Chelsea

Holistic healer Jasmin Harsono is the founder of the London-based wellness brand Emerald and Tiger. Harsono is a Reiki master, a sonic artist, and an intuitive guide. (You can get a feel for her bright, uplifting energy from this morning Reiki meditation.) Harsono offers virtual private and group sessions, which you can sign up for on her website. For more from Harsono, check out her book Self Reiki: Tune in to Your Life Force to Achieve Harmony and Balance.

True intuitives are rare. Having someone know your thoughts, read your body, and decipher your energy without knowing you should be impossible, but it’s not. Knowles is a living, breathing intuitive who in her own mystic way suspends her hands over your body, somehow knowing the trigger points without actually touching you. Candles flicker and crystals get hot in your hands as you lie there waiting for Knowles’s reading (which she will record and send to you a day or two after the dust settles). Of course, these healing sessions are different for everyone, but our reading was spot-on. Knowles considers herself a clairvoyant, a reader, an intuitive, a crystal healer, and an author (her book The Power of Crystal Healing: Change Your Energy and Live a High-vibe Life is a must for the crystal-curious), and no two sessions are quite the same.

Knightsbridge is not short on formal hotels that could be mistaken for mausoleums. Walking down toward Chelsea several weeks back, we noticed a flurry of activity on the moneyed Queen Anne–style intersection of Pont and Sloane Street and stopped to take a peek. The Belmond Cadogan was closed for a four-year renovation, and each one of those 1,460 days was entirely worth it. Basement to rooftop, every polished corner is considered. From a literary perspective, the property is iconic—Oscar Wilde was arrested here—and each guest room contains its own mini library curated by John Sandoe books just down the street. If you’re going to splurge on a suite, do it here. The Penthouse Suite sits at the tip-top of the property, which means that aside from being the most gorgeously outfitted room we’ve seen recently—fireplaces, custom artworks, a bathroom the size of most bungalows—its outdoor terrace has a view of London most people never get to see. Locals have already adopted the bar as their own, which lends a convivial buzz to the place. But the best entertainment is the hotel itself—just walk around and take in the myriad…

Vanessa Kandiyoti is a polymath—which alone is reason to be fascinated by her. Born in Belgium, with Turkish origins, the former jewelry designer now resides in West London, where she teaches meditation, compassion, and deep calm. Kandiyoti leads group sessions, but is also available for one-on-ones. Aside from having the most calming voice and soothing manner, Kandiyoti is a fascinating and optimistic person, so whether you’re an experienced meditator or a novice, you’ll leave feeling centered and uplifted.

There’s only one word for Estelle Bingham’s practice: transformative. Or maybe two: utterly transformative. Her particular combination of crystal healing and guided meditation melts away the anxieties of modern life. She’s done this for twenty years, and if you choose to surrender and commit some time to exploring her methods of holistic healing, the results can be remarkable. You can book sessions either at Bamford’s sparkling new well-being haven in Brompton Cross or privately.

Carole Bamford’s latest London enterprise, the Bamford Haybarn Spa, is fast becoming our wellness home away from home in London. Tucked away on Draycott Avenue in Chelsea, the building looks like something straight off of Bamford’s own Gloucestershire farm, with its rustic white wood and signature green glass bottles full of nontoxic botanical oils, creams, and serums. Inside, you find a full wellness temple with a subterranean spa and first floor space offering yoga, Pilates, meditation, and fascinating workshops with holistic experts (like crystal healing and sound baths). The “sleep” treatment is our go-to after a long flight or a bout of insomnia. Each session starts with submerging your weary feet in Epsom-salted water while you pick your oil of choice and the music you want to drift off to. One hour is all you need to feel thoroughly depuffed and ready for bed. If you want dinner first, Daylesford Organic is blessedly around the corner, for vibrant, straight-off-the-farm food (straight off Bamford’s farm, that is).

Near the posh shopping area of Sloane Square and occupying a series of Victorian townhouses, this small hotel in Chelsea offers some truly attractive communal areas. And you don’t have to be a guest to use them. There’s a small, clubby bar full of leather chairs and dark, moody lighting for an early-evening drink (or to escape the London drizzle). Our favorite spot, though, is the library. Dreamily quiet, its walls lined with old books and its tables stacked with newspapers, it’s a proper oasis for the freelancer or aspiring novelist—especially with a pot (and then another) of English breakfast tea. For those looking to sleepover, guestrooms are a lesson in English elegance, many with roomy, four-poster beds and picturesque views of the leafy park on the adjacent quiet square.

Fashion giants, like Dover Street Market, Matches, and Selfridges, may have every sartorial desire covered, but it’s the smaller, more intimate stores that are the backbone of London. Baar & Baas on the King's Road is the perfect example. Maddie Chesterton’s edit is arty and quirky: silky Rixo tea dresses, striped Bella Freud knits and flared pants, retro Terry de Havilland platforms, and the most sublime Sophie Lis jewelry are just a few of the special offerings. It’s all luxuriously bohemian and ’60s-inspired. And the selection of cookbooks, candles, and cards solves virtually every gift buying dilemma, every time.

Fertility expert Emma Cannon specializes in helping soon-to-be and new mothers at her offices in Chelsea and the West End. A registered acupuncturist and an expert in women’s health, her techniques sit between Eastern and Western healing traditions. The Fertility Rooms are her center of gravity, where she provides nutritional advice, acupuncture, and full-body diagnostics to support couples trying to get pregnant or women recovering from postpartum depression. She also runs an IVF support clinic.

We couldn’t be happier with this new addition to the KX brand, which combines a bare-bones, super-social gym with detoxifying wellness experiences. Down the street from the membership-only KX Life, KXU has pay-as-you-go group classes, including cycling, barre, and yoga. With the workout, you can add on fantastic infrared sauna or cryotherapy sessions, which can help with muscle soreness. We love the modern, darkly lit, neon-everywhere aesthetic, too.