The Porchester Spa in Bayswater, London's oldest spa, shines after a revamp

Step inside the Porchester Spa on Queensway and you step back nearly a century. The Grade II listed spa in Bayswater opened in 1929 and is described as London's oldest spa, with Art Deco interiors that make it one of the most atmospheric places in the city to unwind.

The Porchester Centre, home to the spa, reopened in February 2025 after around three months of renovation work, part of a £3 million revamp of the complex.

The improvements were shaped by the people who use the centre. Seven new pieces of gym equipment were added in response to customer feedback, a new women only gym was introduced, and the main workout studio received new floors, walls, mirrors and equipment.

The 30 metre swimming pool also gained a new heat retaining cover, and an air source heat pump is expected to cut the centre's carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent a year, a significant step for a historic building.

The spa itself remains a joy. Its facilities include two steam rooms, a sauna, cold showers, a plunge pool and three Turkish hot rooms, known as the tepidarium, caldarium and laconium. An earlier £800,000 refurbishment, completed in early 2020, restored many of the spa's Art Deco features.

Access to the spa is split by gender on different days, so it is worth checking the schedule before visiting. Treatments are available too, and Time Out describes them as reasonably priced.

The spa is owned by Westminster City Council, and Councillor Cara Sanquest, Cabinet Member for Communities, described the centre as "an iconic part of Westminster".

For anyone who loves historic buildings as much as a good steam, it is hard to think of a better way to spend a winter afternoon in west London, and its location just off Queensway makes it easy to combine with a walk in Kensington Gardens.

The Porchester Spa is at the Porchester Centre, Queensway, W2 5HS, close to Bayswater and Queensway stations. For session times, treatments and bookings, visit porchesterspatreatments.co.uk or call 020 7792 3980.