London’s oldest bath house has reopened as the capital’s cheapest spa following a £500,000 renovation.
Be Well the Spa is one of the only council-run spas in the country and is located in the Grade II-listed York Hall, known as the spiritual home of British boxing, in Bethnal Green.
It is one of the last remaining Turkish bath houses in the city and Tower Hamlets council claims that as it operated by the town hall it is also one of the most affordable.
Reopening the venue on Thursday, the borough’s executive mayor Lutfur Rahman called in the “People's Spa".
He added: "I'm delighted that we're reopening the historic York Hall spa... to offer this as one of the most affordable spas in the city.
“We're also making history with this being one of the only spas in the country which is not only owned but also directly operated by the council, without any private company profiting from the service, truly making this the People's Spa.
“By bringing our leisure centres in-house, we've kept prices low and enhanced health and wellbeing in our community, including providing free swimming.”
The York Hall spa and the Porchester Spa in Bayswater are the oldest in London, both opening in 1929.
The Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, opened the original East End spa alongside then Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
Tower Hamlets council said it took back control of its leisure facilities, rather than leasing them out private companies, due to the “persistent health inequalities” in the East End.
Half of adults in the borough are either overweight or obese. It is also one of the few areas in Britain where women have a shorter healthy life expectancy than men.
A council spokesman said: “Insourcing the service has enabled the council to enhance health and wellbeing in the community at more affordable prices, and to introduce new schemes to further expand access, such as free swimming for all women and girls aged 16 and over, and all men aged 55 and over, groups which are less physically active in the borough.”
The town hall said it has retained the historic features, including the old Turkish baths, but now also offers treatments such as HydraFacial, Elemis therapies and infrared saunas.
Prices for non-members to access the thermal spa, which includes three hot rooms, two aroma steam rooms, a traditional sauna, infrared sauna, ice fountain, monsoon shower, plunge pool, hammam and relaxation lounge, start at just £32.50.
Councillor Mohammed Kamrul Hussain, cabinet member for culture and recreation, said: “At a time when many leisure centres and swimming pools across the country are sadly closing, Tower Hamlets is bucking that trend by investing in and expanding access to leisure services, including this state-of-the-art spa.
“Bringing the leisure services in-house is a vital step in addressing longstanding health inequalities in our borough, enabling us to make leisure and sports more affordable and accessible, and also wellness through the ‘People’s Spa’.
“We’re also making leisure more accessible by offering discounted memberships for public sector workers, students, older adults, those with disabilities, and those receiving benefits.”
