You Can Get A Luxurious Facial In A Jail Cell

Skincare has taken some wild turns in recent years—snail mucin serums, vampire facials, and LED masks that make you look like a sci-fi villain. But now, London’s luxury wellness scene has introduced a treatment that’s truly criminally good: a facial in an 18th-century jail cell.

Yes, you read that right. NoMad London, a hotel inside the former Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and Police Station, is now home to one of the most unique spa experiences in the city: a bespoke facial by renowned skin guru Katie England—inside what was once a women’s prison cell.

Katie England, famed for her “Natural Face Lift” buccal massage (an in-mouth sculpting technique that Vogue-approved beauty insiders swear by), has set up a residency at NoMad London. Her magic hands now work their wonders in a space that still bears the original steel prison door, complete with locks, bolts, and a distinct whiff of history. The walls? Lined with original subway tiles, the same ones that witnessed scandalous interrogations, whispered confessions, and maybe a few dramatic courtroom outbursts. But today, the only sentencing that happens here is a prescribed dose of deep hydration and lymphatic drainage.

NoMad London itself is a Grade II-listed landmark, a place where former criminals were once booked and judged. Now, instead of sentencing petty thieves and revolutionaries, the hotel doles out world-class hospitality, refined dining, and—apparently—high-end facials in former holding cells. It’s all part of NoMad’s mission to blend indulgence with transformation, giving guests an experience that’s both luxurious and steeped in London’s fascinating past.

And it doesn’t get more “steeped in history” than receiving an anti-aging facial in a room that once housed criminals. It raises the question: who else might have stared at these same tiled walls, contemplating their fate? A pickpocket from Victorian London? A suffragette fighting for voting rights? Maybe even a scandalous aristocrat who got caught up in a duel? Now, instead of awaiting trial, guests lie back under warm towels, awaiting their turn for Katie’s expert touch.

The transformation is fitting, really. After all, NoMad London has taken a space known for confinement and turned it into a place of relaxation and rejuvenation. The irony isn’t lost—guests pay for the privilege of being in a room where, a century ago, people desperately wanted to get out.

Katie England’s facials are no ordinary skincare sessions. Her treatments focus on either deep nourishment, where reparative techniques breathe life into tired complexions, or massage-led sculpting, which revives skin function and contours the face like it’s been hitting the gym. Her famous buccal massage—where she literally massages the inside of your mouth—has a devoted following for its ability to de-puff, detoxify, and redefine the jawline.

Each facial is bespoke, meaning Katie tailors the experience to your skin’s specific needs. Whether you’ve just stepped off a long-haul flight and need to erase the evidence of airplane dehydration, or you simply want to experience the hands of a skincare magician, you’re in good company.

The setting may be unconventional, but the luxury is undeniable. NoMad London’s reputation as one of the World’s 50 Best Hotels means the entire experience is refined to the last detail. This isn’t a gimmicky-themed spa; it’s a serious wellness offering in a location that just happens to have a slightly more, well, storied past than your average hotel spa.

And if nothing else, it makes for a conversation starter. Who wouldn’t want to casually drop into conversation, “Oh, this glow? It’s from my facial—in a former prison cell.”

For those who are intrigued but not yet sold on the idea of a jailhouse glow-up, consider this: centuries ago, prisoners in this very spot would have given anything for a bit of self-care. And now, you can indulge in it, stress-free, no bail required.

So, if you’re looking for a way to escape the daily grind (pun very much intended), a NoMad London prison-cell facial might be the most indulgent way to do it. After all, why settle for a basic spa when you can get your glow-up in a space once reserved for London’s most infamous?

One thing’s for sure: this is one time when being locked up might actually be a luxury.