London’s Newest Private Club Will Always Be at Least 51% British

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The lounge at London's new members-only South Kensington Club.Credit

London has a long history of private clubs, with perhaps more members-only establishments per capita than any other city in the world. That latest is the South Kensington Club, which officially opens today and has wellness as its focus. Luca Del Bono, the owner and a co-founder of Quintessentially concierge service, says he got the idea while living in New York, where he’d often go to the Russian Turkish Baths in the East Village. “At the time, Londoners were too prudish. Fifteen years ago, an English man would not even admit they would have a massage,” he recalls. “But nowadays people are so conscious about being healthy and fit.” He describes South Kensington Club as a “members club with a gym, a bathhouse and a saltwater Watsu pool.”

Staying true to his Russian Baths inspiration, the South Kensington Club has Russian banyas (some are private and have plunge pools) and Turkish hammams, along with a host of wellness offerings from personal training (in a skylit gym) and holistic healing to yoga and Pilates. A cafe (located in the building next door and open to the public) has the requisite juice bar as well as gluten-free and vegetarian options, while the Club Sitting Room (a bar) and Club Restaurant are open until midnight, with decidedly more hedonistic offerings.

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The club's gym.Credit

And then there are the buildings themselves, ones Del Bono says he was “incredibly lucky” to acquire. The majority of the club is housed in what once was the Harrington Club — also a members-only establishment, co-owned by Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, that attracted lots of big-name musicians — and the bathhouse is in the former home and studio of the artist Francis Bacon.

While anyone can apply for membership, Del Bono aims to keep the club 51% British, and each applicant will be granted a personal interview. The main criterion? “It’s about being nice,” he insists. “I am a bit anticonformist this way.”

Yearly dues are £3,500; £2,800 for foreign/overseas members or anyone under the age of 30. 38-42 Harrington Road, London, southkensingtonclub.com

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