Like many issues in Évian-les-Bains, France, the spa on the Hôtel Royal revolves round water.
It’s not shocking, actually, contemplating the property sits within the shadow of the towering peaks of the French Alps, spitting distance from the place water large Evian sources the water for its bottles. So when the resort — a part of the bigger Evian Resort — determined to revamp its spa, it made sense water could be on the forefront.
“We now have a narrative to inform our visitors, and really feel a part of a much bigger household linked to the Evian model,” Amanda Deloncle, the supervisor of the brand new Evian Spa, informed Journey + Leisure. Deloncle, who has been with the resort for 23 years, mentioned she hopes guests recognize “the personalised consideration given to every visitor.”
The brand new spa, which is the primary Evian Spa in Europe, opened this spring as a greater than 18,000-square-foot area with indoor and out of doors swimming pools and an intensive hydrotherapy circuit full with a snow room, sauna, steam room, and chilly plunge, all impressed by the water cycle, in fact.
Evian water takes 15 years to journey by means of the Alps to the supply, which vacationers can go to and fill their bottles from on the town. That journey is the very first thing I noticed once I entered the spa, ushered right into a domed rest room as a movie projected onto the ceiling performed above me, displaying water trickling down from snow-capped mountains to rock-strewn streams — like a soothing adult-themed planetarium. I used to be then led into one among eight remedy rooms (two of that are for {couples}) the place the sound of dripping water immediately relaxed me.
The spa presents quite a lot of therapies that draw inspiration from water, just like the 100-minute Le Minéral therapeutic massage, which makes use of talc, and the Visage Lumière facial, which left my face feeling hydrated and glowing. The spa additionally presents therapies for youngsters, together with a fairytale-themed facial set to music. Providers use a mixture of La Vallée skincare, Evian facial sprays, and kid-friendly Bonpoint merchandise.
Friends of Hôtel Royal are welcome to make use of the hydrotherapy space of the spa at no cost all through their keep. There’s even a devoted spa elevator, which stops on every ground, and it made touring down in my gown much more luxurious.
Whereas that is the primary Evian Spa in Europe, it isn’t the primary on the planet. At the moment, there are Evian-branded spas in Tokyo; Hanoi, Vietnam; Seoul; and Doha, Qatar. Along with the brand new spa, Évian-les-Bains additionally boasts a separate Les Thermes D’evian facility, which is extra targeted on health and thermal-based medical therapies.
At Hôtel Royal, rest extends past the spa itself from the flowery multi-course dinners on the Michelin-starred Les Fresques restaurant to the lavish room service breakfasts and even the mini Evian facial sprays in every room. And as I returned dwelling, with a cache of travel-size hydrating facial sprays in hand, I couldn’t consider a extra rejuvenating strategy to spend a number of days in France.