Breaking Travel News investigates: Lanserhof at the Arts Club
It can be quite hard to get a handle on what Lanserhof at the Arts Club actually is.
At first glance, it appears to be a luxurious spa, offering the full range of treatments one would expect from any competitor in the area.
But look again, and there is a great deal more going on beneath the surface.
Not only is the location, which opened earlier this year in the exclusive Mayfair area of west London, a cutting-edge gym, it is also a fully-functioning medical facility.
For members, there is “everything you need to be well in body and mind”, as one staff member enthuses during my visit.
Moving through the six floors, I am shown various expensive pieces of equipment, including one of the only privately-owned MRI scanners in the UK, all on offer to members.
Pay your £6,000+ annual fee, and you will be treated to the most comprehensive induction package around.
Experts will employ the diagnostic equipment to give you a full check-up, then work with you to address any issues they find.
The spirit of the place is very much focused on prevention, with the team working to keep you healthy, reducing the need for invasive treatment further down the line.
As Sebastian Kunz, medical director at Lanserhof at the Arts Club, explains: “We are a private clinic and a private members club all in one.
“Lanserhof medicine is all about prevention, and even secondary prevention; after you have been diagnosed with a certain disease, we ask what we can do to make the situation better.
“That is the key – everybody feels better after they spend time with us here.”
Lanserhof at the Arts Club is the latest outpost of the medical resort brand, which has grown out of spas in Austria and Germany.
Design is very much to the fore, with the existing essence of the brand distilled into an urban setting for the first time in London.
Tones are muted, steel is brushed and everything is in the best possible taste.
Entry into the members lounge is like crossing the threshold into a world of pampered relaxation, with expensively groomed patrons chatting over the latest culinary delights.
Guests wait here before being escorted to the various treatment rooms, be that for a massage, consultation or procedure.
Much of the more expensive equipment is located in the basement, hidden away behind sheer white doors, giving the place a science fiction feel.
This includes a cryotherapy chamber, where guests can spend time at -160 degrees after a workout, and spinal analysis technology.
Two full time doctors are on hand – meaning members can make Lanserhof at the Arts Club their primary healthcare facility – while everything short of surgery can also be carried out in house.
Kunz adds: “This is an urban facility, and we therefore have a focus on orthopaedic treatments, cardiology and sports medicine.
“We have integrated the Lanserhof concept here in London, as also offer function medicine, lifestyle medicine, naturopathic medicine and radiology.
“There is also sleep medicine, aesthetic medicine, we have a dermatologist, and we are looking to set up a department for men’s and women’s health issues.”
“Tell me, what do we not offer?” Kunz jokes.
Exploring a little more, I check out the gym and its latest Technogym equipment.
Each member has a personal identification, which allows the machines to calibrate to meet their needs exactly – no clanking weights here, with resistance set digitally.
Even the staff are immaculately groomed and handsome.
On the top floor, an infusion suite allows guests to receive nutrients intravenously, correcting any imbalances or deficiencies.
Bespoke is the key word, with everything under one roof unique programmes can be put in place to meet the needs of clients.
As Kunz concludes: “I want to make it crystal clear that the medical facility is open to everyone; you can come from the street and see the doctors here, or get an MRI scan.
“We aim to revolutionise the approach to training, combining pioneering analytics, state-of-the-art-training systems and holistic preventative treatments, overseen with the upmost medical precision to deliver unrivalled results for our members.
“Through Lanserhof’s acclaimed multidisciplinary approach, we will support members to achieve optimum fitness, reduce injury and demonstrate global improvements to health and wellbeing.”
More Information
Lanserhof at the Arts Club took the title of World’s Best Private Members Club Spa at the World Spa Awards earlier this year.
Annual memberships are available to purchase for members and non-members of the Arts Club.
Find out more about the brand on the official website.
Chris O’Toole