Barcelona has never been much of a spa town, though its meteoric rise as an international destination means that hotels are offering ever more luxurious amenities to seduce the city's visitors. First it was gourmet restaurants and movie-star cocktail bars, next came suites with clap-to-control features and rooftop swimming pools, but the latest thing to hit the Barcelona hotel circuit (and it's about time!) is spas.
It seems rather bizarre that spas should have been such a long time coming to cosmopolitan Barcelona, but somehow southern Europeans never seem to have embraced the whole spa-therapy thing as passionately as their American neighbors (and northern Europeans). The burgeoning market does, however, have some seriously stylish new outfits such as Alquimia (Pau Claris 104), Aqua Urban Spa (Gran de Grcaia 7) and Pedralbes Wellness Center (Eduardo Conde 2-6) that promise to do more than simply rest and rejuvenate travel-weary bodies. Visit www.esteticahidrotermal.net for a full list of spas.
The first on the spa scene was the Royal Fitness Center at the somewhat prim five-star Rey Juan Carlos I Hotel, which recently upgraded its look with unfathomable 21st-century fitness technologies and a new line of aphrodisiacal massages in chocolate, honey, or volcanic stone. Who says romance is dead?
For sheer fabulousness, the Spa at the Gran Hotel La Florida offers a heavenly, high-class retreat in the clouds high above the hustle and bustle of the city below. Treatments here include beautiful mosaic-tiled Turkish steam rooms, a Finnish sauna, a bubbling hot tub, and a striking 37m-long (121-ft.) half-indoor/half-outdoor L-shaped stainless steel infinity pool that elbows its way across the mountainside. The full range of Natura Bissé beauty treatments is on offer here, including body-remolding, mud, and algae therapies that promise to shave off the years and excess pounds. Serious spa lovers can check in for a 3-night "Relaxation and Beauty" package with prices starting at 900€ ($1,125). Non-guests can make use of La Florida's spa facilities for 100€ ($125) a day.
Hot on the heels of greatness, the Ritz-Carlton-owned Hotel Arts opened its rooftop sea-view spa on the 42nd floor in 2006, combining hip design with the latest in luxury treatments. They've teamed up with the award-winning Six Senses Spas to bring clients an exclusive range of holistic, all-natural beauty treatments in half-day, day, and weekend packages, including full-body wraps, facials, pedicures, and manicures, as well as a full range of massage therapies. Water facilities include an ice-shower, hammam, sauna, and plunge pool while the downstairs treatment rooms (eight in all) are havens of peace where infusions, fresh juices, and fruits are served in relaxation zones or on the deck. The intimate penthouse environment, with views over the sparkling Mediterranean, offers one of the most spectacular spots in Spain to pamper and preen. Treatments start from 95€ ($119) an hour.
Meanwhile, the Hotel Omm added spa facilities in 2006. Like the rest of the hotel, the spa features state-of-the-art design mixed with Mediterranean madness and all the comforts money can buy. Just say sp-aah!
