The Revitalise List 2008

Here’s your ultimate guide to luxury spas and hotels across Europe – 30 health-giving hotspots that’ll leave you feeling your freshest in no time at all. Words by Juliet Kinsman (Spas ranked in no particular order)

1 Austria
Mayr Health Spa
LAKE WORTH, CARINTHIA. TEL: +43 427 325 110,
WWW.360TRAVEL.CO.UK/MAYR
THE PLACE: A cheery, chalet-style hotel situated on the lake, near the Slovenian border. TREATMENTS: A holistic treatment developed by Austrian physician Dr Mayr, based on warm baths and compresses that heal the body through blood purification. Exercises also include hiking and Nordic walking.

2England
Calcot Spa
NEAR TETBURY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. TEL: +44 (0)1666 891 232,
WWW.CALCOTSPA.CO.UK
THE PLACE: Next to its charming manor house, this Cotswold-stone health-and-fitness hub is perched high on a hill, and packed with all manner of high-tech facilities. TREATMENTS: Guinot, Thalgo and Aromatherapy Associates are all on the beauty menu, recently joined by Bare Escentuals and organic experts Spiezia.

3France
Jardins Secrets
NIMES. TEL: +33 (0)46 684 8264,
WWW.CALCOTSPA.CO.UK
THE PLACE: A heart-meltingly pretty hideaway, ensconced in leafy gardens in this ancient city. There’s only one treatment room, but the Roman thermal bath look couldn’t be more romantic. TREATMENTS: Ayurvedic and Japanese massages, and exclusive Kama Ayurveda beauty treatments for face, hands and feet.

4 Hungary
Royal Spa
BUDAPEST. TEL: +36 1479 4650,
WWW.ROYALSPA.HU
THE PLACE: A restored 1903 bathing pool, Royal Spa is housed in an elegant five-star hotel downtown, and resembles the city’s famous Gellert thermal baths. TREATMENTS: Try 13 different treatments, like Algotherm Glowing. Plus, relax with its dry floating bed, Niagara bathtub, tropical rain shower and electric wellness bed.

5 Italy
Capri Palace Hotel & Spa
ANACAPRI. TEL: + 39 081 978 0111,
WWW.CAPRIPALACE.COM
The Place: This all-white oasis high above the Mediterranean boasts a 25-room spa offering relaxing rituals and serious pain-relieving benefits. Treatments: Take a dip for cosmetic results, or immerse yourself in packages like Leg School, an array of medicated treatments focused on treating vascular disease.

6 England
Hartwell House
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. TEL: +44 (0)1296 747 444,
WWW.HARTWELL-HOUSE.COM
THE PLACE: Stately home and spa set amid glorious formal gardens and parkland. TREATMENTS: Clarins and ESPA facials, Jessica mani/pedi, St Tropez bronzing, ESPA algae wraps and Swedish massages.

7 Scotland
Westin Turnberry Resort
AYRSHIRE. TEL: +44 (0)1655 331 000,
WWW.WESTIN.COM

THE PLACE: Two of the country’s finest golf courses and a stunning spa, where sunlight reflects off the sea through the windows. TREATMENTS: Ayurvedic hot stone massages, mud wraps, foot rubs and exfoliating scrubs.

8 Portugal
Aquapura Douro Valley
PORTO. TEL: +351 254 660 600,
WWW.AQUAPURAHOTELS.COM
THE PLACE: This luxury 50-room mansion on the banks of the Douro river has a 2,200m2 spa in a glass extension, with an Asian ambience. TREATMENTS: A cool tropical rain shower with essential oils, and incredible healing massages, using locally sourced grape products.

9 Italy
Bulgari Milan
MILAN. TEL: +39 028 058 051,
WWW.BULGARIHOTELS.COM
THE PLACE: Luxury retreat with a gold mosaic swimming pool and green-glass hammam. TREATMENTS: Massages here can come fourhanded, and for facials try the Advanced Age Defyer and Frequent Traveller – all very A-list.

10 Malta
Fortina Spa Resort
SLIEMA. TEL: +356 2346 0000,
WWW.FORTINASPA.COM
THE PLACE: This massive spa resort on the north-east coast, near Valletta, has pretty much everything in three special spa zones. TREATMENTS: A full range of Thai treatments using the rejuvenating properties of concentrated seawater, including pressure-point facials and all over body yogic-style massages.

11 Germany
Bühlerhöhe Schlosshotel
BADEN-BADEN. TEL: +49 (0)722 6550,
WWW.BUEHLERHOEHE.DE
THE PLACE: You’ll feel like a German count in this fairytale castle set inside the Black Forest. TREATMENTS: The spa is large, with an incredible pool and numerous treatments. The Vitality Day experiences for men and women are nice, and the exfoliation skin scrub is also well worth it.

12 Wales
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa
LLANDUDNO. TEL: +44 (0)1492 584 466
WWW.BODYSGALLEN.COM
The Place: Country-house hotel set within 80ha of parkland in North Wales. Treatments: Bespoke Anne Sémonin facials, including frozen gels that claim to have a Botox-type effect.

13 Ireland
Monart Destination Spa
CO. WEXFORD. TEL: +353 (0)53 923 8999,
WWW.MONART.IE
THE PLACE: Georgian country house boasting a state-of-the-art thermal spa and gym, as well as saunas and an equestrian centre. TREATMENTS: Based on heating and cooling bathing rituals, including a Kneipp pool and salt grotto. There’s a kinesis wall to try, too.

14 England
Cowshed, Babington House
BABINGTON, SOMERSET. TEL: +44 (0)1373 812 266,
WWW.BABINGTONHOUSE.CO.UK
THE PLACE: This ultimate country-chic boutique hotel is also home to the Cowshed spa, with its own cheeky range of botanical products. TREATMENTS: Cowgroom features two therapists working their magic in sync, and that’s after a rose petal soak, exfoliation and pressure-point massage.

15 Italy
Vigilius Mountain Resort
LANA. TEL: +39 (0)473 556 600,
WWW.VIGILIUS.IT
THE PLACE: Eco, über-cool hillside spa in South Tyrol, accessible only by cable car. TREATMENTS: Infinity pool, fir cone reflex-massage, cold water Kneipp bath and mountain-view sauna.

16 France
Le Couvent d’Hérépian
LANGUEDOC. TEL: +33 (0)46 711 8715,
WWW.COUVENTHEREPIAN.COM
THE PLACE: This former convent with just 13 suites and a tiny spa is the ultimate in relaxation, and is wholly contemplative. Forget zen or Thai décor – it’s all stone here, with not a bronze Buddha in site. TREATMENTS: No waxing, manicures or cleansing beauty treatments, just a small hydrotherapy pool and a single treatment room where the masseurs offer Ayurvedic and reflexology options. Small but perfectly formed.

17 England
Como Shambhala, Metropolitan London
OLD PARK LANE, LONDON. TEL: +44 (0)20 7447 5750,
HTTP://SHAMBHALA.COMO.BZ
THE PLACE: Sanskrit for “a sacred place of bliss”, Shambhala is a bubble of oriental escapism amid contemporary city cool. Unwind in a candlelit corner and you’ll feel nearer cloud nine than traffic-filled Park Lane. TREATMENTS: A whole lot of holistic therapies originally developed at its sister resort, paradise Parrot Cay in the Caribbean. These include shiatsu, reiki, reflexology and Thai massage.

18 Czech Republic
Mandarin Oriental
PRAGUE. TEL: +420 233 088 888,
WWW.MANDARINORIENTAL.COM
THE PLACE: The hotel is an architectural beauty, and the spa is in a former Renaissance chapel, where incense burns and tranquillity seeps into your bones from the moment you enter. TREATMENTS: Body wraps, scrubs, massages and hydrotherapy options – some using ingredients like linden blossom oil, from the Czech Republic’s national tree.

19 Ireland
Auriga Spa
CORK. TEL: +353 214 644 050,
WWW.CAPELLACASTLEMARTYR.COM
THE PLACE: With its clever use of glass, the Auriga feels like it has just landed from outer space. In fact, it is based around the varying energies of the lunar cycle. TREATMENTS: So it’s all about the Waxing Moon treatment – body exfoliation with rose, salt and sugar syrup followed by a honey and jasmine body mask, facial cleanse, then facial mask and massage.

20 Spain
SHA Wellness Clinic
VALENCIA. TEL: +34 902 995 335,
WWW.SHAWELLNESSCLINIC.COM
THE PLACE: SHA is dedicated to improving wellbeing through a mix of ancient oriental disciplines and revolutionary western techniques. TREATMENTS: A macrobiotic diet that blends Mediterranean and Japanese influences is the cornerstone to time spent here. Tailored programmes include slimming, anti-stress, detoxing, energy, anti-smoking and anti-ageing beauty.

21 Morocco
Ksar Char-Bagh
MARRAKESH. TEL: +212 (0)24 329 244,
WWW.KSARCHARBAGH.COM
THE PLACE: Stroll into the exquisite gardens of this North African palace, and your soul will be uplifted before you even reach the spa. TREATMENTS: Heavy scrubbing and steaming in their vaulted Ottoman chamber. Let a master masseuse pummel you to within an inch of your life using local unguents like rose oils. Anne Sémonin facials and pedicures are also available.

22 Switzerland
Cinq Mondes Spa, Beau-Rivage Palace
LAUSANNE. TEL: +41 216 133 367,
WWW.BRP.CH
THE PLACE: Slap, bang on Lake Geneva, the beautiful gardens are salubrious in themselves, but venture into the Asian-accented day spa with indoor and outdoor swimming pools and you’ll soon come over all zen. TREATMENTS: All things holistic, based on Ayurvedic, Balinese and Taoist healing traditions, using ingredients like warmed Indian oil.

23 England
Aqua Sana, Center Parcs
SHERWOOOD FOREST, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. TEL: +44 (0)1623 827 400,
WWW.AQUASANA.CO.UK
THE PLACE: An Indonesian-influenced spa with a varied array of genuinely effective therapies. TREATMENTS: Austrian herbal showers, Finnish saunas and Turkish steam rooms all make this a sort of spa theme park – highly enjoyable, too!

24 France
Hôtel du Palais
BIARRITZ. TEL. +33 (0)55 941 6400,
WWW.HOTEL-DU-PALAIS.COM
THE PLACE: Breathe in the fresh Atlantic air at Biarritz’s most famous hotel, right on the seafront. THE TREATMENTS: A classic of spa hotels the world over, the Hôtel du Palais has 3,000m2 over five floors, with an incredible pool, Guerlain products and a choice of massages to be had, including the new Tibetan Bowl treatment.

25 Spain
Son Brull Hotel & Spa
MALLORCA. TEL: +34 971 535 353,
WWW.SONBRULL.COM
THE PLACE: The original spa on this bougainvillea-festooned Balearic island is set in a 12th-century former monastery. Now with an impressive golf course, it’s a sybarite’s dream come true. TREATMENTS: A unique string to this seaside spa’s bow is that it has its own therapeutic product range concocted from local herbs, oils and sea salt.

26 England
Serenity Spa, Seaham Hall
COUNTY DURHAM. TEL: +44 (0)191 516 1400,
WWW.SEAHAM-HALL.COM
THE PLACE: This sleek design hotel in its own 15ha swathe of north-east England bags awards for its pool- and hot-tub-studded spa. The feng shui teak, quartz, granite and limestone setting is conducive to instant calm. TREATMENTS: With 45 therapies to choose from, Serenity reaches the parts other destination spas can’t reach. It’s wonderfully intimate too, and you can wallow in facilities that include a sprawling ozone-cleansed pool.

27 Germany
Hotel Adlon Kempinski
BERLIN. TEL: +49 (0)302 2610,
WWW.HOTEL-ADLON.DE
THE PLACE: Across from the Reichstag, the Adlon is as grand as you get in this town. Burned down during WWII, it was rebuilt a decade ago, and has a gorgeous spa – all white walls, velvet sofas and Balinese statues. TREATMENTS: The must-have is the Lomi Lomi Nui “massage from the centre of being”. It’s a deep, undulating technique developed from Hawaiian shaman healing rituals. You will fall asleep it’s so relaxing. The SkinCeuticals Beauty Flash Facial is also worth a pop.

28 Spain
Marbella Club Thalasso Spa
MARBELLA. TEL: +34 (0)95 282 2211,
WWW.MARBELLACLUB.COM
THE PLACE: This beach-side spa, golf and riding resort draws on its ocean location, using heated seawater, seaweed and algae. TREATMENTS: Thalassotherapy treatments include Vichy and multi-jet baths, complemented by holistic therapies such as Sea Creation facials.

29 Ireland
Ice House Hotel & Spa
CO. MAYO. TEL: +353 (0)962 3500,
WWW.ICEHOUSEHOTEL.IE
THE PLACE: The modernist/country mansionstyle Ice House occupies a gorgeous spot overlooking the River Moy, with a spa to die for. TREATMENTS: Begin with a session in the dry heat sauna, then choose from the large range of treatments, like the balancing facial and aromatic hot lava stone back massage.

30 England
Four Seasons Hampshire
HOOK, HAMPSHIRE. TEL: +44 (0)1252 853 000,
WWW.FOURSEASONS.COM/HAMPSHIRE
THE PLACE: An elegant glass walkway from a five-star luxury manor, overlooking rolling hills and parkland, takes you to this stylish spa and pool – once an 18th-century stable block. TREATMENTS: This stylish hideaway uses ESPA aromatherapy products made from the finestquality plant and marine ingredients, as well as herbs grown in its own garden. These are showcased in delights such as the Soothing Chamomile and Sage Massage, and Lavender, Rosemary and Mint Back Treatment.