As far as luxury spas go, Vair Spa inside Italy's Borgo Egnazia Hotel, is very unique to say the least. In an effort to offer a "made in Italy" experience, patrons are assured that the rejuvenating, natural ingredients like olive oil, sea salt, and citrus extract used during their soothing treatments came straight from the surrounding Puglia area.
Spa Director Patrizia Bortolin oversees a diverse team of psychologists, physiotherapists, dermatologists, doctors, yoga experts, and nutritionists to achieve a center for holistic healing that will impress, or at the very least intrigue, even the most discerning spa-goer.
The spa’s many unusual treatments are inspired by local traditions. Practices involving the use of volcanic rocks, Roman bath techniques of hot and cold rooms, and an Apulian Sauna with basil all seek to promote either blood circulation, reduce muscle tension, or even increase your decision making abilities.
If you've lost your will to live and need more than one treatment to regain it, Vair Spa's new 5-8-14 day retreats work to help "rediscover the joy of being alive." Throughout the stay, you will come across a team of massage therapists and beauty experts along with dancers, musicians, jugglers, psychologists, and even farmers. Daily treatments for the body and face using local ingredients like honey, fig and prickly pear are a given, but I'm sure you're still wondering where that juggler comes in.
In these programs, movement is a big part of reviving the joy in your life, which could mean dance lessons, a walk through the olive trees, bathing in the sea with the resident nutritionist Dr. Grassi, lessons from local street artists, and heck, why not throw some juggling in there for good measure. Things really start to get interesting however, when the idea that depression and anxiety in women can stem from a spider bite, are addressed in the Tarant treatment. Guests suffering from such ailments undergo a three or five day program involving similar therapies like hypnotic music, dancing, and nutritionists, as well as massages specifically designed to restore balance and clear the head.
Even further along the line of surprising spa treatments that Vair offers are Acquann programs, which are based in a saline tank and may or may not involve sensory deprivation. You climb into a pool of salted, warm water and attempt to float in order to take your mind and body to a "dream-like state of relaxation." You can choose to float in pitch darkness, with lighted colors around you, or in complete silence; whichever program floats your boat they will make happen.
Aside from those brow raising treatments, the Vair spa has the classic hair, hand and foot treatments, but with a twist. Rather than employing a run-of-the-mill hairstylist, Vair has an “intuitive artist of the hair." And it probably goes without saying that you may never look in the mirror the same way again after the spa's therapist/make up artist is done with you.
