Spa spotlight: Adler Spa Resort, Italy

The 90-room Adler Spa Resort sits on a secluded plateau overlooking Sicily’s southern-most coastline. Its dispersive single storey buildings are designed to have minimal impact on the landscape and sustainability is at the resort’s core: many interior walls are clad in natural unbaked Sicilian clay, which promotes natural humidity control, and floors are finished with Opus Signinum, an ecological material made from minutely crushed bricks and lime mortar. A cutting-edge heat pump recovers and redistributes energy within the resort.

The large spa complex features three specialist pools – a freshwater infinity pool, a saltwater hydromassage pool and a thalassotherapy area – as well as 15 treatment rooms with sea and garden views.

The spa’s ethos centres around a sense of lightness and light-heartedness, providing a balanced environment in which each sense is indulged to help guests embody the brand’s ‘let your soul fly’ motto.

Designed by the Sanoner family and architect Hugo Demetz, the spa also features a 25m sports pool, a secluded garden yoga platform and three independent saunas – Turkish, bio and Finnish – plus relaxation, spa and fitness, and wellbeing zones.

“Water is the key element connecting the spa interior to the gardens,” says spa manager Giulia Ciccarello Spitaleri. “A small river flows through the spa and to reach the treatment rooms guests must cross a bridge. We’ve also introduced typical Sicilian ingredients, such as essential oils of lemon, mandarin and prickly pear, many of which are made by local artisans.”

SPA STATISTICS

Adler Spa Resort, Sicily www.adler-resorts.com

Spa size: 3,200sqm

Product partners: Adler Spa & Med product line, Adler Thalasso collection,

Spa suppliers: Technogym, Oltremodo, Lichtfabrik-halotech, Rier, LEMI Group