SOPHISTICATED TREATMENTS SPACES FULL OF CHARM, AND AVANT-GARDE PRODUCTS

Whether its during Salone del Mobile, the various Fashion Weeks or all year round, the frantic pace of daily life in Milan means wellness breaks in luxury 5-star hotels’ Urban Spas are increasingly popular. Oases of Zen calm, digital detox and pure relaxation even for just a few hours.

Milan is not only the capital of fashion and business, but also of beauty and wellness, thanks to unparalleled services and se ings.

Those who prefer places where Milanese tradition encounters the charm of an oriental welcome make a reservation at the Mandarin Oriental Spa, with treatment rooms dedicated to the four natural elements - water, fire, earth and wood - including two suites for couples and one for Thai massages - that offer Es- sential Traveller rituals designed to re-harmonize the body’s natural flow and re-set the body clock. At the Excelsior Hotel Gallia’s Shiseido Spa, where the names of treatment rooms evoke eastern images, you can experience ‘Omotenashi’, the Japanese culture of hospitality and care for guests, in treatments such as the Timeless Ritual which includes a combination of a personalized facial treatment and a relaxing back, shoulder, arm, hand and scalp massage.

The beautiful roo op pool features glass and steel diamond-shaped skylights. Swimming or just relaxing with a panoramic view of the city is an increasingly popular trend.

It is also offered by the Club 10 Fitness & Beauty Center on the penthouse floor of the historic Hotel

Principe di Savoia, with a 60 sq.m. pool, the biggest of all Milan’s spas.

Anti-stress and ideal to combat the effects of pollution is the Sublime Skin Face, perhaps combined with the deeply relaxing aromatherapic Tranquillity Massage, which promotes sleep and reduces jet-leg effects.

As well as swimming in a pool that recalls La Mamounia in Marrakesh, at the Grand Spa & Valmont, Palazzo Parigi you can also enjoy a sensorial journey around the world provided by the Royal Hammam Privé and seven thematic treatment rooms inspired by Bali, India, China, Sweden, Morocco and Polynesia. Equally sophisticated but much more minimal, in line with the style of ‘King Giorgio’, is the Armani/ SPA on the eighth floor of the Hotel of the same name. Just as elegant in design, but in a classical 1900s palazzo rather than a modern building, is The Spa at the Park Hya Hotel, which features interiors designed by Ed Tu le and hosts works by Lucio Fontana and Anish Kapoor. Much in demand is the whirlpool bath adorned with a gold mosaic composed of 250,000 tiny 24-carat gold leaf tiles. Here the anti-stress par excellence is Libertà body massage, a deep-acting treatment that, thanks to the combination of specific deep tissue techniques and acupressure, relieves tensions and frees movements, while the Bois body oil coaxes muscles into releasing tensions, leaving a so and supple skin.

Equally luxurious are the rituals at Spiga8 Spa in the Baglioni Hotel Carlton, where to discover the products of Natura Bissé, internationally renowned brand, used in a variety of treatments to target the needs of all the guests.

Then there are those who prefer literal ‘sanctuaries’ of wellness in hotels with the charm of ancient convents. Such as the Four Seasons Hotel Milano, built in the 15th century and set around a tranquil cloistered courtyard, the former cellars house the spa designed by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and featuring frescoes, columns and vaulted ceilings.

The Bulgari Hotel Milano was also a convent, the home of the Sisters of the Cenacle to be exact.

In the Spa, where daylight filters through the glass walls and illuminates the pure gold tiles of the pool, you can unwind relying on the Augustinus Bader’s award-winning approach. Milan’s vibrant energy can wait for a few hours.

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