Galentine’s Day: London picks for you and your gal pals

Pamper yourselves at Ushvani Chelsea

Start your Galentine’s Day as you mean to go on, by indulging in a spa experience with a difference. An oasis of tranquillity nestled in the heart of Chelsea, Ushvani has been voted the best day spa in London on numerous occasions – and it’s not hard to see why. On entry the intense and heady aromas of ginger, nutmeg and pandan leaves greet you, while the tropical fish tanks, Asian art and Malaysian level climate work to transport you to an exotic paradise. Here, you can enjoy your pick of Thai, Balinese and Malaysian therapies.

Click here to book or here for more spa treatments

Raise a glass to sisters doing it for themselves…

If you and your gal-pals are planning on making a night of it, we know just the venue at which you can fully reject the patriarchy, show your support for women bossing it in the drinks industry, and have a dizzyingly good time. The bar in question is Doña in Dalston and the all-female team behind this sultry cocktail den know just what to do with a bottle of mezcal. In fact, they know how to brew the smoky Mexican spirit, too, and use their own brand – Dangerous Don Mezcal – to lace several of their drinks.

The bar runs a regular events too, including comedy nights and gigs, and on Valentine's Day, it's hosting an erotic life drawing class with live music, spoken word and poetry.

...Or raise a fork to female empowerment

London is in no short supply of female-run restaurants. Three of our favourites are Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson's Rochelle Canteen; Skye Gyngell's Somerset House restaurant Spring (pictured); and the eponymous Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill. All are classy, sparky places to celebrate the important women in your life.

Swap reality for fiction at the Prince Charles Cinema

The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square is the proud home of novelty screenings in London and this charmingly shabby venue is pulling out all the stops this Galentine's Day. A highlight is a rare cinematic screening of Mia Hansen Løve's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age movie Goodbye First Love (pictured), about falling in love for the first time, losing that seminal relationship, then reconnecting years later.

Alternatively, if you want to make a night of it, then arm yourselves with snacks a-plenty, because the cinema is also showing all three titles from Richard Linklater’s superb Before trilogy back-to-back. The films, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, descend on Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) at different points in their decades-spanning relationship.

Take your seats for the perfect antidote to Valentine’s Day

Feeling jaded at the thought of romantic love? Then head to VAULT Festival, where a sordid evening of oversharing awaits. Comedy duo KAT & KAT are busting taboos around sex and dating with their show The Whoreing Twenties. From ‘how to be a hoe’ to advice on avoiding ‘f*ck boys’ on Tinder, no topic is off-limits in this raunchy sketch night. They say: “Everyone is welcome here, if you like sex and laughter this is the show for you!” You and your gal pals will leave feeling grateful you haven't settled for a frog.

Sing for singledom at Jihwaja

Few activities in life offer quite the same release as screaming the lyrics of your all-time favourite songs into a mic, surrounded by your closest friends in a karaoke booth. And when it comes to karaoke, the cheesier the better. If this sounds like your kind of night, we recommend Jihwaja in Vauxhall. With booths doubling up as your very own private dining room – where you can enjoy a Korean feast and fruit-infused spirits before you sing – Jihwaja is a hidden gem of London's karaoke scene and is sure to impress your girlfriends.