Luxury and spa holidays: The red carpet treatment

While the spa tradition may have originated in Europe – the oldest known spa, still in use in Merano, Italy, dates back thousands of years – Asian resorts have hogged the limelight for the past decade. But new and upgraded hotel and spa facilities, and a demand for options closer to home, have rekindled interest in European spas, say operators. And there are

plenty to choose from.

The world’s seventh Givenchy spa opened in Cannes last year at the Hotel Martinez. In Lucerne, Switzerland, the Palace Lucerne has a brand new E’spa spa, with a two-person treatment room in the hotel’s turret. And Hilton International is opening a spa hotel at Evian in France next year.

Erna Low Body and Soul Holidays expanded its European programme by 10% for 2004 and is planning more additions as the focus turns back to Europe.

Reservations manager Sally Watts said: “European spas are investing and developing

in competition with Asia. While you can get similar treatments to those in Bali, there’s a trend towards the old-style glamour of Europe and more traditional spa experiences.”

From Vichy water-based spas in France to thermal cave spas in Italy, the experiences offered throughout Europe vary hugely. Spas using natural ingredients at source are appealing to more and more clients, and the price difference is a key draw. For instance, a week at a spa in Eastern Europe costs from £400. Compare that with more than £2,000 in some Asian and Caribbean resorts.

Thermalia Travel managing director Miro Sajfert said: “European spas are often spas in the true sense of the word, drawing on natural resources close by which more people are looking for. It’s also much cheaper than the Far East, and low-cost flights are opening up the spa holiday to a different sort of clientele, too.”

Travel Weekly takes a look at some of the different European spas on offer.

Slovenia
The experience: more medicinal spas are the norm, but with a 60% surge in

visitors from the UK over the past two years, Slovenia is increasingly gearing up for Western tastes. The town of Bled has long been a health resort, but with 87 thermal springs around the country, there are plenty of other locations for clients to choose from. The magnesium-rich mineral water is particularly good for digestion and is one of the country’s biggest exports.

But it’s not all about downing vast quantities of dodgy-tasting liquid – pampering packages are on offer, too. Terme 3000, within the Moravske Toplice spa resort, opened a therapeutic wellness centre last year. The historic Laoko Health Resort also has plans for a new spa and four-star hotel in the area, due to be completed in 2007.

In Terme Catez, the largest spa resort in Slovenia, a new 300-room hotel is planned

for later this year; and construction of a four-star 300-bed hotel at the Olimia Thermal Spa is also underway.

The cost of treatments (less than half that of the UK), beautiful scenery and very professional therapists are key selling points. It’s a good option for clients who want great value and a true spa experience, without needing a luxury five-star hotel.

Sample product: Hotel Sava in the Rogaska Health Resort has a new Lotus Spa, with treatments including mineral baths and Ayurvedic massages. A range of programmes lead

in with the four-night Sava programme, from £362 for half-board and flights with Thermalia Travel.

France and Monaco
The experience: the French are the champions of thalassotherapy, which involves treatments with cleaned, heated seawater or seawater products. Programmes are generally tailored to suit individual needs, with a brief doctor’s consultation required for stays of more than two days.

Sometimes the approach is more medicinal than softly-softly, but it’s great for relaxing, detoxifying and easing back pain. Key players include the Termes Marines in St Malo

and the Atlanthal and recently refurbished Sofitel Thalassa Miramar near Biarritz.

Outside Bordeaux, Les Sources de Caudalie offers a variation on the traditional, with ‘vinotherapy’ treatments including wine baths and honey and wine wraps.

In the historic spa town of Evian, the e40 million Hilton Evian Resort and Spa – with private access to the spa – will open next year.

Of course, there are plenty of other pampering options for clients. The Japanese-style Shiseido Spa at Le Mas Candille near Cannes is the first in continental Europe; while in Monaco, the newly renovated Hotel Metropole Monte Carlo’s E’spa spa is due to open at

the end of the year.

For the ultimate in luxury pampering, clients can’t beat the Thermes Marins de Monte Carlo’s £295 Diamond Massage, with real diamond powder.

Sample product: Erna Low Body and Soul Holidays offers three nights at the Grand Hotel de Termes in St Malo from £575 per person, including half-board and a Capital Sante programme of four thalassotherapy treatments per day.

Tyrol and the Alps
The experience: unusual nature-based treatments – hay baths, anyone? – feature next to the more mainstream, all in beautiful mountain settings.

In the southern Tyrol, the traditional hay bath involves being wrapped in freshly mown hay which has been soaked in hot water, and then covered with a blanket for 20 minutes. It’s said to purify the skin and strengthen the immune system.

In Sarntal, Italy – an area with eight spa resorts – pine-needle baths are a specialty. But dotted around the mountains are several sophisticated spas offering state-of-the-art treatments – great if your clients find it all just a bit too much ‘back to nature’.

In Bad Gastein, an Austrian town famous for its thermal waters, Hotel Gruner Baum has one of the only two Shiseido Beauty Centres in Europe. Along with hay therapies, clients will find high-tech treatments, such as baths that use inert radon gas to repair skin cells, and traditional remedies such as Hawaiian hot stones.

Sample product: Expressions Holidays offers three days at Hotel Gruner Baum from £569 per person, including flights, car hire, breakfast and five treatments.

Cyprus
The experience: Cyprus has become one of the leading Mediterranean spa destinations in recent years.