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After constantly watching his wife drag her exhausted body home after hours of gruelling training as a lead ballerina, US choreographer Gary Cockerill decided to create a spa for her and her friends out of a gesture of love. In 1977, was launched in London’s Covent Garden, close to the Royal Opera House where The Royal Ballet company trained and performed. He created this haven so that her and her dancing colleagues could go there after training as a place to relax and unwind,” reveals PZ Cussons Australia assistant marketing manager Kate Horsfall.
The Sanctuary Spa not only became a place where ballet dancers could restore their weary bodies and muscles, but also a spiritual sanctuary for women only. Over the years, the Spa has also become a favourite with celebrities, with stars such as Debbie Harry and Dawn French holding parties there and Joan Collins seen using the famous swing over the atrium pool in the 1978 film The Stud.
Today, the Spa is still a place that thousands of women of all ages visit each year to relax and rejuvenate. It continues to draw celebrity clients, with Florence Welsh, Rita Ora and Daisy Lowe just some of the A-listers spotted visiting the Spa. Over its 35 years, the Spa has undergone some expansion and modernisation and now offers two enchanting swimming pools, jacuzzis, hammam, sauna and steam rooms, relaxation areas, dozens of treatment rooms and a highly regarded restaurant. While the Covent Garden spa remains the brand’s flagship, The Sanctuary Spa has also gone on to develop boutique spas in Bristol, Richmond and Cambridge.
But attracting high-powered celebrity clientele, building exciting renovations and developing new spas isn’t all The Sanctuary Spa has been getting up to. In 1998, the Spa responded to customers’ wishes to be able to take the Sanctuary home with them by launching the authentic Sanctuary Spa range. Packed with beautiful scents, rich butters and effective, natural ingredients, products are bespoke for different skincare types and include a brightening facial range, a deep cleansing range and a youth boosting range.
With new product launches on the horizon and international expansion proposals for Europe and America, plus plans to increase its e-commerce platform, the future is certainly looking bright for The Sanctuary Spa. It is going to become a significant global brand. It’s a really great brand and there’s no brand really like it in terms of its spa heritage and therapist expertise - so the world is really their oyster,” says Horsfall.