WELLNESS
The spherical design of the indoor pool is inpired by the historic Hagia Sophia cathedral in Istanbul
The mansion has six bedrooms, including two luxury suites, private dining room and library – and can be rented separately. “For environmental reasons, we had to sink the new building deep into the mountainside - but it’s also in keeping with our philosophy. The closer you get to the earth the more healing can take place. You can’t experience healing if you’re on the 21st floor of a skyscraper!” says Efraimoglou. “We went through four applications just to get permission for a pool, because there wouldn’t have been one here in Byzantine Greece, but I knew we had to have one,” she says. The original Greek meaning of Euphoria is a state of happiness and bliss – a continuous balance between body, mind and spirit – and this is exactly what Efraimoglou wants to help guests to achieve at her ‘transformational retreat’. She confesses that during the many years she spent experiencing spas around the world they “frequently lacked joy…and a soul. The European spas in particular can be quite austere and medical.”
The retreat has a focus on mind, body and spirit, and every element of the architecture and interiors is designed to reflect that
Euphoria Retreat TH E FACI LITI E S ●● 45 rooms with views of
the town of Mystras and its castle, and the forest ●● Private forest
Euphoria Retreat Spa featuring:
●● Additional spa facilities
●● Sphere Pool
including an infrared sauna
FORGING CONNECTIONS
●● Relaxation area
and Laconium Finnish
●● Tepidarium
sauna, a herbal steam bath,
●● Byzantine hammam
experience showers, a cold
●● Waterwell kneip therapy
plunge pool, Speleotherapy
●● Fitness room
salt room and a pilates and
●● Yoga and meditation hall
private exercise studio
The architectural design for Euphoria has been conceived around the guest’s personal physical and emotional journey. For this important task Efraimoglou recruited her architect sister Natalia, and award-winning Greek architectural firm Decca. “My sister brought the female energy, and Decca brought the male energy to the project – yin and yang,” she says. “We’ve used local cultural and historic references. The design incorporates
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CLAD mag 2018 ISSUE 4