Upscale spas in Europe and Mexico offer some sumptuous spa delights.
“Elevated” Spa Treatments in Mexico
Spa treatments at the Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa’s new Sea Spa at Land’s End in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, are quite the unique experience—the spa is located on a cliff. Each of the spa’s open-air treatment cabanas is built into the rock formations the area is known for, and all overlook the Pacific Ocean. Guests are treated to a variety of wellness experiences, including the 85-minute Sea Spa Signature Massage, which incorporates acupressure, reflexology, deep tissue, and stretching with aromatherapy oils. Another signature treatment is the Bamboo Massage Therapy, which takes its cue from Chinese culture, using bamboo stalks to knead out muscle tension and improve circulation.
The resort itself sits between a cliff and the sea near the area’s famous arch formation. Amenities include childcare services, a beauty parlor, and fitness center as well as a pool, jacuzzi and several eateries including Don Louis, a Baja Mediterranean restaurant named after the resort’s founder.
Rates start at $450 per night. For more information, visit grandsolmarresort.com.
Detoxing in Italy
Not all body detoxes involve pills and supplements. Some, like at the VarSana Spa at the Palazzo di Varignana Resort located in Bologna, Italy, take a more holistic approach. Enter the property’s Time To Detox packages—Express, Easy and Intense. For a quick-tune up, the 1-night Express package has guests meet with a consulting dietitian and personal trainer, drink detoxifying herbal teas, and undergo two 50-minute lymphatic drainage massages before participating in a guided walk on the resort’s wellness trail. The 3-night Easy package features four lymphatic drainage massages, two bio deluxe body gommage (exfoliating cream or paste) treatments, and two slimming evolution treatments. Finally, the 7-day Intense package offers six lymphatic drainage massages, two bio deluxe body gommage treatments, and four slimming evolution treatments. The Express package starts at $366 pp for a Double Room or $400 for a Junior Suite; and the Easy package starts at $952 pp for a Double Room or $1,054 for a Junior Suite. The Intense package starts at $1,928 pp for a Double Room or $2,155 for a Junior Suite.
Although the style of the hotel dates back centuries, its 90 guestrooms and suite have modern amenities, as well as private patios and balconies. Outside, light Italian fare is served poolside. Rates for the hotel start at $235 per night for a Deluxe room. For more information, visit palazzodivarignana.com.
Relaxing in Spain
El Santuario is the newest addition to the 900-year-old Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine’s list of amenities. The abbey hotel and winery in Monasterio de Santa Maria, Spain has now added a wellness center to its list of sumptuous features.
The 10,000-sq.-ft. spa has an indoor heated pool, individual treatment rooms and a Spa Suite, as well as outdoor rain showers, an outdoor pool, sauna, steam baths, and a relaxation room and changing areas. A designated “Spa Sommelier” creates spa experiences using oils and wines they choose through a blind smell-taste test. One such experience, the Anti-Fatigue Back Remedy, uses a combination of heat, minerals, and oils to relieve tension in the neck, back, and shoulders.
Other treatments include the 60-minute Cryo Jetlag Reviver, an extremely cold treatment that stimulates blood circulation and boosts the immune system; and the 30-minute Carboxi Express, which offers a refreshing carboxitherapy (the therapeutical application of the CO2) treatment. All guests are free to use the spa’s indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and steam baths. Room rates start at $400 per night. For more information, visit ledomaine.es.
