The aim of any health resort or spa should be to leave you feeling far more revitalized and restored than when you arrived. But too often, achieving this goal means compromising the stay itself: with well-meaning properties imposing punishing workout regimes, restrictive diets, and an overly technical approach to health on visitors, in the paradoxical name of making them feel better. Never has this been truer than over the past decade, as wellness has taken off as a major force in the hospitality world, with devotees flocking to beach and mountainside resorts alike in search of an elusively peaceful approach to better health and wellbeing.
But that peace is to be found in spades at Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti, a stunning resort in the Italian Alps that takes great pains to ensure that each guest feels as good at every moment throughout their stay as they do upon checkout. From the setting to the interior design to the spa treatments to the food, every detail at Lefay Dolomiti has been perfectly considered to maximize both pleasure and health.
Arriving at Lefay Dolomiti is your first indicator that the two will not be in any conflict. A few hours up into the mountains from Milan, the drive is spectacular, passing through small Italian towns and dramatic mountains and valleys to arrive at Lefay. The resort itself is situated in the middle of this stunning scenescape, with ample floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out in every direction upon these varied mountains, valleys, and trees. Inside is no less extraordinary: my room was equipped with a soaking tub looking out on the hills, sleek yet alpine-looking furniture, made of wood and natural fibers, and a fireplace that was lit just for me every time I returned home after a long day at the spa.
And about Lefay SPA Dolomiti: The treatments I received were no ordinary massages or facials. Instead, they were designed with Classical Chinese Medicine in mind, while also weaving in elements of nature from the surrounding mountains and valleys in the form of various herbs, oils, and aromatherapy. I was particularly lucky to have a session with a local osteopath, who realigned my body from toes to the top of my head throughout a series of gentle stretches and adjustments. And like the rest of the hotel, no detail has been overlooked when it comes to making each spa treatment as restorative and awe-inspiring as possible. Massage tables could be heated to preference, warm post-facial tea was offered to me while I was still lying on the bed, and best of all, when treatments ended, the blinds slowly rose to reveal the incredible landscape outside.
On Lefay’s ground floor, a larger spa area combined Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, and an amazing salt float room, where three salt pools are divided by crystals for you to float in, before sitting in a salt cave to breathe the healing air in deep. I also spent plenty of time on the first floor, where a stunning swimming area has a pool with a glass door that slides open to a heated area overlooking the mountains.
Lefay’s food and beverage program also deserves special mention. Many health spas or resorts consider food an afterthought, or adhere to an obvious and uninspiring form of health food like bland boiled vegetables or unseasoned fish. Instead, Lefay’s chefs offered a distinctly northern Italian menu – including the famed risotto, which was so good I had twice – that would not have been out of place in any gastronomic temple that also happened to have been developed with health top of mind. On that note: sweeteners were low-glycemic, ingredients were fresh and local, and fruits and vegetables were integrated into local specialties, like that risotto with radicchio, smoked ricotta, and apple reduction. On my last night, I enjoyed a particularly outstanding eight-course tasting menu at Lefay Dolomiti’s Michelin-star restaurant, Graul – so named after the surrounding mountain that serves as a backdrop to the resort. Appropriately for the Dolomites, Graul’s menu is themed around altitudes – High Mountain, Alpine Pasture, and Valley Floor. Everything was extraordinary and inspired, from the marinated trout to the Arctic chat to the apple tarte tatin.
In a thoroughly outstanding stay, it must be said that perhaps the most superlative element in a crowded field is Lefay’s staff. Everything you might need or want to rest, restore, and relax, is taken care of without your even having to ask: turn-down service while you’re at dinner, fresh robes hung by the bathtubs, and the aforementioned fire that awaited me each night. To a person, everyone was kind, warm, and made me feel truly cared for and considered throughout my stay.
All told, I left Lefay just three nights after checking in feeling like a new woman: bright, fresh, and clear as the mountain air and landscape all around. And best of all? I didn’t have to sacrifice any comfort, pleasure, or risotto along the way.
