Great source of sundry beautiful, clever and useful things as edited by a British novelist.
London, UK, british beauty in Out of Office 
LONDON IS brilliant, particularly when you step away from the tourist traps. Sure, some Italian school kids might love Madam Tussauds, but there are plenty of other things that make London so great (for those of us over the age of 15 and not carrying Invicta book bags).
Our favourite (not that we're biased or anything)?
The amazing spa culture hiding behind the gritty, urban facade.
Of course, spas vary wildly in the level of service, quality of products, and (this one's hard to overlook), the price one pays for treatments at the till once it's all over.
That part can hurt.
Even the poshest Sloane Ranger can find it difficult to fund their modern-day beauty habits. We know, we know, Tippy et al would be mortified if they knew we revealed their struggle to maintain that monthly standing appointment with the facialist... waxer... masseur... trainer... needle-happy doc and the rest!
But they can save their bargaining skills for the Souk!
Truth be told, it isn't hard to get spa discounts.
To save yourself public humiliation by way of haggling for that hemp oil massage, look into London spas that offer special deals to their clients. They are plentiful, particularly because of the downturn (Recovery? What recovery?).
If you have internet access (um, you’re reading this blog, right?), search online using search term 'London spa deals' and see what sites come up. Wahanda'll be be one of the top results because we regularly list as many spa deals as we can find and/or arrange in London. Plus you can participate in our MobDeals and get up to 80% off treatments all over the UK (not just London).
Spa deals are easy to find if you know where to look -- like (*cough* *cough*) Wahanda!
Happy Spa-ing!
Post is courtesy of Wahanda.com, the online home for health, beauty and wellness, with comprehensive listings of spas, salons and health centres across the globe at its very foundations.
London, Spas, beauty treatments, wahanda in Sponsored Post 
via wikipedia
THE CLASS that most enthralled me at university was one with this exact same title (minus the 'auction at Sotheby's' part, which, by the way, happened mid-December, when I started writing this post!), taught by brilliant professor Timothy Barringer.
It's no secret (at least not in the art world) that Yale has the biggest British art collection outside of Britain thanks to one seriously generous man named Paul Mellon, and we students were granted access to works of art by Turner, Whiteread, Rego and more because of Mellon's beneficence. [Check out the Yale Center for British Art for more info.]
I sort of thought I would grow up, professionally speaking, in the art world, working at an auction house or the like.
Apparently not the case.
But I can share with you lot a few arty nuggets time and again, particularly on subjects I know about.
This -- 20th century British art -- being one of them.
Even if you haven't the slightest inclination towards the arts, this group of Brit artists has been hugely influential in the world, whether it be through social commentary, breaking ground with new mediums or techniques or simply paving the way for future artists inspired by them.
From Vorticists (there's a great Vorticism exhibition on at Duke University at the moment if you find yourself in Raleigh-Durham, North Caronlina and the Cornell University Art Gallery had a great Bloomsbury Group exhibition recently too) to the natural leanings of the St. Ives group or the YBAs, you've been touched by the works of 20th century British artists (and get your mind out of the gutter right now... not in a naughty way).
Here's a list of my favourite artists from the collection on auction and resources to help you learn more about 20th century British art (early 20th century) if you fancy it. That said, I can't be arsed to add links so Google them!
Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, Stanley Spencer, David Boomberg, Henry Moore, Walter Sickert, Barbara Hepworth, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Jacob Epstein, Wyndham Lewis, Gwen and Augustus John, Paula Rego, Christopher Nevinson...
A few fun facts for you:
If you ever go rambling and start in Cookham, you'll come across Spencer's home. It's just by the station.
Paul Nash's name graces one of those blue plaques one street south of Euston Road (katty corner to the back of the Camden library branch right there).
Henry Moore's giant sculptures litter the lawn by Kenwood House in the upper bit of Hampstead Heath. They're marvellous when the Rhododendrons are in bloom.
Resources:
Art, Design, London, british beauty in Lust-Have 
