With onsen-style baths in the middle of Manhattan, yoga platforms overlooking the mountains, and treatments prepared with natural herbs, the member properties of The Aficionados offer a singular approach to the experience of wellness.
There are trips when, after a long day exploring the city, the body longs for a massage and a moment of rest. Other kinds of trips are entirely dedicated to wellness, with itineraries that include spa sessions, sauna relaxation and Pilates classes. Independently of the goal, the select properties of The Aficionados, from vibrant Tribeca in New York to the majestic Dolomites in Italy, offer unique ways of experiencing wellness, integrating design, science and nature to achieve the total relaxation of body and spirit alike.
For everyone who prioritizes wellbeing, these properties offer a holistic experience that extends beyond the walls of the spa. In Forsthofgut, for example, guests can enjoy the fresh air of the Leogang mountains in Austria, while at Hotel Arlberg, also in Austria, the ensuite baths for two and underfloor heating offer a spa experience all of their own.
Forsthofgut – Austria
This member of The Aficionados is set to a dramatic canvas of lush pine forests, the fabulous alpine Leogang Mountains and a carpet of wildlife - a scene of bristling nature that simply wraps the luxury wellness retreat into the landscape; the nature hotel on the ski slopes of Asitz. A sympathetic spa world extending from the wellness zones and out into the land sees smart architectural design houses, including several new sauna features that include a library (never had that before in the spa), a fireside lodge inspired-chill room of designer chairs and comfort corners and a fabulous tea lounge set in the greens of the trees.
Sauna enthusiasts will go into overload with the sheer options open to them at Forsthofgut, especially the special WaldSpa features - including the Spruce Sauna and the Rose Quartz Organic Sauna. Many of the rooms also have stunning uninterrupted views of the mountains, including the micro-salt-cabin and its fabulous Cold Water Cliff Showers.
Lagació – Italy
Ladin culture infuses the modernist Lagació and defined the design blueprints of this eco hotel and spa member of The Aficionados that sits in awe of the UNESCO Dolomites in the village of San Cassiano. Being so close to the Dolomites, you don't really want to spend time cooped away, and thankfully here considerate design has created an eco La Palsa Spa that has large floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of outdoor terraces and balconies to take in the good air and Alpine eye candy - also in itself truly holistic. Inside a natural wooden cocoon lends an air of being warmly hugged by calmness.
La Palsa is from the local Ladin culture and appropriately literally means - relaxation. Further connectivity to South Tyrol is conveyed through genius TEAM Dr. Joseph - who craft products that
harness ‘the power of nature in a jar’ with intelligent use of herbs and plants from the South Tyrol region, as well as their own herbery. There is a sauna, a Finnish sauna, a low-temperature bio sauna and an ice fountain for cooling.
Hotel Arlberg – Austria
Set to the mountain backdrop of Vorarlberg in the heart of Austria's ski resort Lech, luxury Hotel Arlberg is a chilled menagerie of Alpine originality, modern informality and a dialogue with nature. Its spa, created by Architect Peter Staic and Pointner Design, sourced its inspiration from the mountains. Chemical-free paints in earthy tones, breathable limestone plaster and energizing volcanic clays, semi-precious stones, Carrara marble, ultramarine ash and quartzite stone clad the spa of this
The Aficionados member adding to the sense of cocoon-like warmth and natural wellbeing. Clever use of copper leaf lamps makes the spa glow and new glass courtyards let the bright mountain light fill the cavernous spa that comes complete with a fireplace and gorgeous chillax lounging.
There are an impressive variety of steam rooms, saunas, experience showers and plunge pools, fortifying Kneipp applications to amplify circulation and stimulate metabolism. Outside, there’s an outdoor stainless-steel heated pool sunken into the garden landscape affording magnificent mountain views.
The Greenwich Hotel– USA
With echoes of past times, The Greenwich Hotel is a pad with the elegance and ease typical of Lower Manhattan and Greenwich Street, owned by Hollywood star, Robert De Niro, who grew up in neighbouring Nolita.
Entering its spa is like leaving New York behind you completely, a hidden sanctum of Verde tones, ancient bamboo, hemlock floors and low-to-the-ground sofas creating an elemental encounter through strokes of genius. The moody lantern-lit pool of this The Aficionados member hotel shimmers with all things zen, housed in a 250-year-old-barn of Japanese dark timbers - shipped in from Japan and assembled without using one single screw or nail.
There are five treatment rooms and an Onsen - traditional Japanese soaking bath - as well as a fitness, yoga and pilates studio. Signature treatments from the likes of New York Red Flower, a hotly followed organic-eco cosmetic company help echo the essence of Shibui. From the moment of wearing the Japanese robes and slippers you enter this blissfully tranquil world - before returning to the real one upstairs, another also a sanctum in the buzz of New York's TriBeCa.
ABOUT THE AFICIONADOS
Founded by Iain Ainsworth, THE AFICIONADOS is a travel resource for those seeking fabulous recommendations and accommodation that effortlessly fuses luxury, design and authenticity. It comprises over 90 hotels, designer homes for private hire and guesthouses, from all across Europe and a fabulous outpost in New York, the United States, together with a selection of over 100 creatives who round out the offer of this culture and lifestyle emporium for travel and good living. The Aficionados also publishes six printed magazines: Blueprint Beauts, Farmhouse Fabulous, Casa Gorgeous, Neu Heritage, Alchemists of Italy, and Eclectic Rebels
