Pamper yourself in Islington: our guide to local spas

I'm a little bit addicted to spas and pampering, but until recently, I limited my visits to holidays, generally in establishments outside London. Then it struck me that by far the best way to spa is to drop in when you need it most, i.e. when you're stressed out and frantic at work, fed up with the pace of city life. This means finding somewhere a little more local. Read on for our guide to spas in and around Islington...

For those looking for a lunch-hour pick-me-up or health-boosting facial, Angel Therapy Rooms are a great place to relax and rejuvenate. Set in a beautifully restored, Victorian Islington townhouse, the spa is an uplifting environment that offers a range of pampering and beauty treatments, from hot stone massage to manicures and waxes.

The spa's romantic atmosphere also makes it great for couples, and if you're planning on going a deux, you might want to check out its romance pamper package. Another taillored experience is designed especially for friends, so a great idea for a girly day out!

Another Islington spa set in beautiful surroundings is Ki Mantra Urban Spa in Camden Passage, which is built on feng shui principles, in a building bathed in natural light. Here, you can choose from a menu of calming treatments and indulge in a little me-time right on your doorstep.

For those who simply want a bit of sprucing, be it an eyebrow wax or a tint, just up the road by Islington Green is a small but perfectly-formed branch of Benefit Cosmetics, where you can simply walk in for express treatments in the store's fun, retro surroundings. You can also head to Selby's department store on Holloway Road for eyebrow threading at a reduced price, but you do have to suffer the indignity of being threaded in the middle of the shop floor!

If you're looking for the full spa day experience, you need only take a short bus journey down to Moorgage (the 43 will take you all the way from Upper Street) and book in at the City Point Club at Ropemaker Place, where a fabulous day of invegorating exercise and pampering treatments awaits. 

City Point is a unisex spa that has quite a "health club" vibe to it, so those who want to work out can do so, while others relax and take it easy in the well-equipped saunas, steam rooms and the wonderfully calming relaxation room, which has a giant fish tank on its walls and fluffy duvets to snuggle under for as long as you like. The massages here are amazing, and you can have a manicure or pedicure, too. There's a list of spa day packages here, which includes an £80 day spa offer for two.

If you're truly strung out and would like to totally zone out for an hour without leaving London, I can personally recommend Floatworks, which is a short hop down the Northern Line at London Bridge. The largest floatation centre in the world, it is kitted out with state-of-the-art floatation tanks, where you'll be left in peace for 60 minutes of total zero gravity sensory deprivation - which in the middle of the city is actually a marvelous thing!