Destino Says...

Ilapothecary founder Denise Leicester has a wealth of knowledge and training – a qualified nurse, midwife, aromatherapist, yoga teacher, sound healer, holistic bodyworker and spiritual philosopher. Leicester founded her first renowned beauty brand, Ila, after she witnessed the impact that essential oils can have alongside traditional medicine while she was nursing the leader of the UAE.

Her next venture, Ilapothacary, is a beautiful apothecary store and treatment room on Kensington Church Street where the emphasis is on products and treatments that help to renew our wellbeing and energetic needs using a mix of proven ingredients and natural medicine. Customers fill in a clever questionnaire – and while it doesn’t take long, its wide range of topics are able to give therapists a clear idea of what the key areas of imbalance are.

Corresponding product lines all have a focus, whether it’s inducing relaxation and sleep, creating a sense of calm or boosting energy levels. Treatments follow suit: their tailored therapies include dreamy digital detox facials, immune boosting massages and rebalancing reflexology. Most recently, we tried their heavenly and super-relaxing, Chakra Balancing Massage. Weekly sound healing, breathing, yoga and gong bathing workshops might sound out of your comfort zone but are also well worth a visit.

The space itself is everything you’d hope a modern apothecary would be: a heavenly scented, antique-mirrored haven with a bespoke chakra blending tea bar and Leicester’s own sound therapy music playing. We defy anyone to pop in here to peruse their products and not end up booking a treatment.