• Londoners will be treated to a mood boosting experience today with a ten minute taster of how it feels to holiday with Virgin Atlantic 

• Developed in partnership with lifestyle expert, Adrienne Adhami, the ‘Red Spirit Retreat’ captures the award-winning service of the airline’s cabin crew with a pre ‘flight’ drink in a Clubhouse area, before sitting back in a Premium seat complete with revitalising red-light therapy, energising travel sounds and evocative scents from popular destinations

• It comes as a third (33%) of Brits are yearning for a taste of holiday spirit, with 44% feeling in need of a break abroad and half (49%) are yet to book an overseas holiday for this year

• Would-be travellers looking to get that holiday high were spotted in infra-red face masks enjoying touches of the Virgin Atlantic experience from pre flight snacks to the iconic cabin crew, with the service also available in Virgin Atlantic Holidays stores from Thursday 15 May in Merry Hill, Trafford Centre, Bluewater, Meadowhall, Lakeside, Liverpool and Chelmsford

• Virgin Atlantic’s Red Spirit Retreat is open from 10am - 6pm at Observation Point, London’s Southbank, on Thursday 15 May 

The ‘Red Spirit Retreat’ launched in London today - a science-backed experience designed to capture the excitement and energy of heading off on holiday with Virgin Atlantic.

Developed in partnership with wellbeing coach, Adrienne Adhami, guests will be able to enjoy pre ‘flight’ drinks and snacks served by Virgin Atlantic’s iconic cabin crew in a Clubhouse-inspired bar area, before indulging in a revitalising 10-minute red-light therapy treatment from the comfort of a Premium seat. This energising combination has been curated to promote the same emotional and physiological responses felt when going on holiday with Virgin Atlantic, including a sense of excitement, elevated mood, reduced stress levels, and a boost in emotional wellbeing.

The experience lands as Brits are yearning for a dose of holiday spirit, with 49% having not yet planned their 2025 adventures and 44% feeling in need of a break abroad. 

And for those dreaming of an escape, it’s embarking on new experiences that make them most excited (57%) about heading away, followed by trying new, local flavours (47%), embracing new cultures (44%) and even meeting new people (20%).

Delighting would-be travellers with a sensory sample of the little touches onboard a Virgin Atlantic flight, the Red Spirit Retreat delivers the charismatic and friendly service from the iconic Virgin Atlantic cabin crew. The cabin crew are proven to promote feelings of comfort (45%), wellbeing (41%), and happiness (28%) and which when combined with innovative red-light therapy, increase feelings of wellbeing akin to jetting off on holiday.

And it’s this red-light therapy that achieves the coveted holiday glow, with 10-minutes exposure in the wavelengths in the range of 630 to 700 nanometers set to boost mood, enhance circulation and promote good sleep quality*. 

The red-light therapy is accompanied by the decibel hum of a jet engine, surprisingly identified by almost a quarter (22%) as the pre-holiday sound that gets them the most excited.

And it's not just sounds, the experience recreates the evocative olfactory notes of key destinations - coconut from the Caribbean Islands of Barbados and Jamaica, Saffron from the street food markets of Mumbai and roasted coffee beans from a New York deli - which will be a trip down memory lane for almost half of Brits (47%), as they say particular scents take them back to a fond holiday memory. 

Alongside the installation at Observation Point, would-be travellers and Virgin Atlantic cabin crew looking to get an extra hit of holiday glow on the go were spotted donning infra-red face masks around London, at Westminster Bridge, Millennium Bridge and Trafalgar Square. 

And for those not able to indulge at the Red Spirit Retreat today, infra-red therapy treatments will be available from today in select Virgin Atlantic Holidays stores in Merry Hill, Trafford Centre, Bluewater, Meadowhall, Lakeside, Liverpool and Chelmsford.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: “Travelling with Virgin Atlantic is an exciting and energising experience – from our charismatic cabin crew to the unique touches we offer onboard.”

“The Red Spirit Retreat gives Londoners a mood boosting experience and a taste of how it feels to fly with us before experiencing the real thing on their next holiday.”

Adrienne Adhami, Wellbeing Expert commented: “Modern life is fast and busy. Our calendars are packed, our minds are overloaded, and we’re constantly on the go. We all need moments to reset, and that’s exactly what the Red Spirit Retreat offers. This experience gives people a chance to recharge, and to feel that spark of excitement we associate with travel. From mood-boosting red-light therapy to the sensory details that tap into positive memories, it’s a reminder of how important travel is to our wellbeing.”

The installation follows a series of events by Virgin Atlantic designed to encourage open-hearted and open-minded travel across the world, which last month saw five unsuspecting commuters win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York after meeting Virgin Atlantic cabin crew at Bond Street station. 

The Virgin Atlantic sale is now on with savings on flights and holidays until 2 June 2025. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic Holidays customers who are also Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can enjoy the #1 Lounge at London Heathrow terminal 3 for free as a pre take-off treat. More information is available here.

For those anticipating their next trip away, visit here or follow the airline on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

ENDS

Notes to Editors 

Methodology 

Consumer research conducted by OnePoll between 1st to 7th May 2025, across 2,000 UK adults who have previously been on holiday abroad. 

*https://prismlightpod.com/the-positive-effects-of-red-light-therapy-on-mental-health/#:~:text=Red%20light%20therapy%20enhances%20the,stabilize%20and%20improve%20your%20mood. *https://infraredi.eu/blogs/red-light-therapy/dosage-time-for-red-light-a-guide-for-new-customers

About Virgin Atlantic 

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2024, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the eighth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 8,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 28 destinations across four continents throughout the year.       

Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. In February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers.  Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in March 2023 as the global airline alliance’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network and services to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.         

Virgin Atlantic has been pioneering sustainability leadership for more than 15 years, committing to Net Zero by 2050 and continuous action that reduces environmental impact.  The airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the skies, with an average age under seven years. In October 2022, Virgin Atlantic welcomed its first A330-900’s to the fleet, continuing its transformation towards 100% next generation aircraft by 2028.  In November 2023, the airline led a consortium to deliver the world’s first flight across the Atlantic on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), demonstrating that 100% SAF can be used safely as a drop in fuel in existing infrastructure, engines and airframes. The need to scale production is an industry imperative and Virgin Atlantic is committed to radical collaboration across the energy chain to support commercialisation ahead of 2030.        For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.