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\u201cThis is insane,\u201d a woman says as a butler takes her on a tour of The Chancery Rosewood\u2019s spa.<\/p>\n
We are in the basement levels of what used to be the US embassy in London. Now, there are state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pools and a cold-plunge tank, along with a sauna and steam room. I am stretched like a cat on a heated marble lounger that is far more comfortable than any angular stone slab has the right to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is kind of insane,\u201d I think, as a member of staff uses an instant-read thermometer to check that the pool water has not cooled.<\/p>\n
The Chancery started to take shape even before US diplomats moved their British headquarters from Mayfair\u2019s Grosvenor Square to Nine Elms, near Battersea, in 2018.<\/p>\n
The hotel now occupies the mid-century modern building designed by Eero Saarinen. A giant gilded eagle, once perched over the building\u2019s edge, now crowns the rooftop bar, a spot that has already established itself as London\u2019s poshest after-work hang-out. The hotel has been accepting guests since early September, and its grand opening was October 14.<\/p>\n
The renovation, by David Chipperfield Architects, was extensive but faithful to Saarinen\u2019s original designs. Ground-floor office walls were taken down, opening the space into a grand lobby and expanding its diagrid ceiling. The windows and Portland stone facade got a careful restoration, but everything on the upper floors was removed and turned into 144 rooms \u2013 all suites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n