In search of an oasis of calm to start off your year? Marbella offers a serene selection of spas and specially tailored seasonal programs to rebalance your body and mind. With the Costa del Sol being the hotspot for retreat havens that it’s fast become, Marbella and the surrounding areas have left us quite spoilt for choice. Taking into account a number of factors, five spas have been narrowed down for the New Year top picks, based on their water facilities, treatment quality and the variety of experiences.
Top 5 Marbella Spas
Hammam El Pacha Marbella
True rejuvenation can be found in this indulgent hidden gem in San Pedro de Alcantara which can aesthetically be described as fit for royalty. Offering traditional hammam with six intensive spa packages to choose from, as well as beauty treatments, unique products, massage and private programmes, this gold-outfitted spa takes a Turkish Bath to a whole new level.
For those who perhaps haven’t experienced a hammam before, it is a traditional Middle Eastern bathing ritual, a wholesome treat for the mind, body and soul. In many countries it is common to take a hammam bath every week. It includes exfoliation and deep cleansing followed by nurturing, softening, purifying and hydrating combinations of natural products and techniques for the skin. After a hammam treatment you feel revitalised, cleansed, pampered and beautiful.
Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday
Ladies hours: 10:00 – 17:00
Men’s hours: 17:00 – 22:00
Though there are different times for men and women, there is also an option for ‘Hammam Private’, meaning you can enjoy a couples’ retreat.
Sultana Hammam
If you’re after a more affordable casual experience, Sultana in San Pedro de Alcantara provides the beloved traditional hammam treatment, though there is also the benefit of a salon section within the establishment. Combining an array of spa, beauty and salon treatments, it is locally renowned for its artistic manicures, pedicures, hair removal and all-natural hair dyes. You can also expect 100% organic oils to be used in any of the massages and hydrating rituals they offer.
This is the perfect place to receive a full head to toe makeover for that special occasion. The advantage is that it’s also right in town, and can be accessed by public transport, so you don’t need to travel out of the way or worry about parking.
Opening times:
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 – 20:30
Villa Padierna Palace Hotel Wellness Spa
Taking the main road past Guadalmina towards Estepona, you soon reach the roundabout which leads you straight up towards the legendary Villa Padierna hotel.
Described as “the temple of beauty and health” this 5-star awe-inspiring wellness centre features the only aromatic thermal circuit on the Costa del Sol. A Tuscany palace-inspired construction covers 2,000 square metres to fully immerse you in Italian ambience whilst offering the finest of steam baths, sea salt hammam, Greek and Finnish sauna installations, dynamic heated swimming pool (and contrast pool), a flotarium, laconium, nebulisation room with medicinal mineral water and a treatment room with oxygen bubbles.
Of course there is a gym, and outstanding treatments which you can opt for in one of the many carefully crafted packages. Setting them apart from most other spa’s, they also host slimming and detox programmes which include the use of LPG Endermologie technology. If this wasn’t impressive enough, there is a whole medical aspect to this spa featuring aesthetic medicine options. It is fair to say that those who stay at Villa Padierna, really have an entire world to explore just a short walk from their quarters.
www.villapadierna.es/wellness/en
Opening times:
Monday – Sunday: 10:00 – 20:00
Villa Padierna is an ongoing expanding collection of luxury retreats, some of which are still under construction and some which extend far beyond the famous Palace hotel. Fairly new to the scene is the Thermas Hotel, located in the small town of Carratraca, in the midst of nature in the Guadalhorce Valley, 30 minutes away from Málaga airport. Villa Padierna Thermas of Carratraca is one of Europe’s best Hotels to restore the balance between body and mind. It is certainly the ultimate in spa experiences, and in essence is a wellness retreat hotel rather than a 5-star luxury brand hotel.
If you’re looking for an unbeatable mind-recalibrating experience, it is certainly worth your perusal: www.villapadierna.es/thermas/en/
Thalasso Spa, Elba Gran Hotel
Estepona’s answer to a slice of heaven is a fair way to describe the all-encompassing Thalasso Spa at the Elba Estepona Gran Hotel. This space has been crafted solely for the purpose of health, relaxation and beauty. Using mineral-rich Mediterranean sourced water in their circuit, much like the way epsom salts are proven to work, the water itself holds properties that reset stiff muscles and ease tension. To further speed muscle recovery, the circuit features counterflow jets and jacuzzi-fitted hydromassage beds.
Included amongst many other great features, this spa offers a pebbled footbath, hammam, sauna, cold water pool, aromatherapy showers, a laconium, roman thermae, a relaxation room with thermal beds, an outdoor space to hang out in hammocks amongst well-kept gardens, and perhaps the coolest of all, an Igloo room.
Just like any other spa, you can also expect a wide range of packages, and a variety of stand-alone treatments (both health and beauty based), and if you’re staying in the hotel, you get to benefit from the amazing outdoor swimming pool for some serious laps.
hoteleselba.com/en/gran-hotel-elba-estepona-thalasso-spa/thalasso-spa
Opening times:
Monday – Sunday
Adults only: 12:00 – 20:00 (Saturdays until 22:00)
Children: 10:00 – 11:45
Marbella Club Thalasso Spa
All the necessities of a dynamic all-round spa experience are offered in the unique space which compromises the Thalasso Spa at the Marbella Club Hotel. The classical beach side retreat offers state of the-art facilities, including hammam, steam baths, wood-burning Finnish saunas, and Thalasso beauty therapies.
Enjoy a beatific array of treatments in any of the 12 zen treatment rooms, and take in views of the Mediterranean sea whilst swimming in the neighbouring Roman seawater pool fitted with massage jets to target full-body tension.
There is a lot more to the Thalasso Spa than just the facilities and intensive body wrap treatments however. Here you can also partake in one of the many fitness classes such as yoga, pilates and group fitness. Though if you’re really setting out to feel brand new in the New Year, we recommend enquiring after one of the dedicated results-focused programmes which zone in on relaxation, well-being, detox and rejuvenation.
Opening times:
Enquire on website as subject to change
Self-care is a priority and a necessity, not a luxury.
Sometimes in order to master our minds, we need to start with our bodies. So, whether you are after a full-body treatment, a weekend spa retreat, a one-stop shop for head to toe pampering or just an all-natural health focused salon experience, Marbella and the surrounding areas have honed the right place for you.
