Barcelona is a big, beautiful city brimming with marvelous historical sites, excellent shopping destinations and some of the best dining options in Europe. However just like any other big and beautiful city, Barcelona can be quite stressful. The air quality permeating the city appears to be exasperated by the fact that it seems like everyone around you is chain-smoking cigarettes and of course just like any other major city it’s non-stop hustle and continuous bustle. A great place to seek refuge is the spa at the Mandarin Oriental located on the chic Passeig de Gràcia and designed with tradition and modernity in mind –much like the city of Barcelona itself.

Make sure to arrive early and investigate the many amenities and you will find that this spa has all the luxuries a stress-ball could hope for! You will find top of the line products, a peaceful waiting room to relax in before your treatment, river-bed water fountains running throughout the ground of the spa,  spacious changing rooms with showers, soft plush robes, aromatherapy steam room, swimming pool, exercise room and a very soothing décor that offers modern aesthetic with a traditional Chinese twist. Interestingly enough, the four elements of air, water, fire and earth are represented in the décor in subtle ways all around the spa. There are several great treatment options to choose from, but one of their best is the signature spa therapy.

Right on time- my therapist picked me up and escorted me into to the treatment room. She was very sweet and professional and explained the details of the service to me. It sounded so wonderful I hoped it would translate exactly the same in action (and it did). She started the treatment by asking me to smell 4 mini essential oil bottles and choose the one I liked best. I chose the lavender and so she explained to me that the rest of my treatment would be represented in smell by lavender. She then gave me a mini nutritional lesson and informed me about an amazing detox to try at home. The Pineapple Detox Recipe: -1 Pineapple -5 cups of distilled water Slice a pineapple into 4 sections. Eat a few pieces of pineapple and then take the rough skin of the pineapple and boil it in the 5 cups of distilled water. Do this twice a day and drink the water when it cools down to lukewarm. For one day this should be the only water you drink and do not eat any solid foods. On day two incorporate fruits into your diet but only drink the boiled pineapple water and eat the fruits. On the third day eat very light. She swears by this detox and promises you will see healthy skin, nails, shed a few pounds and feel incredible. It’s a great little detox to do before a big event that you want to look good for.

Back to the signature treatment, she used the essential oil that I chose and proceeded to give me a foot massage. I felt like I was drifting off but felt so relaxed and before I knew it, it was time for the “main course”. I jumped up on the massage table and laid myself face down. The therapist rubbed my body from neck to toe in the most wonderful smelling potion of detoxifying mineral rich oils. She paid particular attention to areas like my kidneys and digestive system. Then she wrapped me up in a warm cocoon of blankets and set me off to float in this amazing bed. She proceeded to perform a Reflexology foot and scalp treatment. Voila! By the time the treatment ended I was complete mush. It surpassed all my hopes and expectations ten fold and walking out of the spa I felt like I was walking on clouds. The spa at Mandarin Oriental is a must try one-hour-and-fifty minutes of heaven. I wouldn’t change one thing about my experience at this spa.

The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Passeig de Gracia, 38-40 08007 Barcelona