Boys, boys, boys - the best spas for men

Best for… grooming
Spa at The Beaumont

Renowned hairdressers Rocky Eggison and Trevor Daniel have come together to set up shop at The Beaumont as Eggison Daniel, a grooming parlour offering precision cuts, beard trims and male colours in retro surrounds (think silver-guilted mirrors, Art Deco lighting and black leather chairs). The spa – which is inspired by the Turkish baths at London’s Royal Automobile Club and New York’s original YMCA – is an Art Deco lover’s delight, with white marble interiors accented with black and silver. After a workout in the fully-equipped gym, brave the marble cold plunge pool before warming up in the sauna and steam room. Dedicated treatments for men include the Oskia Purify & Revive Facial, a hammam experience and 60- or 90-minute Deep Tissue Massages. End the day with a Martini (shaken not stirred?) in The Gatsby Room.

Best for… testing your metal
The Bath House Banya London

There’s nothing ordinary about a Banya experience where extreme heat and cold water come together to shock and delight. At 72 degrees, the steam rooms are so hot that special felt hats must be warm to protect the brain; beetroot soup and Vodka are served in the restaurant-cum-bar and an ice bucket is likely to be tipped over your head (whether you like it or not). Despite all this, Banya is becoming so popular in the UK that more outlets are opening up. Stylish Spy tried a Parenie Ritual – a massage of hot steam which is pushed into the skin by a male therapist using a venik (a bundle of small dried leaves) followed by a cold water plunge and ice bucket – at The Bath House Banya London and found it to be as different as it was memorable.

Best for… separate thermal facilities
The Spa at Gleneagles

We only have to recall that episode of Friends where Chandler enters a room so steamy he accidentally sits on the lap of Monica’s dad to realise that shared thermal facilities can lead to embarrassing experiences. While separate wet facilities aren’t as common in UK spas as dual (you have to create two of everything, for one), some spas have positioned their saunas and steam rooms in the changing rooms, making them single sex. The Spa at Gleneagles is one such spa, with its statement bronze and gold sauna, steam room and ice fountain mimicked in each of the changing rooms, allowing for more a relaxed thermal journey. Outside of the spa, Gleneagles has 850 acres of grounds to explore with clay pigeon shooting, off road driving and fishing on offer, as well as three championship golf courses.

Best for… dastardly design
Heavenly Spa at The Westin City

Not only is The Westin City hotel set right in the middle of London’s financial district – with Blackfriars Station a 100-metre hop and St Paul’s a four-minute walk – but Heavenly Spa at The West City is housed in the basement, making it moody and intriguing. Even the bronze, wood and taupe palette used throughout is edgy yet elegant; the concrete floor of the 12-metre pool bold and beautiful. The spa’s dedicated gym - WestinWorkout - is open 24 hours a day for hotel guests finding it difficult to sleep; book a CBD Tension Release for the morning after to avoid injury, or – if your Gillette is no longer the best you can get - a 60-minute Germaine de Cappuccini Time Expert Men’s Energy Facial designed for regular shavers.

Best for… fitness
The Spa at The Mandarin Oriental, London

Dark corridors, black granite floors and an affinity for concrete and hardened glass aside, the subterranean Spa at The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has recently partnered with Movementum, a health brand created by leading experts in fitness, medicine and behaviour change. The idea? To combine fitness and spa experiences with a range of movement-enhancing products to help gym goers achieve optimum fitness. There are nifty gadgets, too - including running machines that will charge your phone and massage guns to borrow and use on areas of soreness in the comfort of your room or suite - as well as an impressive weights area and a dedicated recovery room. But it’s the 17-metre stainless-steel lap pool - with flickering ribbon fire built into a dark grey brick wall – that’s the star of the show.