Just for the weekend: Heal in the city

When my life feels like it’s falling apart around me, and I have no idea what my future holds and am incapable of making any decisions – I like to hotfoot it away on holiday. Denial, you might think as you read my go to ‘solution’, but nine times out of ten it works for me.

Getting physical space just has a way of giving me a major jolt and allows me to clear my head and work things out organically with none of the usual pressure I put on myself to have it all figured out.

This time, with time at a premium, I stayed closer to home and booked into the Metropolitan By Como, Park Lane. With a reputation as the hedonistic travellers go-to venue the hotel has gone through a transformation of its own. The iconic Met Bar is still in residence but the spa has quickly become the jewel in the Como crown.

Try the signature body massage that is a deeply lovely cut above the standard fare (60 minutes of bliss!) or cherry-pick an alternative therapy – Reiki, yoga, acupuncture, shiatsu, and energy therapies are just some of the wellbeing experiences on offer here, and all are led by experts in their field.

I opted for intuitive counselling with Susan King, as I had tried this style of therapy in the past with startling results. Sound a little kooky to you? Well I admit it can be. Practitioners use their intuitive nature to get to the crux of your issues faster than I’ve experienced through my time in talking therapy.

When you see a good practitioner – and Susan King is one of the best – you’ll find they have the ability to uncover deep-seated anxieties, negative emotions and the issues that hold you back from living the life you want. A departure from my usual ‘run away from your problems’ style of trip, my session with Susan helped me examine the issues I was facing head-on, with clarity and decisiveness, and helped me devise a plan of action.

No running away, just big steps forward.

A session with Susan King costs £185 for 60 minutes, and rooms at The Metropolitan by Como start from £289 (excluding vat). Visit comohotels.com/metropolitanlondon/ for more details