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Purity, therapy, luxury and a unique sense of provenance combine at Cape Town's sparkling destination spa
January 2008 - Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town’s last word in understated elegance, style and colonial glamour, is soon to be home to Librisa Spa - a R19 million development offering an original holistic spa experience in a luxurious setting.
An elegant heritage
Location
Librisa Spa is housed in three Victorian houses at the edge of the hotel’s property, on a strip of land adjacent to the Oasis wing. The houses belong to a collection of five late Victorian buildings on Faure Street (recently acquired by the hotel, it is one of the city’s first residential streets). These buildings were recently identified as heritage sites (examples of outstanding local architecture, aesthetic and historical value) and are in the process of being renovated and restored to their pristine former glory. |
Beauty in the Details
Decor and Design
The 570 square metre (6100 square feet) development combines classical Victorian architecture with fresh contemporary styling and sophisticated finishes. Think hand-painted silk wallpaper, stylised botanical motifs and a cutting-edge chandelier by local manufacturer Willowlamp, juxtaposed with romantic Venetian mirrors and rich colonial touches. Glass, marble, dark wood, water features and a nature-inspired palette complete the look.
Highlights include:
• A spacious reception zone complete with display cases showcasing the likes of locally produced handcrafted jewellery and accessories, and locally and internationally sourced beauty products.
• Innovative changing areas containing sauna and steam baths, sensation showers and heated marble slabs. An enclosed courtyard with a heated pool in each changing area is the perfect place to unwind before and after treatments.
• Eight individually decorated, oversized treatment rooms split between the ground and upper floors of the main spa building, with four rooms on each level. A spiral staircase is a focal point of the double-volume space.
• Four of the treatment rooms have been specially designed for tandem treatment packages (the likes of treatments for couples, mother and daughter treatments etc.).
• A sun-splashed conservatory and refreshment station where guests are invited to relax, read and indulge in healthy spa snacks and smoothies.
A Personal Touch
People
Spa Manager Samantha Reynolds, whose portfolio includes working at some of London’s top spa destinations (including The Refinery and The Sanderson hotel), personally designed and developed the treatment offering. ‘All treatments are based on the healing power of touch, rather than machines, and utilise natural products rich in botanical and marine essences’, says Samantha. Along with her team of therapists, Samantha is committed to establishing Librisa Spa as Cape Town’s leading world-class spa and a ‘quiet space in the heart of the city where one can retreat to when mind, body and spirit require nurturing, self-discovery, and rejuvenation’.
A Fresh Approach
Products
Librisa Spa utilises three product ranges which combine blends of healing herbs and botanical extracts to create a holistic spa experience: Africology, The Victorian Garden and Algologie. There is an emphasis on supporting local suppliers whose products have been sourced to provide guests with a complete African spa experience (traditional herbs and flowers and African indigenous plants have been long known for their therapeutic and medicinal properties and their antiseptic and healing powers have been used for centuries both medicinally and cosmetically). Massage oils have been locally sourced from Still Pure based in the fertile Riebeek Valley in the Western Cape (http://www.stillpure.co.za/).
Africology: A locally-produced anti-aging skincare system using 100 percent natural plant extracts, capturing the healing essences of Africa (http://www.africology.co.za/).
The Victorian Garden: This locally-produced organic range has been created using secret recipes from the 1800’s which incorporate essential nutrients and proteins to feed and energise the skin (http://www.thevictoriangarden.co.za ).
Algologie: Imported from France, this range (retailed exclusively in Cape Town at Librisa Spa) focuses on maintaining beauty, preserving youthfulness and improving wellbeing by harnessing the natural power of seaweed and other innovative and marine and botanical ingredients (http://www.algologie.com/).
A Natural Selection
Treatments
The distinctive treatment menu incorporates a selection of skin, massage and body treatments, everyday ‘finishing touches’ (the likes of manicures, pedicures and waxing), men’s treatments and spa experience packages for all-out pampering. Librisa Spa is the first spa in South Africa to offer dedicated treatments for teens and children. The signature Vine Secret Vintage Experience (R960 for 120 minutes) is the ultimate in spa bliss, consisting of a head to toe combination consisting of a crushed grapeseed exfoliation, a scented cocooning body wrap and a revitalising radiance facial. Please visit /hotels/mountnelson/ to download the complete Librisa Spa menu.
Librisa Spa at the Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town. Tel: +27 (0) 483 1550, /hotels/mountnelson/. Opening hours: 9am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday.
For comment contact Nick Seewer – Managing Director of Orient-Express Hotels Africa on +27 (0) 21 483 1000 or email nseewer@mountnelson.co.za.
For press assistance contact Benita Kursan on +27 (0) 21 483 1930, email bkursan@mountnelson.co.za or visit /hotels/mountnelson/. |
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