Urban spas are going from strength to strength. They are fitness centers with their own beauty centers, spas and sports medicine or physiotherapy services that offer the possibility of treating yourself to a holiday before or after going to the office. Or, even better, between one shift and another. Places designed to the millimeter to accommodate the best sessions to take care of body and soul that are increasingly present in cities but also in everyone’s personal agendas.
With this option as one of the pillars of its growth, Club Metropolitan continues to expand (it has eight clubs in Barcelona, ??two clubs in Madrid, Bilbao and Zaragoza and those in Vigo, San Sebastián, La Coruña, Gijón, Seville and Nice) and tirelessly renews its offer of 360-degree care, especially at Metropolitan Iradier in Barcelona.
Cutting-edge beauty and aesthetic proposals such as wood therapy or facial mineralotherapy, extreme care in what their own medical center calls “invisible training” (“the function of the Physiotherapy Department is to restore and preserve health through a personalized preventive or maintenance treatment that can include techniques such as massage, manipulations and mobilizations, stretching, neuromuscular bandages, dry needling,” explains Raúl Izquierdo, director of Metropolitan Iradier) and an extensive catalog of more than 1,200 proposals that include classes master classes and special activities ranging from yoga, pilates, crossmet, crosshiit, cycling as well as many other activities taught in the club or outside (from snowshoeing, ski outings, or healthy food tastings, workshops on multiple disciplines to talks on nutrition and dietetics or presentations by interesting people) are the reasons to take such healthy little vacations every day. It has already been said. It can be before, after or between hours. “You have to find time to take care of yourself,” insists the director of Metropolitan, who recalls that “to train in an effective and safe way it is important to have a personalized plan and a medical check-up.”
Having the most innovative technology facilitates the next essential ingredient in a good workout. The constancy. “Imagine a circuit where you only have to log in once and can train without worrying about any adjustments, with equipment that adapts to you… and if you need it with a personal trainer who is there to help you only if you need it. I feel like it,” adds Raúl Izquierdo.
Another place that invites this disconnection for personal care, which in reality “is a connection with ourselves, with our consciousness” as its director explains, is the Siargao Spa in the magnificent basement of the Hotel 1898 in the very heart of Barcelona.
Taking advantage of the unique architecture of the building, the space that originally housed the old coal warehouse, and which later became the strong room of the Philippine Tobacco Company, is today the current spa and thermal circuit, with an indoor pool, of the hotel with a wide range of therapies. “We offer a wide variety of multi-sensory experiences with 100% natural, organic, vegan and toxic-free cosmetic products in a space inspired by the sea that bathes Siargao, one of the most iconic islands in the Philippines.”
And vice versa, high up, in one of the most iconic watchtowers in the city, on the 43rd floor of the Arts hotel is another of the most coveted spas and gyms to treat yourself to a mini-vacation any day of the year. The Spa is your temple of well-being that for a couple of months and until the end of March has been offering a sublime wellness experience in one of its distinguished Penthouses. A unique gift to pamper and be pampered (which many have already reserved for Valentine’s Day) and signed by the Spanish high-end natural cosmetics brand Alqvimia (experts in the physical and emotional care of people).
It is The Penthouse Wellness Experience by Alqvimia, and it has been designed to further elevate the experience of 43 The Spa, creating a tailored service of absolute intimacy in one of those apartments brimming with natural light where it is easy to forget about time. Located on the highest floors of the 5-star Barcelona urban resort, they boast the most incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea and the city, and the most exceptional services, only available to a few.
With capacity for up to 8 people, this experience of maximum intimacy and maximum relationship costs from €400 for one person, €600 for two or €1,000 for groups of 4. Those who hire this service will enjoy this private spa, which also includes meditation with essential oils, bath and selection of snacks. All with the best views.
