Wellness

GET A BEAUTIFUL AFRICA STATE OF MIND & BODY

Courtesy of La Mamounia. Entrance to La Mamounia.

After long hot safari journeys, jungle jaunts, and desert treks, we’re so ready to get into a new beautiful Africa state of mind and body at some of the most beautiful spas on the continent. Here are some favorites.

1. LA MAMOUNIA SPA

Jacques Garcia’s newly designed spa at the recently reopened La Mamounia is quite the masterpiece.

Moorish arches, exquisite mosaics, artisanal tilework, lavish marble floors, house an overall environment of tranquility and beauty.

Garcia was inspired by the designs of turkish baths, or hammams, of 1950s Cairo. The feeling is intimate, with low lighting and long draping curtains. The ozone-treated pool sits beneath soaring cathedral ceilings.

There are nine treatment rooms, six outdoor massage pavilions, and three hammams host over 80 different treatments and therapies.

Enjoy the 24 acres of historic gardens which surround the spa, adding an air of mystery, scented with cedar, roses, and palm.

2. LE SPA DE CONSTANCE

Le Spa de Constance is designed to rejuvenate the body and mind. Taking time and special care to identify each individual’s objectives and preferences, time spent here will never feel wasted.

Because each and every treatment is carefully selected for the exact state of your body and mind at any given moment, no two experiences at Le Spa de Constance will ever be the same.

Some of these treatments have been custom designed at the spa, using local remedies and specialized therapies.

3. ESPACE VITALITÉ CHENOT

Jacques Garcia has proved himself, yet again, as a master of shadow, light, and the ever-so relaxing atmosphere in this unique Espace Vitalité Chenot at the Selman.

Taking his inspiration from the Eastern world, Garcia positioned seven hammam-like rooms around the centerpiece pool (pictured above), which really is a breathtaking sight to behold.

The spa also offers four hydrotherapy rooms, one water jet cabin, Hammam, fitness with a view on the gardens, one SPA suite (private room with Hammam/massage), two outdoor heated pools, one indoor relaxation pool, and one outdoor Jacuzzi.

Espace Vitalite Chenot treatments are based on the new and different methodology, called Biontology, developed by Dr. Henri Chenotwhich. It focuses on re-balancing the body and is highly personalized for each client. It promises to get rid toxins and bring an overall tranquility and happiness to the mind and body.

At only 5-months old, in 2012, it was even ranked as one of the 11 Best-Designed Spas in the World.

4. DINAROBIN HOTEL GOLF & SPA

Located on the shoreline in Mauritius with the Le Morne mountain serving as its background, luxury five-star resort Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa still manages to somehow keep the village feel around it.

Huge terraces with views of the sea, waterfalls flowing into pools and tropical gardens surround the hotel.

Its Clarins spa is a beautiful place to destress and get pampered, set in a soothing, tropical environment. It shares facilities with the Paradis resort.

5. SOMA BAY THALASSO & SPA

Soma Bay Thalasso & Spa, known as one of the best spas in all of Egypt and one of the largest in the world, can be found on the shores of the Red Sea.

Operated with the help of Raison d’Etre of Sweden, this spa is part of the Leading Spas of the World®.

The spa offers the latest technologies and traditional methods. It is well known for its practice of thalassotherapy, which is a therapeutic use of natural sea life, the ocean and its climate. Marine products, such as seaweed, algae, and mud,are used for both healing and preventive purposes.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Africa in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 08.24.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!