The Laboratory

Tucked away in a little corner near Alexandra Palace, Laboratory Spa & Health Club is not an easy commute if you don’t live in the area — the closest tube station is Bounds Green on the Piccadilly line, and you have to take a bus and walk through a quiet residential area. Which sort of works to its favour, since it doesn’t seem too well known outside of the locals.
I visited with a friend after buying a voucher on
. The spa is very nice and the staff very welcoming. We were on the day spa package, which included a lunch. The manager showed us around the changing areas, the treatment areas and the restaurant. It’s a well laid out spa, and has all the expected facilities — massage/​treatment rooms, a steam room, a sauna, sun bed, swimming pool, jacuzzi and a gym.
We made good use of the facilities, starting with lunch. I had the stir fried vegetables and chicken, with miso noodles — not sure this was a strong item on the lunch menu, as the miso paste wasn’t mixed in very well and the dish was really salty. But the fruit juice smoothie of the day was amazing and made me feel super healthy — it was peach, mango, banana and honey — yum! My friend’s lunch faired better with grilled halloumi and salad.
The facilities are well kept and it all looks quite new. If you are a day spa guest, then there is a «dry room» that you can use too, where you can relax on a sun lounger and read magazines (or in our case, fall asleep… yes, it was all incredibly relaxing!). If it wasn’t so difficult to get to, I would be back — but then, that’s probably to its favour as you probably don’t want to be inundated with people.

The Laboratory is a sophisticated an aesthetically pleasing gym that is spacious yet stocked with everything you need.
There is an underground swimming pool, top of the range cardio and resistance machines, exercise areas and studios for classes.
With all top of the range gyms there are on-​site therapy rooms for pampering sessions when you’ve finished your workout and the Lab is no different.
The big plus with The Laboratory is the stunning gardens where (weather permitting) some of the classes can take place, or somewhere you can chill out with your drink from the juice bar.