Qantas Frequent Flyer - First Class Lounge - Heathrow

I'm after some information on the Molton Brown Travel Spa in the BA First Class Lounge at LHR.

Has anyone used it? Flying CDG-LHR-SIN-MEL shortly and have a 3 hour stopover at Heathrow. It's on a Saturday night though and I wanted to find out if it was open on weekends and at night.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Jackit:
MB Spa ...have a 3 hour stopover at Heathrow. It's on a Saturday night though and I wanted to find out if it was open on weekends and at night.</font>The spa is open when the eligible flights are operating, so that isn't the problem. The good news is that when you arrive at LHR you can make a reservation for a treatment and there is only one list (with no differentiation based on fare paid, class of service or FF status). The bad news is that the list has thousands of passengers competing each day for approx. 100 treatment slots. Prime slots are all gone by 7:05 am (they open at 7). I've managed a dozen treatments and they are quite good, so worth the effort, but I have about a 25% success rate and this is mostly due to early morning arrival at LHR. BA made the MB spa available for J pax without staffing it beyond the smaller number of expected F pax only level (VS forced this by offering the Clubhouse). This practice of advertising a service while knowing that not just the majority, but the vast majority, of eligible passengers cannot use it is fairly despicable marketing. Pardon the long-winded explanation, but this will explain that your chances of a booking on a 3 hour layover in the evening is about 1% (at best). You must go to the MB spa in person as soon as you arrive at LHR in order to make a booking (and have an eligible onward boarding card to show them).

Sounds like a good reason to find an earlier CDG-LHR flight http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif.

My success rate is much higher than number_6 - probably about 75% and I normally start my travel in LHR. As an exmaple, on Tuesday I got to the spa at 2.30pm and was offered a 3.30pm slot. Things have got better now entry is restricted to long haul business pax - previously their were a lot of people flying to AMS and CDG clogging the list up.

That said, Saturday night does get busy with people flying out to Asia for the start of the week, so get your name on the list fast! I recommend a facial - very soothing and enjoyable. The massages are not so good imho. If you chat very nicely you can score a few freebies to add to those in the on-board amenity kit.

Best airport massage anywhere, IMHO (though not free) is the Travellers Oasis at AKL. Sorry for the commercial plug, but credit where it's due.

Jackit, I presume you've seen this web site (http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/travel_spa.cfm) for Molton Brown Travel Spa at Heathrow.

Unfortunately, no first hand experience. The two times I've gone to use it, both were booked out http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Will have to try again at the end of this year for Mrs QF WP.

if you want to - or are able , use the arrivals spa.. but you have to go out through customs etc..
but it has alot more chance of getting services..

The arrivals lounge massage closes at 2 pm in T4 (last treatment at 1:45 pm). I don't know if the T1 spa has longer hours. But arriving from CDG doesn't allow admittance to the arrivals lounge (it must be CW or F and not CE), however WP does give access at LHR (luckily that benefit was restored after BA briefly took it away). The arrivals lounge has one therapist (spa has 4) and only a subset of treatments are offered, but it is very nice and the point about less of a wait is valid.

I usually plan on 3+ hours connect time and after changing terminals can usually book a treatment (all 20 minutes of it).

thanks for the responses guys.

I think we'll just take our chances and wait to get to Heathrow and take it from there.

Don't think I'll give up last day of honeymoon in Paris to get an earlier flight to LHR on the off-chance of definitely getting treatment for Mrs Jackit at spa!

Bump. The spa in BA lounges at LHR and JFK is now operated by Elemis. Same staff and lack of available appointments unless you arrive very earlythough.

Bump. The spa in BA lounges at LHR and JFK is now operated by Elemis. Same staff and lack of available appointments unless you arrive very earlythough.

Perhaps they should allow pre-departure bookings and prioritize them according to class flown and status?

So an emerald traveling in J would be pipped by a sapphire in F.

Perhaps they should allow pre-departure bookings and prioritize them according to class flown and status?

So an emerald traveling in J would be pipped by a sapphire in F.

AFAIK they are already doing this unofficially, on the last 4 occassions I've flown long haul BA a F BP always trumps a J one when it comes to getting a booking. BA has no published policy on this, however.

I've flown long haul BA a F BP always trumps a J one when it comes to getting a booking.


:) = Due to being a BA Gold (Emerald) member flying F next week