Monastero Santa Rosa (MSR), the new ultra-luxe hotel set into a cliff above the Gulf of Salerno on the Amalfi Coast, has opened a sybaritic spa featuring sublime beauty and health treatments using the renowned products of Santa Maria Novella. MSR is one of only a handful of hotel spas in the world to offer these beloved products, made for centuries by one of the oldest pharmacies on the planet from the flowers and botanicals of Italy and the Mediterranean. The Spa is open to guests of the hotel as well as to visitors.
The Spa, like the hotel, is an excellent example of adaptive
re-use: it has been built within a 17th
century monastery*, preserving the vaulted ceilings, ancient walls, and
exquisite architectural details of the historic building. Throughout the
conversion of the space, the goal was to draw upon the convent’s unique
character – not to follow a pre-determined formula that a branded spa would
impose upon the space. A focus on
enhancing the ‘integrity of place’ allowed the building to show what suited it
best. Thus, spaces were joined together to form a seamless flow.
The Spa is designed for extraordinary experiences and
suffused with a spiritual dimension in keeping with the building’s heritage.
The Italian tradition of bathing within a series of thermal rooms is re-created
within the Spa.
Thermal Suite, a
sequence of historic monastic spaces interconnecting the various warm rooms via
arched openings, comprises:
- A double-heighted, vaulted Tepidarium with pomegranate-infused foot spas and heated mosaic loungers
- Aromatic Steam Room
- Rock Sauna
- Crushed Ice Fountain to refresh between thermal bathing
- Hydro Pool
- Emotion Showers.
Treatment Suite,
an exceptional private double suite (a Spa within a Spa), boasting a
magnificent
861-square-feet double-heighted vaulted space includes:
- Rasul
- Steam Room
- Double Wet and Dry Treatment Couches
- Manicure/Pedicure Relaxation Lounge
- Private Dressing and Grooming Space
- Garden Terrace
Outdoor treatments are available under the shade of a
pergola within the privacy of the Treatment Garden or within a single Treatment
Room.
Santa Maria Novella treatments draw upon the ancestral
traditions dating back to the 14th century of Italian monastic
herbalists, who used local plants and flowers renowned for their healing
powers. Treatments range from Santa Maria Novella facials (including back
facials and facials for men) to honey hair and scalp treatments, and from massages,
aromatic scrubs and wraps to manicures and pedicures. Prices vary depending on
the selection, but an average 60-minute treatment costs $150. Some sample
treatments:
Candle Massage
uses an aromatic powder scrub of iris or bitter orange to soften and prepare
the skin for a deeply-focused, relaxing massage with Santa Maria Novella candle
wax made of pure plant oils and prime emollient butters.
Iris Drizzle
Hydrating Body Wrap Warm iris oil is drizzled on to the body and blended
with iris powder. The idrasol body mask
deeply enriches the skin during a scalp massage and layers in moisture and
fragrance.
Polline Hydration Deep
hydration with Crema Polline, a regenerating cream formulated with pollen and
extra virgin olive oil to improve the appearance of a flat, dry, non-reflective
surface and to inject skin lustre.
Amalfi Blue offers
no fewer than 3 3/4 hours of treatments – Pomegranate Foot Bathing; a 60-minute
Santa Maria Novella facial; Aromatic Powder Scrub and Spa Life Massage for 60
minutes; and a choice of a Manicure or Pedicure treatment.
The aromatics of Santa Maria Novella range from summery oils
of lemon, bergamot, petitgrain and iris to such sweet-smelling herbs as
rosemary, lavender, sweet orange as well as the special fragrance of
pomegranate created for Catherine di Medici.
The Spa is open seven days a week from 9 am until 7:30 pm.
For additional photographs contact: phealy@montcom-ny.com
For more information:
contact Francesca Speroni: francescas@monasterosantarosa.com
Email bookings: spa@monasterosantarosa.com
Or visit: www.monasterosantarosa.com
*In the English language,
“monastery” usually refers to a building for monks. But the broad sense of “monastery,” used by
Italians, refers to a community of people, whether male or female, bound by
vows to a religious life.
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