The pool in the Guerlain spa at Raffles London at the OWO

Rumour has it that Winston Churchill haunts the Old War Office on Whitehall. Cigar in hand, he apparently likes to roam the neo-baroque 1902 building’s two and a half miles of corridors, which were home to the military during the First and Second World Wars, and to MI5 and MI6, and were where Ian Fleming found inspiration for the character M in his James Bond tales.

So what the devil does Churchill’s ghost make of the old HQ’s reincarnation as the OWO, a swanky 120-bedroom Raffles hotel with 85 lavish apartments and five newly excavated subterranean floors that house a Guerlain spa and, within it, the world’s first Pillar Wellbeing members’ health club?

Pillar was founded by the super-trainer Harry Jameson, a man used to Westminster’s inner sanctum, having been tasked with getting Boris Johnson into shape after his Covid infection in 2020. Jameson, who is twinkly-eyed and boasts a fine pair of guns, says that Pillar’s aim is “to deliver bespoke data-led programmes to health-conscious, performance-minded high achievers in a luxurious environment with the best facilities”. The focus is on “preventative health, personal optimisation and happiness”.

The couple’s therapy room

This sense of happiness is evident in the club’s design, by Goddard Littlefair, with its Hollywood-style dressing tables and starlet-ready staircase that swoops down to the 65ft pool. Clients’ health data is accrued through wellness tech and analysed by clinically trained coaches, physiotherapists and staff, while the latest Technogym equipment is linked to Pillar’s app so your trainer can celebrate gains – or kick your butt.

Slick additions include valet parking and an elegant café serving healthy fare. Given that Churchill once said, “Whenever I feel the need to take some exercise I lie down until the feeling goes away”, his ghost may well be found on the towelling-covered poolside beds, waiting for the sensation to pass.

Courtesy: The Times, UK