A splashier splash — London's poshest pools
If you are looking for somewhere to swim in serenity, Surrenne (a private members Club in The Emory), is an excellent choice. Since its opening in April 2024, the subterranean wellness sanctuary has offered fitness classes, spa treatments and nutritional guidance. During the day their 22m pool is illuminated by a sky light, and in the evenings by candlelight. An underwater speaker provides a soundtrack for your strokes. Poolside cabanas with matching cream-coloured curtains line one side of the pool and the changing room is kitted out with ring lit mirrors and all the Dyson appliances you could possibly desire. The sand coloured walls, floor and general décor creates a harmonious vibe.
• Dynamic destinations for luxury travel
Exclusive access is reserved for hotel guests or members who get to enjoy the 2000 square metres of tranquillity that not only encompasses the pool but also treatment rooms, gym and Tracy Anderson studio. Membership is £10,000 per year (with an initial £5000 joining fee). surrenne.com
This Grade II* Edwardian Baroque building is where Winston Churchill once conducted a war and the intelligence services orchestrated global espionage. Now it is a Raffles hotel, opening in 2023 after a £1.4 billion renovation. The hotel's spa is the grandly titled Pillar Wellbeing Centre, encompassing 2,500 square metres over four-floors. The pool is 20 metres long with double height ceilings, the walls are sand coloured and there are cushioned beds for recuperating after laps. If you work up an appetite the spa kitchen offers cold-pressed juices and seasonal dishes. The spa is available to hotel guests and members of Pillar Wellbeing. A membership will set you back by £6,500 a year for an individual, £12,000 for joint or £25,000 for the platinum membership (that includes unlimited personal coaching, extra spa treatments, guest passes and discounts). raffles.com
Situated barely a stone's throw from the Thames, this hotel is not just known for its lavish river front rooms, it is also celebrated for its four-floor, 3,300 sq m Espa Life spa. One of these floors is carved out exclusively for thermal relaxation. It is there that you will find their two pools. A stainless-steel swimming pool with ambient lighting is crafted for gentle laps and has mattress-like pool-side beds, whereas the vitality pool is more mindless floating. There is a sauna and steam room as well as an ice fountain where you rub crushed ice over your heated skin. And lest we forget the relaxation pod — well for, relaxation.
Meanwhile, in the changing rooms there are heated marble loungers and sleep pods as well as a fully equipped vanity station and healthy snack selection. Available to those having a treatment at the spa, hotel guests and members; the £625 per month membership will not only provide access to the pool and spa but it also gives you six spa treatments, small group personal training sessions, two blow dry appointments at the Corinthia salon and ten guest passes. corinthia.com
Set within Carlton Tower's three floor Peak Fitness Club and Spa is London's largest naturally lit swimming pool measuring 20-metres. The pool is on the second floor with almost the entire ceiling made up of windows – you may quite easily mistake it for an outdoor pool. Until it rains, of course. Sun loungers line the edge of the pool, accompanied by a jacuzzi as well as the thermal spa (with sauna and steam room) nearby. The changing rooms have warm Bottino marble décor, plush robes and thoughtful touches like jewellery trays.
• The most exuberant swimming trunks for summer
To access the spa you will need to be either a member of the club or a hotel guest. Prospective members must submit a detailed written application that if accepted provides access to the fitness and spa facilities (pool, gym, treatment rooms) as well as the chic members club lounge overlooking Cadogan Gardens. If successful, members will fork out a joining fee of £2500 followed by a £550 monthly fee. jumeirah.com
Private members club, Shoreditch house, has a fully heated 16 metre rooftop pool which is open all year round. It shares the roof with a bar and Japanese restaurant so you can refuel with sushi and sake. The style is inspired by the 1920s, with vintage-looking red and white striped loungers and blue tiling — this pool is for those who love to be at the centre of the party, not quietly relaxing solo.
• Francesca Amfitheatrof's golden summer
Only members and their plus-ones can use the pool. Applications are reviewed quarterly, and memberships start at £200 a month. They also include full use of the workspaces, restaurant, library and health club (with spa and gym). sohohouse.com
The Berkeley rooftop pool is only 13.5 metres long, but the view over London's rooftops and Hyde Park is boundless. If you manage to peel your eyes away from the city's skyline for one second, you will find you've been transported to the med, with lemon trees placed around the pool's perimeter and fuchsia-coloured flowers adorning the bar. Open from 7am-7pm, this heated pool has stylish loungers lining just the one side so that the toe-dippers amongst us won't miss a second of the views. Despite being available to hotel guests only, this summer — after 7:30pm on Thursdays to Sundays — this swimming sanctuary turns into Capri in the City where a spot can be booked to enjoy Italian-inspired cocktails like an Amalfi Gin Granita and share plates of Lobster pizza or burrata and watch the sun set over Hyde Park's treetops. All whilst laying horizontally on a pool side lounger — if the table and chairs aren't fun enough for you. the-berkeley.co.uk
Soho House's newest London outpost offers workspaces, gym, fitness classes, terrace, bars, restaurant but most importantly a rooftop pool. A lift in the entrance hall will zoom you up to the ninth floor where the blue-tiled heated pool is the central feature to the French-inspired restaurant that surrounds it. At 16 metres long, you'll find more social swimmers looking for a dip n' dine than Olympic athletes. Snuggly sofas with chic wooden chairs and tables are arranged on the terrace's edge to maximise the panoramic cityscape views. The rooftop of this Brutalist building brings geometric shapes and bold colours together to create a stylishly retro aesthetic.
If you fancy a splash around in the 180 House pool, the £200 a month membership will get you (and three plus ones) access to everything they have to offer. But a £316 a month 'Every House' membership provides unlimited access to all amenities offered by their 40+ houses across the globe. 180studios.com
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