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Relaxation Treat: Cocoon Urban Spa

Whether you’re in Athens for a day or forever, it’s great to know there’s a place such as Cocoon Urban Spa where you can receive top-quality therapies for face and body, either as a one-off treat or as a course of treatments that bring results.

As someone who has been passionately interested in holistic wellness for decades, I was among the very first to visit Cocoon Urban Spa when it opened 20 years ago. In my post-lockdown slump, I headed over there to try some renewing and reviving therapies that could facilitate the process of returning to the land of the living.

My Own Experience: Tried & Tested!

I tried the CBD Oil Massage and the vitamin C Facial, in that order. I arrived stressed out from work, life, and a year+ of lockdown inertia and was ready to surrender to the hands of the spa’s skilled therapists. I was not disappointed. The CBD Oil Massage is a head-to-toe therapy using an ingredient that has become widely lauded for its effects in reducing anxiety and muscular pain. The therapist used strong yet caring strokes to ease away my blocks and gracefully accepted my invitation to converse about the therapy itself and various other personal questions regarding my body’s health. I was impressed not only by the fantastically relaxing experience but also by her depth of knowledge and charm.

Next, was the Vitamin C Facial, which involves a face cleansing (with Murad products, not hands or a machine) and a reviving massage that help a strong dose of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is considered to leave the skin glowing because it stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, accelerating healing and removing fine lines to reveal skin freshness, brightness, plumpness, and shine. Again, the aesthetician kindly explained the entire process to me and offered me extra tips for my skin type and beauty routine.

I certainly left Cocoon Urban Spa feeling as dreamy and relaxed as I’d hoped, with skin that glowed for days and has improved in texture ever since.

NOTE: Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my swimsuit along, so I missed out on the chance to enjoy the sauna, steam room, and jacuzzi, but there’s always the next time!

While at the Spa, I stopped for a chat with Maria Poulada, the co-owner of Cocoon who together with her sister has led it to develop and evolve into a truly fantastic place of holistic wellness for Athenians and visitors alike.

Getting to Know Cocoon Urban Spa: Q & A with Maria Poulada

How has the wellness scene in Greece changed since you first opened 20 years ago?
It has broadened and multiplied, which is great. However, more and more schools and Yoga Teacher Training programs are churning out “therapists” and unfortunately, during my recruiting efforts, I’ve seen that the quality has dropped significantly, and inexperienced teachers and masseuses are being absorbed by the market and lowering the standard.

Where do your therapists train?
Most of our therapists are very skilled and have studied Natural Health Science. It’s one of the oldest and most respected schools in Attica. I usually ask the teachers from that school to recommend grads for me and it’s worked out great.

Who are your customers?
Cocoon Urban Spa has a wide range of customers, from people who come for a profound life-change (to decrease chronic stress or pain, improve sleep, etc.) and visit us on a regular basis and then there are people who come once a year to treat themselves on their birthdays or to give a gift. I think we are the only place in the city that offers a truly holistic wellness approach, passive and dynamic therapy, encompassing treatments, yoga, acupuncture, and homeopathy.

What would you recommend as The Ultimate treatment for post-lockdown stress?
It’s a bit subjective. Some would say it’s the Shirodhara or any classic massage. For me, personally, it’s Yoga. The Hatsumomo is a terrific overall detox treatment and if you couple it with a deep cleansing facial or a Renewing Facial, you’ll look and feel brand new! The CBD oil massage is deeply relaxing and works well for anxiety-related stress.

What kind of products do you use for treatments?
We’ve remained very old-school, sticking to our philosophy of hands-on therapy and natural products. It’s vital to use the highest-quality products for massages and facials. We’ve been using Decleor and Jurlique for ages because they’re natural, organic, and biodynamic. Also, the quality is terrific. You relax just by smelling them and the results are fantastic.

As published in In+sights Greece (www.insightsgreece.com)

Home - Cocoon Urban Day Spa — Cocoon Urban Spa is on Souliou 9 & Erifilis Str, Halandri, Athens. Email : info@cocoonurbanspa.gr &
phone : 210 6561975

elysia, greece’s top yoga event: presenting garth hewitt

Picture ruggedly stunning Amorgos, the easternmost island of the Cyclades group, known for its cobalt waters, wild nature and blinding-white architecture, its “special energy” and the memorable movie set of Luc Besson’s ‘The Big Blue’. Then add to that a sprawling, elegant, family-run hotel standing on the hillside of sparkling Aegiali Gulf, with a spa called Lalon Idor and a restaurant called Ambrosia and terraces facing the sea. And finally sprinkle that with some of the world’s best, most experienced and scintillating yoga teachers, musicians, holistic practitioners, organisers and participants coming from near and far in pilgrimage-mode and you have the annual Elysia Yoga Convention. Entering its third year as of March 28th and until April 4th, this remains the only event of its kind in Greece.

The visionary behind the Elysia Convention, Mat Turner

“Elysia is an event created from the soul,” says Mat Turner, who dreamed up the idea of Elysia several years ago while working at Aegialis Hotel & Spa as a Concierge, after leaving his professional career and life in the UK behind. Turner’s passion and devotion to yoga is undoubtedly immovable, as he says it literally saved his life after he suffered from depression for over 25 years before discovering how yoga could transform him. With so many yoga teachers heading to Aegialis Hotel & Spa, it was only a matter of time until he began to practice yoga himself and discover its innumerable health benefits.

The hotel’s co-owner, Irene Iannakopoulos, returned to Amorgos with her husband after a decade in the US, at a time when Aegialis had no electricity, healthcare facilities, shops or telephone connection; a time when reaching Amorgos took 36 hours by boat. Nonetheless, both natives of the island, they dedicated themselves to build their holistically-oriented hotel there.

Aegialis Hotel & Spa, by now a renown wellness destination in Greece

Today Aegialis Hotel & Spa is known as one of Greece’s most splendid and relaxing wellness destinations and has received the Green Leaders Badge on TripAdvisor for its eco-friendly approach and organic-only policy. The award-winning “Ambrosia Gallery” restaurant serves a plentiful breakfast buffet, specialising in flavoursome traditional Greek and island cuisine, which is rich in local herbs and spices. They also offer a great choice of vegetarian and vegan options and cater to specific dietary preferences.

Another added bonus is the hotel’s impressive Lalon Idor Spa facilities, with a hammam, sauna, Jacuzzi and beautiful indoor salt-water pool (with a flow stream and water cannon), picturesquely surrounded by traditional Cycladic, tiled arches. The spa, which makes the hotel even more visitable throughout the year, has gained a top reputation for its team of skilled and qualified beauty and massage therapists and lavish treatment menu.

“We’ve been hosting yoga retreats since 2011; yoga and wellness are part of our ethos at Aegialis Hotel & Spa philosophy and we’re always coming up with fresh ideas emphasise on this,” says Iannakopoulos. “We have six beautiful yoga shalas and an outdoor rooftop available, all which come with yoga props and magnificent sea views. Yogis from all over the world love to come here for their retreats because it’s the perfect destination for wellness, tranquillity and luxury at once.”

In just a few years, the Elysia Yoga Convention has made Aegialis a key destination for yoga fans because of its very special teachers, programming and ambience at once. “Elysia is not about making money,” Turner says, “it’s not an event that squeezes hundreds of people into a sports hall. Elysia is about creating a community and a beautiful family rapport that exists before, during and after the event.”

When I ask Turner how Elysia has ‘evolved’ since it started off two years ago, he says: “This year’s schedule is fantastic,” he adds, “with fewer classes and more free time for explorations and rest, but still so much choice. Classes won’t overlap so participants won’t have to decide between one and another experience.

All the teachers flying to Greece from around the world to teach at Elysia are very skilled, charismatic and special. As of today we will start featuring just a handful of the great range of teachers who will be presenting there to offer a deeper look into their own practice and their reasons for coming to Greece. We start with Garth Hewitt, who is returning to Amorgos at the end of March to present his Shiva Power classes.

Presenting: Garth Hewitt

Your name: Garth Hewitt

Your life’s motto? Breathe into every moment.

In a nutshell, please describe who you are & what you will be offering @ Elysia 2019? Why Elysia? I came to Amorgos and to Aegialis Hotel and Spa to lead a yoga retreat in 2015. Mat and Irene invited me to present at the first Elysia Yoga Convention 2 yrs ago. It was such a special experience. I wasn’t able to attend last year due to an illness in my family but I’m so excited to be coming back this year. I’ll be presenting one of my signature Shiva Power® classes. This is a vinyasa based flow class that emphasizes concentration and going into the fire. All of my classes focus on the bigger picture of yoga — quieting the mind and experiencing the true nature of the Self. There will be something for everyone in this practice. Some intense long holds, playful arm balances and inversions, deep backbends and forward folds and some meditation after a long relaxing shavasana.

Is it your first year? No. This will be my second year and my 3rd time visiting the Aegialis Hotel & Spa.

How would you describe the Elysia Concept? I think this experience is more like a retreat than a convention. I love how intimate and personal it is because there isn’t 1000 people attending. It feels like a big retreat, led by teachers from all over the world, who each have brought a few of their students with them. The first convention was an amazing experience! I absolutely loved it!

What makes it a notable event globally? I think this convention is very special because it is so small and intimate and it brings together such an interesting mix of teachers from all over the world. Amorgos is also a very special island. I feel like I have journeyed back in time when I come to the island. It doesn’t feel at all like it has changed in the last 50-100 yrs. It doesn’t feel overly crowded or feel like a tourist destination. I think the island is very peaceful.

What personally inspires you most about being present there? Connecting with the people and just being on the island are very inspiring. I teach all over the world right now and I love how universal the practice of yoga is no matter where you are or who you are. It’s always wonderful to see the practices working. That’s powerful. Yoga is for everyone.

What are your greatest aspirations for the Elysia Yoga Convention this year & overall? I think this will be another great year. I hope there are a lot of new students who come and can experience this amazing convention and take back a little piece of the island with them when they return home. I’m looking forward to practicing with the other presenters. Seeing what everyone is sharing and how their practices have grown and shifted in the last 2 yrs. I love the community and I’m looking forward to connecting with everyone again. My aspirations are simply to continue what I’m doing now. Sharing the teachings of my teachers with as many people as possible and with anyone who is looking for growth, transformation, and getting deeper in touch with their Self.

I think yoga has the power to change the world and touch so many people. Everyone is affected who comes into contact with the one person in their circle who practices yoga — who is better able to concentrate, who is more kind and compassionate, and who is more present and open. Let’s spread yoga as far and as wide as we can.

Tell us something we didn’t know! 😉 My roots are in Canada. I’m a Canadian and American citizen. I’m based in LA these days but I grew up in Canada and a lot of my family is still in the Toronto area. My first yoga class was in Toronto about 17 yrs ago. I thought it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life and I found it fascinating. I was pretty much hooked from the first ever class.

fourfold massage bliss

The treatment room at the Electra Palace Hotel's Aegeo Spas — The treatment room at the Electra Palace Hotel’s Aegeo Spas

My latest Tried & Tested experience was a four-hands Lucky Treatment at the swanky Electra Palace Hotel, at the Aegeo Spas. Although I have tried and tested massage therapies at some of the world’s best spas – such as the Pimalay Resort in Thailand, Amansara in Cambodia, Ryokan in Japan, Grande Bretagne in Athens – as well as a colourful and impressive variety of smaller wellness centres and quirky, off-road therapy retreats both near and far, I had never experienced a four hands massage. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to do so, but for some surreal reason it never appealed enough. What really piqued my interest in the Lucky Treatment, also known as the Wish Massage was its enchanting concept. Not just a massage carried out by two therapists but an entire ritual in which the client is asked to make a wish at the beginning of the therapy, this had a spiritual element that I could not resist. I feel sorry for those who cynically scorn “magical thinking” – in fact, I think being able to practice it, (with measure of course because we always need to remain grounded to a basic degree) is a superpower that offers strength, resilience, the ongoing capability to dream your world into being, and an important connection to creativity, to the magic that lies within us.

Upon entering Aegeo Spas in the Electra Palace Hotel

The Electra Palace Spa is not fancy or huge, but it’s luxurious, with a relaxing ambience of dim lights and dreamy aromas. The staff are all extremely warm, professional and comfortingly familial, so as soon as I arrived, very excited about my massage booking no doubt, I felt right at home. After 15 minutes in and out of a hot sauna, I wrapped myself in a fluffy white robe and was greeted by smiling massage therapists Kalliopi and Bora, both beaming and presenting me with a lit candle. In the therapy room, I was asked to make a wish and then blow out the candle. I had thought about my wish while in the sauna and the objective now was to focus on it gently during the therapy too.

Aegeo Spas Electra Palace Hotel Athens — Skilled therapists Kalliopi and Bora who gave me the Lucky Treatment greet me with a lit candle so I can make my wish.

At first I was in mind-mode and got myself into a little spiral of paranoid thinking: “What if they are looking at each other and making faces?” Then I decided to tell my mind to shut the hell up and try and focus on what I actually felt. Starting from my legs, the therapists kneaded and pressed all the tension out of my limbs in perfect synchronisation. “It is like a dance,” Bora told me, that we choreograph spontaneously as we work!” Their movements came in flow with the music that was playing, which made the experience even more immersive as I lay feeling aware of their synchronised massage, the emotive but not overwhelming music, and how I felt.

So how did I actually feel? Like I’d never felt before during a massage. It was as though I had been taken into the hands of some mythological creature that was floating and flying me around while I happily surrendered (if it had been a mythological creature I don’t think I would have been as relaxed!). At various points one therapist began where the other had ended, so there was an ongoing flow of movement, like deep, calming waves of relaxing tranquility. When one therapist massaged my head and the other my feet, I could do nothing but feel that even if the wish I’d made at the start of the treatment was not realised, I was nonetheless experiencing a wish come true, one I’d made a few hundred times on nights when my son wouldn’t sleep, or when I crouched over my laptop trying to finish off an article. I could sense that they were not going through the motions, but instead were working with giving and dedication to help me feel good, and at the end of the session I felt so blissed – and blessed – that my only wish was that these two wonderful individuals have all of their wishes come true!

One and a half hours of the session are focused on the body, while the last half hour is centred on the head (where you think of your wish) and face, with special attention to the lips (from which you speak your wish) and the eyes (from which you see your wish manifest). A cleansing and glow-inducing mask is slathered indulgently onto the skin, and if the client accepts, the head and hair is massaged with hot olive oil. Unsurprisingly, I was pretty spaced out after the therapy, but putting on the clothes that define who I am I soon regained my urban instincts and got back to ordinary life. Not that after that experience I felt ordinary in any way, shape or form.

anne specque, spa pioneer

Anne Specque is the Manager at the Grandre Bretagne Hotel’s Spa, which was the first to open in Greece (and among the first in Europe) in 2003. The French national came to Greece “for a few years” and ended up staying here until the present day, and as she reveals in this interview she is enamoured by Greek nature and all its bounty – the medicinal plants, which she uses for tea infusions, the hot springs and the sea are her favourites. The GB Spa is a luxurious wellness heaven for spa lovers wishing to enjoy pampering at its best, and is open both to hotel guests and outside clients.

“I came here for the opening of the Spa in 2003. Before that I worked in different places but they weren’t really spas, because spas as we know them only really started to develop over the last 12-14 years. Before that there were beauty centres, thalassotherapy or massage clinics. As our lifestyle changed, spas became a requirement of sorts in hotels, along with a gym area.

“The word spa means ‘Salute Per Acqua’ meaning ‘health via the water’; you definitely need have contact with the water. It’s not like thalassotherapy because that’s based on therapies with sea water. Especially if you are in a city, a spa is an oasis, a world of beauty and a place to rebalance the body and mind. The contact with water is so important before starting your treatment; when one arrives they may think they will relax with a body treatment, but this is not ideal – the ideal is to have contact with water, through a pool or sauna, and to relax and rebalance the nervous system, and to clear your energy from the outside world and its stress. When you swim, the water – especially or water here which is therapeutic, chlorine-free, enriched with ozone, oxygen and salt – melts away the tensions. Sauna is also very beneficial. Here we have various kinds of steam like one with eucalyptus, one with maracuja fruit, or other herbs. If the client doesn’t have time to use the spa facilities, we encourage them to at least use the steam facilities even for 10-15 minutes, because the steam temperature is higher than that of the body so it relaxes the muscles.

The GB Spa swimming pool, which is chlorine free and enriched with ozone, oxygen and sea salt. Grande Bretagne Anne Specque — The GB Spa swimming pool, which is chlorine free and enriched with ozone, oxygen and sea salt.

“A great deal has changed over the years in the spa world. One of the major changes is that nowadays many men visit spas – 15 years ago no men was seen in a beauty salon! Lots of (mainly businessmen) come for manicure-pedicure, grooming and massage therapies.

“Another change is that people like to combine the spa experience with healthy food – our clients care more about their nutrition. When guests talk with me they want to know what they should eat throughout the day, whether they should follow food fashions and such. I’m very health-oriented as a person and I am vegan but I don’t advocate others should be the same, as everyone has different needs. What I do propose to people nutritionally is that they follow the seasons; we have four seasons and even though it’s true that the environment has changed and it’s a little bit unstable, we have to keep the direction of eating the fruits and vegetables of each season and to add the things we prefer, whether it be herbs, or meats or eggs or cheese. I also believe people should try to eat local produce, as each country has to adapt its nutrition according to its own nature. I’m a true believer in the phrase ‘you are what you eat’.

“People are also travelling much more and are experimenting by trying more types of therapies. Ayurvedic treatments have become more popular in Europe – we’ve been offering Ayurveda for 12 years, but they’re not the most popular treatments as people still prefer body treatments (aesthetic and massage).

GB Spa Anne Specque interview — View from the naturally-lit GB Spa courtyard.

“Also there’s a return to natural therapies – rather than using machines. Treatments done by hand, and beauty rituals like threading, which don’t make you lose elasticity in the skin, are very in demand recently.

“Every day is different for me – I don’t have a set routine! I adapt myself to the needs of the guests and it makes me very happy to offer them the best experience possible. The only standard thing is how we welcome the guests, and how we accommodate or advise them according to what they’d like to experience.

“Behind the scenes there is a great deal to do every day. From managing the various therapists and other staff like reception, cleaning, the life guard, etc, to making sure that everything is in its place throughout the day, to offering guests all the right suggestions and information based on their demands so they can leave here feeling wonderful. I always propose to guests to see the spa and what it can offer them, and we also suggest gift certificates that they can offer to a friend or partner.

The Grande Bretagne Spa Director, Anne Specque.

“When selecting the therapists who work here, the most important thing I look for is for them to have at least a basic professional experience, but the most important thing is that they are passionate about what they do, and to continuously evolve in their skills. I like giving them the opportunity to develop their skills through practice and trainings – learning never ends, we need to constantly refresh our knowledge. We have an in-house trainer as well as a trainer who comes here from ESPA. The key focus is to keep a high quality of treatment and to have a really positive attitude in order to keep our team successful. The majority of our therapists are Greek, and many have roots in other countries too – Australia, Asia and Europe for example.

“In my time off, my passion is hot springs, and my favourite place is the island Ikaria in the northern Aegean. As it’s quite far away I don’t get the chance to go there very often so I go to nearer places on the mainland like Lagana, Xylokastro, or outside of Kammena Vourla or in wintertime to go to the sea I wear a special uniform for water (not a scuba diving suit) that goes from your neck to your feet and I don’t feel the cold water at all. I also like to gather plants from natural landscapes – I have around 50 types of herbs at home – and to make infusions. I cook according to the Hippocratic philosophy – to eat simply and to really enjoy my meal. For exercise, apart from swimming I love to cycle and visit archaeological sites as I’m fascinated by ancient places.”

top greek spas right now

More and more spa fans are travelling to Greece every year to relish a plenitude of excellent spa facilities and treatments on offer across the land, as wellness is now officially a leading travel trend. Here we direct you to some of the most alluring wintertime options for you to try (or simply fantasize about) on your next trip.

In Athens:

Electra Metropolis Hotel
At the spanking new spa, which even has a glass floor revealing the ruins of the Themistoclean wall, you can let go with aromatherapy, deep tissue and lymphatic massages as well as beautifying flash treatments. Try the signature Cretan massage, in which warm raki (60% alcohol) is vigorously rubbed on the body to relax the muscles and clear the respiratory system. Next, gently heated olive oil is used for a (very) deep tissue massage to loosen every knot of tension throughout the entire body.
INFO
15 Mitropoleos, Syntagma.
Tel: 214 1006200

GB Spa
By far the city’s most luxurious spa, and right on Syntagma Square. Spend at least 5-15 minutes in the steam rooms such as the Amethystos Grotto, followed by a dip in the ozone-rich pool. To re-balance after the holidays, try a two hour Ayurvedic therapy, which encourages a profound rebalancing and regeneration of the mind and emotions using sensual, floral and exotic oils massaged on the marma points (mini chakras as defined in ancient Indian medicine).
INFO
Grande Bretagne Hotel, Syntagma Square.
Tel: 210 3330799 / 772.

lux101sp-157233_grande_breatagne — GB Spa at Hotel Grande Bretagne

Hiltonia
The Hiltonia Spa (http://www.hiltonia.gr/spa.html) has a progressive treatment menu, with treatments such as the Cleopatra Sperience Jacuzzi Therapy, which includes milk proteins and seaweed collagen, a Vit C+ facial that is based on pure vitamin C combined with extract of Ume, an anti-ageing Japanese plum, Diamond Noir facial exfoliation, and Golden Sensation body sea weed wrap. Try the Exceptional Anti-Wrinkle Therapy and Lift Facial Therapy to start the year as a fresh-faced, bedazzling you.
INFO:
Athens Hilton, 46 Vas. Sofias Ave.
Tel: 210 7281812 / 210 7281801.

Hammam Baths
Hammam is inspired by the baths of ancient Greece and Rome and more recently Constantinople. Start with a steam session in the circular, marble-benched bathing room, letting your skin, muscles and lungs ‘open up’, as you occasionally pour cool water on yourself from brass bowls and lather yourself with soap. Follow this with a deep tissue, exfoliating or beautifying massage in which therapists use Savon noir black soap made with olive oil paste, Dead Sea black mud, and loofahs and silk Ketsea ‘brushes’ for scrubbing the body and face.
INFO:
17 Agion Asomaton Str. & 1 Melidoni Str. Thissio.
Tel. 210 3231073.

ath_therapies_gonglove_ancient_massage_02 — Hammam Baths in Thisseio

Le Hammam, Kifissia
A pampering escape in the verdant northern suburb of Kifissia, Le Hammam (http://www.lehammam.gr/) is inspired by therapies and products from the world’s most exotic destinations, such as Bali, Polynesia, Morocco, Hawaii, the Himalayas and Thailand. Try the Queen Nefertiti, in which Balinese jasmine, lotus flowers and 18 karat gold powder are used to activate the feminine energy, or Shirodhara, an Ayrvedic therapy in which a mixture of essential oils is poured slowly on the forehead to clear the third eye and induce deep tranquility.
INFO:
8 Aghiou Trifonos, Kifisia.
Tel: 210 623 3143.

Beehive Spa
Obeying the Hippocratic philosophy of holistic wellness and making the best of Greece’s purest bee products (honey, pollen, royal jelly), Apivita’s Beehive Spa offers a sumptuous series of face and body treatments and two types of massage. Try the Queen Bee Firming Treatment, a luxurious anti-ageing therapy inspired by the bee dance that helps firm and lift the skin while increasing elasticity and glow.
INFO:
Apivita Experience Store, 6 Solonos & Kanari, Kolonaki.
Tel: 210 3640560.

Cocoon Urban Spa
A unique mix of therapies here, such as Chavutti, an ancient southern Indian massage performed in a rhythmical motion by the therapist’s…feet! Try also the Spice Market Hammam, which starts with a deep scrub in the marble steam room, after which you will be lathered up with savon noir and then slathered in rassoul clay while your face drinks up a royal jelly mask. That’s only the begining, as after that comes a full body massage using rose, pomegranate and sandalwood oils.
INFO:
9 Souliou & Eryfilis, Ag. Paraskevi.
Tel. 210 6561975.

Greece-wide:

Thermea Sylla, Evia
A luxurious accommodation complex offering a highly sophisticated, in some cases high-tech range of curative, aesthetic and soul-blissing treatments. Most of the therapies revolve around and make the very most out of the famous benefits of Edipsos’ thermal waters. Try the Oriental Rasul experience with a partner: in a herbal steam sauna, you can slather each other using different kinds of Rugen island mud, and then have it all washed away by warm rain that falls from a ceiling vaulted with LED stars.
INFO
2 Posidonos Str., Edipsos, Evia.
Tel: 22260 60 100.

Anazoe Spa, Costa Navarino
Discover the wisdom of ancient Greek healing philosophies and techniques that soothingly enfold guests in a curative, restorative and relaxing experience enhanced by calming music, a form of sound healing that’s based on ancient Greek modes and scales at Anazoe. Try any of the Oleotherapy® Signature Treatments, which, intriguingly, are based on local practices inscribed on clay tablets that were discovered at the nearby Palace of Nestor. As their name suggests, they are based on the use of pure, virgin olive oil, but also include ingredients and application techniques inspired by modern science.
INFO:
Navarino Dunes, Messinia, Costa Navarino.
Tel: +272 309 6000.

anazoe-spa-1 — Anazoe Spa at Costa Navarino

Imaret
At Imaret, housed in a Koranic school founded in 1813 by Mohamed Ali Pasha, escape to the “hidden” Hammam that offers therapies derived from traditional eastern rituals, using ingredients like curative muds, exotic oils, herbs, flowers, honey and milk. Try the Harem Massage, a deeply pacifying therapy in which aromatic poultices filled with fresh chamomile and mint that are dipped into warm essential oils of myrrh and applied to relieve tired muscles, nourishing the skin and boosting circulation.
INFO
30-32 Th. Poulidou, Kavala.
Tel: 2510 620151.

Mikro Papingo 1700 Hotel & Spa
This eco-friendly gem of a boutique hotel, restored from 1700, is actually within the lush Vikos gorge. It’s Spa menu is not long and fancy, but its treatments are top quality and it uses fresh mineral water sourced from the nearby mountains. After a long day exploring the 20km gorge, try the energizing and muscle-relaxing Deep Trail Hiker’s Stretch Massage, while if you need to clear out from your urban lifestyle try the aromatic Mountain Massage.
INFO
Zagori, Epirus.
Tel: 2653 041179.

Asian Spa Ayurvedic & City Retreat
Eastern sensuality reigns supreme at the Asian Spa with treatments that celebrate the touch, smell and sight involved in relishing inventive treatments like Apricots and Cream or Chocolatier, the latter being a romantic ‘flowers & chocolate’ couple’s massage involving an antioxidant cacao scrub and choco-massage, followed by a blissful soak in an aromatic floral bath. Then there’s Glittering Prize, in which the therapist applies a gold scrub and mask, followed by gold dust powders. Several sophisticated Ayurvedic treatments are also available.
INFO
Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, 13 kilometres Thessaloniki-Perea.
Tel: +211 40 40 115.

Polis Hammam
Modelled on the traditional Turkish Hamam, this boutiquey haven of peace, cleansing and restorative therapies bang in the heart of Thessaloniki encourages you to lie back in the marble sauna, where you can bathe and then enjoy a re-energising and purifying signature massage such as the Aritma Polis massage, which thoroughly works on the entire body and includes the application of brushes and essential oils with stimulating fragrances.
INFO
40 Karamanli St., Kalamaria
Tel: 2310488216.

As also published in Greece Is