The School Of Life

Shop which turns out much smaller than I expect. Display and spatial organisation not particularly interesting. Merchandise can be found else where in bookstores. But anyway the books and related products of School of Life are inspiring and ‘easy to digest’.

Really interesting little boutique shopfront with therapy/counseling/teaching & coaching available at the back. Full of eclectic gift items theme on therapeutic ideas, support in relationship thinking and career guidance. Pitched for aclay audience but makes for nice gifts for those in the field too.

One of the best (if not THE best) bookstore I've been to! Many life-changing truths written in a wonderfully simple way, so that anyone can philosophise on them. The light scent of the burning candles relaxes your body, letting your mind take over and think... I strongly advise anyone visiting to take time and go through as many of the books/cards/games as possible before buying something. It'll be my go-to bookshop from now on! Highly recommended!!!

You can feel the atmosphere of philosophy and therapy all around, neat and nice~

The SoL have really good intentions. However I did not expect for their seminars ("Stay or Leave" seminar) to be as 'engaging' as it was. Some topics were really sensitive and I would have preferred to have the choice to not discuss them with others, but answer them on my own.

Wow just went out of my way to go into the shop rather than buy online because I thought it would be nice. Not! They are so rude. Didn’t even say ‘thank you goodbye’ when I paid and left. How odd!

A lovely little bookshop to cover your emotional needs

Great range of everything available, neatly provided in different sections, work, relationships, social etc. Lovely interior, wooden floors, spacious. Helpful staff. Would prefer if prices were readily available and without the need to ask.

So… I stumbled across this little nugget of a shop with a close friend of mine early one morning. It was lovely to quiz her on all the interesting card games that were out on display. The staff here are mega nice too :) The answers I got back were also very interesting :P If you haven't been and you are in the Kings Cross area, pop in and check it out.

Good and amazing THEORIES about LIFE and whatsoever but RUDE AND IMPOLITE STAFF INSIDE. What a hypocrite. Buy online if you really need to get their stuff, stay away from the London store.

Best School in London about subjects related to love, work, psychology, emotional intelligence, relationships, death and many more. It is a unique place in the most exciting city in the world. Everyone can benefit from what they offer. There is no another place like this in the whole city. Good for children, young people, students, adults and grandparents

The products are brilliant as I’m a huge fan of Alan de Botton but one of the staff’s so cold and no customer service at all... a bit disappointed when you shop here...

Awesome place! Weather you’re looking for a mindful gift for a friend or for yourself, a training course or therapy sessions. Wish I had found it earlier :)

The most insightful, thoughtful and beautiful concept store. Philosophy for everyday life given in books, games, everyday elements and seminars. A contemporary and sensitive approach to live our lives with more wisdom.

Cool place with some interesting games and things. Wasn't as pricy as I was expecting

Went to the “identify your career potential” session. Very well run. Great session. Great instructor. Great info!

This might be a bit of a long review of the School of Life's career counselling, but if you're thinking about gambling £300 of your money on it. A bit of background with me: grew up with extremely physically and mentally violent and abusive parents that I let sabotage my life for quite a long time, leading to me taking on a job in marketing I didn't like and eventually a few years ago, almost killing myself. I spent a good while in group therapy, support groups and taking about a year off work to stop myself from putting on a noose and hanging from a tree, because I was extremely desperate. It all paid off in the end and I got to a place where I was relatively happy to be me and look in the mirror and not cry. Overcame drug and alcohol addictions, all of it. The one thing that alluded me was what I wanted to do for work for the rest of my life, something that would make me happy... and also how to overcome the crippling anxiety and imposter syndrome I had with work in general. The School of Life looked AMAZING with all their courses and workshops related to careers. I attended onee of their workshops which really built me up on finding a job that will help me grow as a person, that I would love going into and believe in. They promoted a lot of doing what you love and finding your purpose, and not selling out for anything less, or a salary and comfortable life alone. They even gave a workbook to go through to arrive at some possible career options. I was quite impressed and they spoke about the career counselling sessions they put on for £300 for 2 hours, which sounded very expensive... but after looking at the credentials of their counsellors who are also trained as therapists, I took what little savings I had and went for it. It was the biggest mistake I've made in the last few years. In I went with my 2 hour appointment with Andreas Liefooghe, who was touted as some really amazing therapist and business teacher. It felt like I was on The Apprentice and being cut to ribbons by him for the whole duration of the appointment. He told me I had the CV of a 10 year old boy, how judgemental I am for not wanting to work with my father (who triggers me, understandably), how envious I am, and that I've taken too long of work and "SHOULD" have been working in the time I took off to deal with my depression. A lot of judgement from someone telling me I'm judgemental, and not what a good therapist would ever do. Everything I had in the School of Life workbook (and I paid £50 to go to that workshop) he put down, saying I need to stop thinking about myself, stop expecting an employer to give me something with purpose or something I 'like' and just get on with it. He spent most of the session convincing me to go back into marketing, putting down my CV, putting down ME as a person without offering any empathy, understanding, alternatives or solutions. He spent more time trying to convince me not to hold things like my father beating me with a belt as a child against him (that's not what I went to address) and that I probably wasn't the only child on my street being abused. And he stopped the £300 session half an hour early. I emailed to the School of Life detailing all this, they gave me a refund and said they're looking into it. I then sent another email with a full account of what happened and never heard back from them. I was happy to get my money back (the least they could do), but the stress of 1.5 hours of being lambasted by someone was horrifying. Avoid this. Don't throw away £300 getting therapy/advice from someone you can't even meet up with for a short while beforehand to see if you're compatible. You might end up paying someone to kill your self-esteem and set you back much further than when you walked in. This is your life, so don't gamble it with the School of "Life".

Sharon the SOL shop manager is a star! She is naturally gifted for this role. After a pretty bad customer service experience online she accepted responsibility for the SOL and other staff member's challenges and completely turned my experience of the SOL around. Well done!

Nice looking shop once you go inside. Interesting and educational. Yes, the School of Life obviously have a YouTube channel, which I find enjoyable and entertaining to watch at times. But I find most of the staff here incredibly rude, totally condescending and completely cold. Don't spend your money and don't waste your time in this extremely rude and hostile independent bookshop. For example, the staff at the School of Life, do not even say hello to you when you enter and they do not even say goodbye to you, when you exit. I seriously hate the staff at the School of Life, with absolute passion. Honestly: Hate them like a cancer cell!

I love the whole concept of this. If only I was thought this stuff in school. A great shop, with some great ideas for presents. Some reviewers complained the staff wasn't nice. That's not my experience. I've had a chat with the girl working there about the birthday present I wanted to buy and she spent lots of time trying to help with some good suggestions. Highly recommended!

Serene, welcoming space, very nice and coherent design of all publications, any several books will look like a distinctive collection adorning a bookshelf. Great items for thoughtful, light,fun gifts.

Love this place. Class was very good and some interesting books on sale too!

I visited The School of Life today and found the experience quite disappointing. I'd seen to some of the animations on YouTube, listened to some of Alain de Botton's lectures and I've read some of his books - so I went off to Marchment Street expecting to find something which would feel more engaging. The stuff on sale was interesting up to a point up it was expensive (I thought) and reminded me of things one might find in an up market bookshop or the gift section of a museum. The staff were professional but when I asked about the format of the classes, they seemed a little uneasy. I'm nearby 70 and I had the sense I would be too old to fit. I think the ideas behind The School of Life are so important, it would be a pity if it existed just as a niche movement for affluent, educated millennials.

A fantastic collection of bits of wisdom and playful reminders to be kinder to ourselves. Picked up The Confessions Game and spent two hours playing with my best friend over a bottle of wine. Worth the £20.

Really cool store with a lot of inspirational books and cards. Really worth a short visit

Why have I given it 5 stars when I haven't even visited it yet. Because I want to believe that it will be so. Stumbled upon it when googling beauty is in the eye of the beholder - which apparently you shouldn't use. And that came from their 'Book of Life' which at first glance seems to have everything you need to know to have a good life. Maybe it is overpriced kitsch , maybe the staff are unfriendly or maybe they aren't. I shall have to go and find out for myself. In the meantime my glass is half-full.

This is where you will find yourself.

Oh my god my jaw dropped when I connected the two dots and realised that this bookstore which I passed by almost everyday when I was based near King's Cross, is actually directly related to the morbidly hopeful YouTube channel I watch on a daily basis! I've never stepped in but always spent at least three to five seconds browsing its shopfront. I will make an effort to step inside the next time.

Extreme ambivalence would best describe my feelings to the School of Life. Their youtube channel is quite wonderful, and the bite-sized messages of philosophy and psychology can be great. I've enjoyed many of Alain de Botton's books and talks, and I think it's admirable to build a platform to promote these ideas. Their shop and their products however, while extremely well designed and visually appealing, do feel distinctly aspirational and aimed at a particular affluent, older millennial consumer. The kind of person who might, say, want to purchase "An elegant scented candle, housed in a ceramic jar inspired by Plato’s utopian philosophy." for £35. The shop itself looks like the lovechild of an Apple Store, Warby Parker and the MoMA giftshop. Their events run from £55 to £950. I'm not sure if I begrudge them being upmarket or expensive (at least not entirely), but I do feel uneasy about this sending out a message that these ideas and these messages are not for everyone - they are something reserved for the elite, those with a certain amount of disposable income only. In so doing, has the greatest success of the school of life been to turn the very vital and helpful ideas of philosophy, psychoanalysis and therapy into a consumer lifestyle, replete with desirable commodities and oh-so-instagrammable accessories? But perhaps this is only sour grapes since I don't have a spare £35 to splash on an Emotional Baggage tote?

I wish I discovered this place 10 years ago. I would have made better choices in my life ????

I was there and it's nothing special. everything you can find in internet is there. nothing more. the shop is really small. For a school of Life I would expect something better.

Best experience to know yourself a lot better and acknowledge your personal success.

I bought the book "Great thinkers" for a few pound more than it was on amazon for a new book. So if they are gonna charge more for it they should make the shop nicer with improved staff

Cool place. I expected to be a little bit bigger.

Developing emotional intelligence through culture. Definitely a must in every happy and sane life. Go in and take a peak into de books :).

I've watched all of the YouTube videos and I found it very fulfilling to stumble upon the physical shop in London. Great atmosphere and books/flash cards collections.

Shop is inviting enough. 'Objects' tastefully laid out, price point is at the appropriate 'mug' level. The makings of an indulgent shopping experience... ...But for the extremely unfriendly service of which I was in receipt yesterday evening when I happened upon this boutique to purchase some flashcards. The girl behind the desk did not so much as greet or acknowlege--she seemed far to busy with something ostensibly more important than a client appering in store. Payment was taken with a grimace and that was our only communication. Is this a Lesson in Life from The School of Life?

Nice calm atmosphere, can feel a little intimidating. Great range of courses, although you pay a little over the odds for the brand.

The School of Life was set up by philosopher Alain de Botton as a centre for guidance and life skills without the intrusion of religion. The school consists of a bookshop, therapy rooms and a small classroom below where visitors can attend classes ranging from career guidance to love in the modern age. They also host a number of 'Sunday Sermons'; talks given in a non-religious environment aimed at tackling some of life's bigger questions. The faculty of the school are a mixture of academics and non-academics, each with their own special gift to bring to the school. An absolute must for absolutely everyone!

The work of The School of Life and its dedicated team are hugely valuable - a unique treasure. I would urge people to investigate the breadth of what it has to offer.

Been to a few of their evening classes and they are just brilliantly insightful. Highly recommended.

A unique shop for those who want to buy something a little more interesting and perhaps thought provoking. Great for gifts!

Love school of life. Small and quirky, it's independent and full of smart individuals, lecturers and audience alike. This is a place for pragmatic everyday wisdom. No cultish weirdness here thankyou!

Great place for some really nice gifts. They run some interesting courses as well - definitely worth checking out.

I'm a big fan of The School of Life. Spearheaded by philosopher Alain de Botton, it has grown from a small group of people to a big movement which hosts regular classes, atheist alternatives to church (called 'Sunday sermons') and even now has its own book range. The name makes it sound like it might be some kind of freaky cult but it's actually the opposite - very nice, normal (but interesting) philosophers and journos talking about the important questions in life. Most of the stuff they discuss is incredibly practical, like how to get a job you like, how to stop being obsessed with technology, how to write decent online dating profiles etc! Definitely worth checking out.

Had a bibliotherapy session here. Was a really interesting process to have my reading habits analysed and to get some suggestions on how best to expand my reading universe.

Hey I found this cool little place in a American magazine called Psychology Today! I am planning to so visit this little school. Cant wait

Awaiting delivery still for an item I ordered 10th Feb. No communication, I have to keep chasing, phone messaging service is full, which fills me dread. When I did speak to someone they assured me it would be back in stock soon, despite not taking details of my address or order. I have an email to say it would be dispatched 1st April. Today is the 7th, no delivery still. I've just emailed asking for full refund. Cannot rate this low enough. Stay away.

Attended the Career Potential evening class and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Small venue, not very accessible. Food is good