8 minute read
European Spa: Business Insider
By Sarah Todd
Clinique La Prairie launches flagship outside Europe
SWITZERLAND/ THAILAND: Clinique La Prairie has unveiled its first flagship outside of Europe at St Regis Bangkok in Thailand.
The $2m (€1.69m/£1.45m) Clinique La Prairie Aesthetics and Medical Spa was designed by MSpa, the spa brand of Minor Hotel Group, in collaboration with Christopher Redpath of Orbit Design Studio and Gabriele M. Rossi of Archilab in Switzerland.
The project was conducted in partnership with Clinique La Prairie’s internal consultancy from Montreux Switzerland, alongside Zoe Wall, group director of spa and wellness for Minor Hotels and MSpa.
The 1,500sqm spa features ten treatment rooms and six medical suites, all equipped by Lemi. The relaxation facilities cover two levels and include a wet area with rain showers, Thai herbal steamrooms, a twilight rasul, a hammam, vitality pools and relaxation pods. There is also a gym equipped by Technogym.
Zoe Wall Group director of spa and wellness, Minor Hotels and MSpa International
Swiss Perfection is the exclusive partner for skincare products and the facility will be led by Dr Athip Nilkaeo who will oversee a team of Swiss-trained nurses and therapists.
Signature healing therapies and cellular high-tech face and body treatments will be complemented by medical-grade options including doctor-administered treatments spanning personal wellness, medical health and aesthetics.
“Clinique La Prairie is a global leader when it comes to longevity-based programmes and the Clinique La Prairie Aesthetics and Medical Spa will bring a host of exclusive firsts to Bangkok,” said Zoe Wall. “A team of medical spa professionals and aesthetics medicine specialists will combine expert knowledge with contemporary science and state-of-the-art technology to ensure bespoke experiences with a results-driven focus.
“Individual consultations to address longevity, beauty and nutrition will be available to guests, in which they will receive a tailor-made programme to enhance their lifestyle.”
Founded in 1931, Clinique La Prairie Switzerland offers a holistic approach that combines leading preventative medicine and wellbeing with bespoke lifestyle and nutrition plans.
www.cliniquelaprairiebangkok.com
Geothermal oceanfront lagoon opens in Iceland
ICELAND: Located against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, an expansive geothermal lagoon called Sky Lagoon has been unveiled by hospitality company Pursuit. Located in Kársnes Harbour just minutes away from Reykjavik’s city centre, Sky Lagoon’s design is inspired by the country’s cinematic landscapes.
Featuring an unobstructed 70m infinity edge, which showcases expansive ocean and sky vistas, the lagoon has been created to offer guests restorative spa rituals rooted in Icelandic traditions.
Embracing simple and natural elements, the design aesthetic echos the style of Icelandic turf houses with a modern and minimal approach delivering layers of grey-blues, deep greens, whites and creams to mirror the surrounding landscape.
David Barry President, Pursuit
Sky Lagoon offers a seven-step journey, called The Ritual, which has been developed from the Icelandic bathing tradition of combining warm and cold waters, warm steam, dry heat and fresh air.
David Barry, president of Pursuit, said: “The restorative nature of wellness experiences such as Sky Lagoon will become much more meaningful as we continue to emerge from what has been an incredibly challenging period. The need to re-energise, relax and restore is integral to both our physical and mental wellbeing, and we are thrilled to introduce guests to the Sky Lagoon experience.”
www.skylagoon.com
SO/ Sotogrande brings a ‘positive charge’ to southern Spain
SPAIN: Accor is to introduce its luxury SO/ resort and spa brand to Spain with the launch of SO/ Sotogrande.
Located between Marbella and Gibraltar on the Mediterranean coast, the 151-bedroom hotel includes 24 suites and offers a 2,500sqm wellness space that comprises SO/ Spa and SO/ Fitness.
With eight treatment rooms equipped by Lemi offering a range of natural therapies alongside cryotherapy and flotation, the treatment menu features QMS Medicosmetics, Charme d’Orient and ESPA.
Further facilities include a thermal zone from Saunapool and hydrotherapy pools by Fluidra and Bonifacio Solis, as well as cryotherapy from MECOTEC; a flotation tank by Augusta Equipment and a hammam treatment bed from Starpool.
The SO/ Fitness members gym was designed by FitnessDesignGroup to provide ‘an uplifting, highly functional and positively charged environment’ with equipment from StairMaster, Nautilus, Star Trac and Schwinn creating an engaging user experience.
The hotel is reopening following an extensive renovation of the property, which also features 7,000sqm of landscaped gardens with ocean views.
“SO/ is the most avant-garde brand in Accor’s luxury portfolio, which combines vibrant local energy with modern luxury service,” said Marc Dardenne, COO, Luxury Brands, Europe, Accor. “The opening of SO/ Sotogrande Resort and Spa represents an excellent opportunity to introduce the brand in Spain and operate an emblematic property within our network, which is currently experiencing rapid growth.”
Ambitious pipeline plans also include the future expansion of the SO/ brand to locations in Paris, Dubai, Melbourne and Koh Samui.
www.so-sotogrande.com
Holistic wellbeing at the forefront for Pan Pacific’s European debut
UK: Tipped to be one of the most innovative health and wellbeing spaces in London, the wellness offer at Pan Pacific London will comprise an entire floor of integrative fitness, nutrition, treatments and mindfulness when it opens this September.
Pan Pacific Hotel Group’s first property in Europe, located in a mixed-use development at One Bishopsgate Plaza, will feature 237 bedrooms and suites as well as the 1,083sqm wellness space.
Designed by hotel interior architects Yabu Pushelberg, the Wellbeing Floor is a nature-inspired haven of wood, greenery and water realised w ith support from The Vigour Group. The spa’s furniture is being custom-made in Italy, while treatment beds have been sourced from India.
Facilities will include an 18.5m infinity pool and two treatment rooms, and the space will offer mindfulness workshops and advice on sustainable nutrition. Spa treatments will use PãnPuri Organic Spa, VENN Skincare and Naturalia Sintesi, combining western science with a South-East Asian ‘clean beauty’ concept.
Hotel guests can also enjoy in-room wellbeing experiences including digital content and a temperature-regulated sleep system custom-designed in collaboration with ChiliSleep.
TecnoBody will provide a high-performance training zone, including a D-wall system with body recognition and virtual functionality in a stand-alone performance zone.
Robbie Leung, Wellbeing Floor consultant at Pan Pacific, said: “We’ve built our wellbeing strategy on three pillars – high performance, education and accessibility. Our mission is to make wellbeing accessible everywhere and every day.”
www.panpacific.com/en
Grand Hotel Savoia, Italy offers contemporary luxury and style
ITALY: A new 750sqm Savoia Spa has opened as part of a widescale refurbishment of the landmark Grand Hotel Savoia in the heart of Cortina D’Ampezzo.
Designed by CTC International and Schema 4 Architects, the interior décor was inspired by the beauty of the surrounding landscape with a focus on contemporary luxury. All areas of the spa journey have been designed to evoke a complete sensory immersion in nature through the use of carefully deployed colour, sound, light and partitions.
Available for both hotel guests and day visitors to use, the Savoia Spa comprises seven treatment rooms including one couples’ room. OPI and [comfort zone] have been chosen as product partners and the spa has been equipped by Ellisons.
One standout part of the new spa is a relaxation area that boasts views of the Dolomite mountains, while a comprehensive thermal space has been equipped by Starpool to include a rasul experience as well as a sauna and a hammam.
Other facilities include a fully integrated Technogym fitness area including MyWellness interactive online studio class technology.
Charlie Thompson, owner of CTC International, said: “Careful consideration has been given to ensuring the guest journey is both premium and smooth from start to finish, and there has been huge attention to ensure the spa complements the existing hotel brand by appealing directly to the local market as well as the resident guests.”
www.grandhotelsavoiagenova.it
Beauty and spa at Samaritaine Paris
FRANCE: The iconic La Samaritaine department store in the heart of Paris has undergone significant renovation work to breathe new life into the historic Art Nouveau building.
Owner LVMH chose DFS Group to design and manage the new Samaritaine, which will feature 600 brands as well as what is reportedly the largest European beauty floor.
French treatment pioneer Cinq Mōndes has created an exclusive 400sqm spa and boutique concept as part of the beauty space and facilities include seven treatment rooms together with a private hammam and scrub room.
Other elements include an 80sqm ‘green space’ for beauty products with environmentally responsible formulas or packaging, and a 165sqm Beauty Studio with hand and foot treatments by eco-nail specialist Kure Bazaar.
There will also be a rotation of hairdressers in residence including, for the first time ever, Canadian laboratory Theio Vitality, which offers hair analysis to reveal the mineral composition of the body in order to enhance nail and hair wellbeing.
The 3,200sqm beauty floor is bathed in natural light and has been created by commercial design specialist Hubert de Malherbe. Also responsible for Dior Beauty boutiques and Fenty pop-up stores, the French architect has created the basement of the beauty area as a ‘city stroll inspired by Paris’.
The team behind Samaritaine’s rebirth includes Japanese agency SANAA, which renovated the existing structures and added a patio with trees on the Rivoli side of Samaritaine that will be watered only by the rain. Canadian studio Yabu Pushelberg highlighted Samaritaine’s Eiffel structure and refined the style of all its floors.
www.lvmh.com/houses/other-activities/ samaritaine/
