We already know that the perfect holidays are those where we can disconnect from our daily hustle and bustle, mobile phones, Internet, Facebook and all their digital relatives. We have a few suggestions for those who are planning a trip to a luxury resort anywhere in the world, and spas that stand out above others. Our search led us to these magnificent spas that make the detoxification process a real delight.
The Amethyst Crystal Steam Room at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan is known for its magnificent and luxurious service. In a space of 14,500 square feet, the spa offers treatments practiced since antiquity in China, Thailand and India. Ayurveda is an ancient system of traditional medicine that has been modernized to include showers and sauna, scents that revitalize the senses and therapies that prevent and cure jet lag. Prices range from $125 for a pedicure to $470 for the body wrap and oriental massage.
MANDARIN ORIENTAL. Chakra balancing treatment.
Also in Manhattan, the spa at the Ritz-Carlton offers, for the modest price of $1,000, exclusive La Prairie treatments using caviar to exfoliate the skin. It is believed that white caviar brightens the skin and brings much needed moisture.
Visitors to Santa Monica, CA. can opt for the ultimate massage experience from Spa on Location, a most luxurious Diamond Massage, using the powder of 1.5 carats of diamonds worth $1 million, to detoxify the body.
Next to the Waldorf Astoria in Park City, Utah, you will find the Golden Door Spa, a favorite of movie stars like Hilary Swank. In a 16,000-square-foot space, modern therapies are combined with Japanese and Buddhist traditions, focusing on meditation techniques. For $260, the caviar-based treatment is one of the most popular.
If your vacation destination is Europe, we suggest a few places where they will make you feel like a queen in the Old Continent.
The spa at the Four Seasons hotel in Florence is located in a 14th-century palazzo. The hotel’s Main Gold Facial is definitely a great deal. Two hours of deluxe pleasure that combine the most advanced Japanese techniques with the addition of 24 K gold for the price of $590. It is a rejuvenation treatment of the deepest and most visible skin layers that results in an instant reduction of wrinkles.
Less than an hour from Zurich, in the Swiss forest, is the Bad Ragaz Resort, popular among the Swiss and other wealthy Europeans. The resort has a spa of more than 60,000 square feet, where the protagonists are the saunas and all kinds of treatments using water. The suites’ design featuring Swarovski crystals, makes the experience even more luxurious.
FOUR SEASONS. Gold Facial.
Those willing to travel to the most remote corners of the world for the best spa treatments should consider Thailand, one of the destinations that offer greater choice and quality in beauty and wellness services. Many of the resorts offer therapies for body and mind, as is the case of the Chiva-Som Spa that combines beauty with advanced medical treatments. For this reason, athletes and sports lovers choose this place to alleviate their bone, joint or muscle problems. It is also known for its anti-stress and detoxification therapies.
On the island of Bali, the building of the Ayana Resort and Spa is set amid boulders and exotic gardens with amazing ocean views of extraordinary beauty, and offers treatments based in Thai traditions, alongside modern techniques brought from the West, like the use of diamond dust. ■
