eagle on the top floor.

The wellness experience begins with a plush ground-floor boutique before descending into a warm, golden sanctuary below. Here, the latest Artis Line equipment by Technogym sits in soft cream tones that echo the serene interiors. The 25-metre, wide pool (enough for three lanes) suits confident lap swimmers, while partitioned lounge areas with thermal heated marble beds offer a more private retreat. A jacuzzi, vitality pool and sauna complete the offering, alongside a treatment clinic helmed by esteemed cosmetic expert Dr Wassim Taktouk.

Day passes are priced at £250 Monday to Thursday and £300 from Friday to Sunday, granting full access to the gym and spa.

The sprawling, four-level wellness space at the London OWO Raffles Hotel building was designed by architectural practice Goddard Littlefair, the same studio behind the plush residential spa at Chelsea Barracks. In keeping with the building’s Edwardian and Neo-Baroque architecture, the double-height pool area is framed by a refined material palette of marble and tone-on-tone timber. Textural circles on walls and a spiral staircase add a decorative Art Deco touch, while elegant arches separate a warm thermal pool from the main swimming pool, while pillars and curved alcoves create intimate spaces for private lounging.

At 20 metres, the pool is designed for gentle laps rather than intensive training. Access is more flexible than you would imagine, with a four-hour pass priced at £180 from Monday to Friday, which also includes use of the state-of-the-art gym. Additional indulgences, while not included, are well worth considering.

These include the luxurious Guerlain Atelier beauty space and the Pillar Kitchen, which specialises in fresh, healthy dishes.

For those unconcerned with cost, memberships are available in Classic, Silver, and Platinum tiers. The top-tier Platinum membership, priced at £25,000 per year, includes unlimited personal training, two complimentary nights’ stay annually, and a range of spa discounts and exclusive services.

The Maybourne Group has invested heavily in its Surrenne spa at The Emory, as well as its sister destination, Surrenne Riviera, at the Maybourne Riviera hotel —and the investment has paid off. The London spa secured the top spot at the World Spa Awards in both 2024 and 2025.

Masterfully designed by Rémi Tessier, whose studio is also renowned for crafting the interiors of private jets and luxury yachts, the space reflects an expertly curated sense of proportion and sculptural sensitivity. At its heart is a 22-metre pool, wide enough to accommodate two to three lap swimmers side by side.

As with Claridge’s, the pool uses a salt hydrolysis and UV system, producing chlorine naturally while keeping levels low for a gentler, more refined swimming experience.

Annual individual membership is £10,000 plus a £5,000 joining fee which includes a full fitness assessment with three follow-up sessions, plus two hyperbaric sessions, four advanced body treatments or facials, and twelve Tracy Anderson classes. It also offers twelve guest passes, complimentary laundry service, and preferential rates on suites, rooms, spa treatments, valet parking, and dining at The Emory, The Berkeley, and Surrenne. Day passes are not available.

You may be disappointed to learn that the UK’s first Six Senses hotel and spa, within the £1bn Whiteley redevelopment, will not open its wellness facilities to non- members or non-residents — at least for now. Access remains firmly exclusive. Still, there is a credible alternative within the wider luxury complex: the new Third Space club, where an 18-metre pool, hydrotherapy circuit and ice bath offer a more democratic—if no less design-conscious—option. Memberships start from £273 per month, for those seeking a similarly elevated, all-access experience.