When you become new parents, your world shrinks to feedings, nappies, and whatever sleep you can grab. Everything else, including looking after yourself gets pushed down the list. So when my partner and I finally made it to AIRE Ancient Baths London, it felt like stepping into another world entirely.

Our daughter was four and a half months old, and we’d chosen this particular day to start sleep training. Perfect timing, right? We knew we were in for a brutal night, but with the grandparents on babysitting duty, we gave ourselves a few precious hours to breathe.

AIRE is tucked away underground near Covent Garden, and the moment you walk in, the outside world just… disappears. It’s all candlelit stone corridors, warm scents drifting through the air, and the gentle sound of water echoing around you. No phones allowed, no clocks in sight, just you and the quiet. Time passes gently, marked only by the soft chime that signals each hour.

The London location opened in 2021, bringing AIRE’s ancient Roman bath concept to the UK for the first time. The brand now has locations across the globe, including Barcelona, Seville (where it all started), Chicago, New York, Copenhagen, and several other Spanish cities. Each location is designed around the same principle of creating a timeless sanctuary, but London’s underground setting feels particularly special, like discovering a secret Roman temple beneath the bustling streets.

We were greeted warmly at reception and asked to fill in a short form while sipping on herbal tea and cool water. Even the reception area feels like part of the experience, dimly lit, beautifully designed, and instantly calming. From the moment you walk in, you’re invited to slow down. We’d brought our own swimwear, though they provide everything you need if you forget (which, let’s be honest, is exactly the kind of thing new parents do). Most of the other guests were couples too. There’s something about the intimate, hushed atmosphere that naturally draws pairs seeking a shared escape. It’s the perfect rainy day activity, actually; being underground means the weather becomes completely irrelevant once you’re inside.

Once in, we took our time moving through the different baths. The Tepidarium at 36°C felt like sinking into a warm hug. The Caldarium was even hotter—40°C—and I could feel months of tension melting away. Then came the Frigidarium, and somehow I was the brave one who actually went all the way in. My partner took one look at that ice-cold water and very sensibly decided to skip it. Can’t say I blame him.

There’s a steam room too, plus a saltwater pool where you can properly float, and a jet bath that works out knots you didn’t even know you had. We drifted from one to the next, not talking much, just breathing and being present. It struck me how long it had been since we’d done that, just existed in the same space without discussing feeding schedules or nap times.

We’ve been booked for a 30-minute couples massage, and I have to say, I’m pretty fussy about massages, but this was spot on. They only do relaxing massages here (no deep tissue), but it was probably one of the best relaxing massages I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of them. My therapist knew exactly where I was holding all that stress from night feeds and seemed to work with an almost intuitive understanding of what I needed. It wasn’t rushed or formulaic; it felt considered and restorative. Even my partner, who’s usually pretty skeptical about massages, emerged looking properly relaxed for the first time in months.

Afterwards, they led us to the relaxation area with cold orange juice that tasted too good (probably because it was the first time we’d sat completely still in weeks). My body felt different, like it had finally dropped out of that constant state of alert that comes with new parenthood.

What really got me about AIRE wasn’t just the physical relaxation, though that was wonderful. It was the mental space it created. For months, our conversations had revolved around sleep schedules and nappy counts. Here, we weren’t in problem-solving mode or mentally running through our to-do lists. We were just… us, sitting quietly together, remembering what that felt like.

Would we go back? Absolutely. We’ve already started dropping hints to family about gift vouchers (subtle as a brick, probably). AIRE isn’t cheap, thermal bath access starts from around £98 per person, with packages including massages and treatments costing more. But for the quality of experience and complete escape it provides, we found it worth every penny. Book well in advance, especially for weekends.

As for the sleep training that night? Yeah, first night was rough. There were tears (mostly ours) and pacing and plenty of second-guessing. But I genuinely think those few hours of calm made us better equipped to handle it. We went into the evening less frayed, more centered, with a bit more patience to draw on.

So if you’re a parent desperately needing a break, or just someone whose life feels too loud and full, go.! Let the warm water hold you for a while. Let the silence do its work. And definitely book the massage while you’re at it.

For more information or to book your visit, head to beaire.com.

Words by Raluca Tudose