These are the best spas in Spain, according to Aladinia
The growing culture of the cult of the body and the search for well-being and health have been making the so-called spa fashionable for some time. In fact, this type of tourism is booming, according to data handled by the number one website for España en regalos experiencias, www.aladinia.com, wellness tourism has increased in Spain by 94% during 2021, especially as a couple, and this year the figures are expected to continue to rise. For this reason, its users have valued some of the best spa centers in Spain and the advantages that each one offers, in many cases accompanied by accommodation and dinner, and these have been the results:
1. Spa Royal Hideaway Sancti Petri 5* (Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz) This is the largest and most impressive spa in Andalusia with more than 3,650 m2 of facilities, within the prestigious Lomas de Sancti Petri Urbanization, its spa circuit is divided into two floors, where you can find the most complete and sophisticated facilities: different swimming pools, heated loungers, a cold well, Turkish bath, sensation showers and much more. It is a place that seduces the senses with ancient Eastern and Western therapies that help to discover the inner universe. You can choose from a range of more than 45 different treatments that can be enjoyed in the 8 luxurious spa suites with your partner or friend. There is also an oriental beauty center on the hotel's rooftop. There is an offer for two for 50 euros and another that also includes a delicious dinner in one of the hotel restaurants for 125 for two people.
2. Le Max Wellness Club & Spa at Hotel Wellington 5* (Madrid)In the heart of Madrid, on Velázquez street, the prestigious Hotel Wellington 5* proposes to discover an oasis of relaxation in its Spa Circuit, followed by a massage for two people. In its more than 1,200 m2 there are all kinds of facilities in a complete water area with a 16-meter hydrotherapy pool to relax at a temperature of 30º C., a Finnish sauna that is beneficial for the body, a hammam or steam bath. Ideal for eliminating stress and anxiety and improving circulation in the legs. They also offer a contrast pool, a bithermal shower, an ice fountain and an air bed with a massage effect. In their Healthy area they serve healthy breakfasts and meals developed by the great experience of the kitchen of the Wellington Hotel. The 30-minute spa and massage circuit for two costs 200 euros; if the massage is for one hour, 300.
3. Spa Sallés Hotel Pere IV 4* (Barcelona) A very complete plan is the one proposed by Aladinia.com at the Sallés Hotel Pere IV 4* in Barcelona, near the beach and the new marina. The plan can start with a circuit through its intimate 150-square-meter spa that has an indoor pool with waterfalls, a salt cabin, foot bath, sauna, steam bath, and tropical, mist, and sequential showers. Then you can follow a 25-minute relaxing professional massage in one of its two massage cabins to relax your body and mind, where there are treatments to choose from. And to complete the day, a dinner or lunch at its Garum restaurant with an exquisite menu of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine with touches of Catalan creativity. Delicious dishes in a modern and cozy place. The complete package for two costs 119.90 euros.
4. Aquum Spa & Wellness (La Pineda, Tarragona) For those looking for a relaxing time in an environment of water that invites calm, the proposal at the Aquum Spa & Wellness de La Pineda, in Tarragona, open all year round, is perfect. 650 m2 of water sheet among all the pools with more than 100 positions and 50 sensations including air beds, air and water beds, surround beds, cervical projectors, waterfalls, water curtains, underwater jets, benches air, banks with jets, hot tub and hydrodynamic river. In addition, three swimming pools at different temperatures, outdoor hydromassage and children's pool, sauna, steam bath, ice fountain, special showers. The price per person with a stay of up to three hours is 22 euros and children from 5 to 11 years old, 19 euros.
5. Esenzias (Madrid) This center offers its Japanese-style Onsen spa, small and minimalist, very charming, cared for and full of charm. Designed exclusively to enjoy a moment of relaxation and well-being in the purest Zen style where maximum care has been taken in the design of the facilities, pampering every detail thanks to the decoration, a beautiful vertical garden and music inspired by the Far East. This is a circuit for a maximum of eight people and a duration of one hour, through which the body can be activated thanks to the properties of the Turkish bath, relax with the different jets of water and air from the jacuzzi, enjoy a cold water pool, eliminate toxins in the Japanese pool of cedar wood with very hot water, something that in Japanese culture is a very popular family ritual that is used before going to sleep. The tour ends recovering energy with a comforting tea in a pleasant and quiet rest room. To end this experience, you can enjoy a 25-minute massage that can also be with oriental techniques such as prana, thai, shiatsu or tuina. An hour in the spa and 25 minutes of massage for the couple costs 77 euros during the week and 87 at the weekend.
6. Elba Estepona Gran Hotel & Thalasso Spa 5* (Málaga)Elba Estepona Gran Hotel & Thalasso Spa is a 5-star hotel located on the beachfront of Estepona, a stone's throw from Marbella (Málaga), one of the most visited tourist destinations in all of Spain. Among its spacious and luxurious facilities, its Thalasso SPA stands out, a space for health, beauty and relaxation, based on the healing and relaxing power of seawater, with the aim of restoring calm and balance to the body and mind. An authentic moment of well-being for the senses, in which the energy of the sea and the serenity of the moment are harmoniously combined. The circuit includes pebble footbath, hammam, sauna, cold water pool, aromatized shower circuit, pool against the current with Jacuzzi, pool with hydromassage beds and yet jets, laconium, igloo, Roman bath and relaxation room with thermal beds. The price of the hour and a half circuit for two people is 39.90 euros.
7. Hotel Oca Palacio de la Llorea & Spa 4* (Gijón, Asturias) Although it will not be open again until March, the spa at the Hotel Oca Palacio de la Llorea has more than 1,000 m2 of facilities dedicated to relaxation and physical well-being. A complete spa where you can leave behind the stress and tension accumulated from day to day or give yourself a relaxing massage after a hard day at the La Llorea golf course. Just 7 km from Gijón and in an incomparable natural setting, this hotel with a spa is the perfect option for a relaxing day as a couple or with the whole family. Its 1,000 m2 of spa facilities include an active pool, hot tub, water bed, geyser, swan neck, water cannon, water chairs, sauna, Turkish bath, fitness area, Vichy shower, pressure jet and 10 cabins where you can receive any of your treatments or massages. The price of the spa for an hour and a half for two people is 24.90 euros; If you add a massage, it costs 49 euros and you want dinner and accommodation, 149 euros.
8. Hotel Catalonia Donosti 4* (San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa) Located in a historic building on the hill of San Bartolomé, with magnificent panoramic views over La Concha beach in San Sebastián, the Catalonia Donosti hotel offers its intimate spa with more than 350m2 dedicated to relax. It has a cold water pool, a jet pool, a steam bath, sauna, sensation showers and a relaxation area. It also has a well-equipped gym. If the weather is good, it is worth going up to the terrace and enjoying its pool and its views. In addition, this experience also includes a relaxing massage with which to relieve tension and leave completely refreshed. There is a special offer with a spa circuit and a 25-minute massage for two people for 69.90 euros instead of 148.
9. Bodyna Spa of the Hotel Hospes Palau de la Mar 5* (Valencia) Next to the Jardines del Turia in the most dynamic part of Valencia and in a Valencian manor house from the s. From the 19th century is the Hotel Hospes Palau de la Mar and in it is the Spa Bodyna, an oasis in the heart of Valencia. It is divided into two areas: the treatment area, located on the first floor with direct views of the hotel's cozy patio-garden, and the wellness area, in the lower part of the main building, with excellent facilities: indoor pool-jacuzzi , Turkish bath, sauna and fitness area, as well as a changing room and shower area. You can also enjoy an oriental massage with argan oil with which, thanks to its therapeutic properties, muscle ailments are eliminated and the skin is pampered. And finally, recover energy with a menu at the Ampar restaurant and the specialties of its chef Carlos Julián: rice, in all its facets, shapes and flavors, rock octopus and citrus, red fideuá, tuna loin from sorra, tomaca and black olive, the red mullet with all i pebre and cauliflower rice or the pear coca, smoked tea and lime. The price of the experience at Aladinia.com is 130 euros for two people.
10. Sallés Hotel Marina Portals 4* (Calvià – Portals Nous, Mallorca)In the heart of the bay of Palma, next to Puerto Portals, one of the liveliest places in Mallorca, is the Hotel Sallés Marina Portals, which offers a spa with a spectacular State-of-the-art professional circuit, with exclusive natural therapies, advanced aesthetic treatments, ancestral Asian massage techniques... performed by expert therapists. Its proposal includes a Finnish sauna and a steam bath where you release toxins through sweating and activate blood circulation, essential oil showers tropical, sequential, nebulizing, aromatic, footbaths and, of course, a large recreational pool with waterfalls and therapeutic water jets : lumbar, dorsal, abdominal, cervical and leg, hydromassage bench and several aquatic massage beds. The Aladinia.com offer includes a one-hour circuit for two people for 24.90 euros.
Spa vs.
To this day there is still a great deal of confusion between spa and health resort, largely due to the fact that their purposes are similar and that is what is of interest. In both cases it is about achieving the well-being of the mind, body and soul and improving the quality of life with water. Wellness centers, spas and hot springs have thus become the target of those seeking peace and serenity.
According to the experts at Aladinia.com, the differences between a spa and a spa can be reduced to several points:
– The spa uses thermal waters that are born from the interior of the earth with a certain degree of temperature, its vapors and the resulting mud. These are waters particularly rich in minerals and precious gases for the health of the skin, joints and respiratory tract. Combined with mud and clay, they are capable of fighting inflammation, cellulite, rheumatism and wrinkles, among other things. And, of course, they provide relaxation and peace. A certain variant of this are the thalassotherapy centers that take advantage of the properties of sea water, generally heating it.
– The spa is also based on hydrotherapy, but its waters do not come from springs and do not have as many therapeutic properties. In order for the effect of water to produce stimulating or relaxing effects, it is necessary to add thermal, mechanical or chemical stimuli that give rise to hydrotherapy techniques in the form of jets, swans, pressurized water, water beds, Jacuzzis, Turkish baths, emotional showers, etc. Scottish shower, Finnish sauna, hamman, stone labyrinth or the so-called Kneipp path that consists of alternating small pools of hot and cold water. In addition, many spas add other services entirely dedicated to the relaxation and well-being of the body and mind, such as massages, beauty treatments for the face and body, chromotherapy treatments, aromatherapy, halotherapy, wine therapy, chocolate therapy, etc.
– It is clear that both spas and thalassotherapy centers should be in places where it is possible to have natural thermal waters or seawater. On the other hand, spas can be located anywhere with only a water supply and, of course, the appropriate facilities. That allows most good hotels to include a spa, large or small, among their services.
– As a curiosity, note that, to this day, there are several versions of the origin of the word Spa. The most popular says that they are the initials of the Latin concept "sanum per aquam", although some believe that it comes from the Belgian city of Spa, well known since ancient times for its thermal water baths with healing properties and that were frequented and praised by the nobility, and which ended up extending its name to all establishments with similar characteristics.
