Looking for a spa in St Albans? Try something different
If you’re searching for a spa in St Albans, you probably have a picture in your head already. Plush robes, cucumber water, maybe a hot tub and a facial. There are places in town that do that well.
But if what you’re really after is an hour where your body and mind genuinely switch off, there’s somewhere worth knowing about. being is a recovery-focused wellness centre on Bricket Road, and it works differently to a traditional spa.
What being actually is
being offers float therapy, private infrared sauna, and massage. No nail bar, no steam room menu. Everything here is built around helping your body recover and your head clear.
It’s St Albans’ first dedicated float therapy centre and the only place in Hertfordshire where you can combine all three under one roof.
That matters because these treatments stack. A float session loosens your muscles and calms your nervous system. Following it with infrared sauna deepens the circulation boost. And if you add massage after that, your therapist can get straight to the tension that needs work instead of spending half the session warming up tight tissue.
Float therapy: the one most people haven’t tried
The float pool is an open pool (not a pod or an enclosed tank) filled with over 500kg of Epsom salts. The water sits at skin temperature, so after a few minutes you lose track of where your body ends and the water begins. The salt density means you can’t sink, even if you fall asleep. Some people do.
The room is private with a high ceiling, and you control the lighting. There’s no lid, no enclosure. People who expected to feel claustrophobic often find it’s nothing like what they imagined.
A session lasts 60 minutes. Most people need around 10 to 15 minutes to settle in before their mind quiets down. After that, the absence of gravity and external stimulation lets your nervous system do something it rarely gets to do: absolutely nothing.
The effects tend to last a day or two. Better sleep is the most commonly reported benefit, along with reduced muscle tension and a mental stillness that’s hard to describe until you’ve felt it.
Infrared sauna: a different kind of heat
If you’ve used a sauna at a gym or hotel spa, you’ve probably sat in a steam room at 80 to 90 degrees, feeling like you’re breathing through a flannel. Infrared is different. The cabin runs at 50 to 60 degrees and warms your body directly rather than heating the air around you.
It feels comfortable rather than punishing, but you sweat more than you’d expect. Sessions last 25 minutes in a private room. Just you, no waiting for someone else to finish.
The full-spectrum infrared covers near, mid, and far wavelengths, which means it reaches from the skin surface down to muscles and joints. People use it for post-workout recovery and circulation. Most notice a settled, focused feeling for the rest of the day.
Massage: tailored, not templated
Massage at being covers sports, deep tissue, and relaxation work. Sessions run 30, 60, or 90 minutes, and your therapist adjusts technique, pressure, and focus areas based on a consultation before you start.
The difference here is context. Most massage in St Albans happens in salons or treatment rooms attached to something else. At being, the massage room sits alongside the float pool and sauna, in a space built specifically for recovery. If you float before your massage, your muscles arrive already loosened, which means the therapist can go deeper on the areas that actually need attention.
What a visit looks like
You arrive, and everything you need is provided: towels, robes, earplugs. No need to bring anything except yourself.
If you’re combining treatments, the recommended order is float first, then sauna. The float releases deep tension and lets your mind settle. The infrared sauna follows with a shorter, warming session that supports circulation and recovery. Add massage at the end if you want targeted work on specific areas.
Most people leave feeling what the regulars describe as deeply calm and physically loose. It’s a different feeling to a spa day. The effects tend to stick around longer, too.
Not a spa. Not trying to be.
This isn’t a knock on spas. A good spa day is a treat, and St Albans has solid options for that. being is for people who want something more recovery-focused. If you train hard and need proper muscle recovery, or you’re stressed and sleeping badly and want your nervous system to stop firing, it’s a different kind of place. Some people come because they’ve tried spa days and they were nice but the effects wore off by the drive home.
If any of that sounds familiar, this might be worth a look.
The practical details
being is at 1 Francis Bacon House, Bricket Road, St Albans, AL1 3TN. A short walk from the city centre.
The easiest way to try it is the £59 Taster Bundle, which includes a 60-minute float session and a 30-minute infrared sauna. It’s designed for first-timers who want to experience what being is about without committing to full price. The offer runs until 30 June.
Book online at visitbeing.com or call 01727 537553.
