Geinberg5 Private Spa Villas, Geinberg, Austria: One thousand and one nights
Feel reborn in a Far Eastern paradise: after experiencing fairy-tale treatments and hammam rituals in the Oriental World at the Geinberg5 Private Spa Villas, you’ll be a new person.
The water trickles soothingly from ornate taps while I doze on the 40-degree hot stone in the centre of the room, with comforting scents of amber, rose and verbena blossom evoking images of the Orient and stirring my nose and my senses. The steam surrounding me makes everything hazy, like a dream from one of the stories in One Thousand and One Nights.
Even back in the time of the ancient sultans in their palaces, they swore by the cleansing effect and benefits for body and soul of the traditional hammam, a ritual that offers the ultimate in warmth, cleansing and pure relaxation. The Oriental World at the Therme Geinberg is a sensory retreat and therefore the ideal place to unwind and escape the everyday. Following the warmth of the steam bath and the richness of the olive oil soap, stress quite literally slips away from my body. Later on, the hammam master reveals to me his knowledge of secret rituals and oriental bathing culture, while I succumb to the enchantment of the Orient still further.
The selection of Turkish and Moroccan treatments on offer is remarkable, and their names hint at something quite spectacular: Emerald of the Sultan, Ritual of the Sultan, Rose from Marrakech or A Day in the Desert. All treatments are carried out in accordance with modern European standards.
I opt for the Rose from Marrakech, a 75-minute oriental cleansing ritual using an exclusive black olive soap combined with a nourishing body peel. After I have been covered in oil from head to toe, I receive a traditional full body massage that frees my body of any aches and pains and clears my mind.
After an extended bath and a visit to the deep-cleansing serail mud chamber, I am drawn to the CHAI Oriental Tea Bar, where tea is served alongside dried fruits. It’s a fitting end to this day of oriental bathing. Any stressful thoughts have long since been whisked away on a flying carpet and I feel pleasantly light. I stretch out on a lounger and doze off.
A villa, a natural bathing pool and a sauna – just for me
The luxury Geinberg5 Private Spa Villas are the perfect retreat for anyone who prefers to keep their spa experience to themselves. All 21 of the stylish suites and villas, the biggest of which is 300 m², benefit from their own private wellness area with a Finnish sauna, steam bath, outdoor hot tub with 36-degree thermal water, and an open fireplace.
After spending time in the sauna, you can dive off the large terrace straight into your own private bay in one of the two 3,300 m² natural bathing pools – that’s my day tomorrow sorted. There’s also a team of butlers on hand to tend to the personal wellbeing of a small number of guests, meaning you can enjoy the award-winning cuisine from the Aqarium restaurant in the privacy of your own villa. You can of course do the same for your breakfast.
Even those who don’t want to leave their villa will not want to miss out on the Oriental World. While it may not be possible to get there by flying carpet, you can glide there in an electric car – in line with the “green thinking” attitude of the Geinberg5.
Geinberg5 Private Spa Villas are a Member of Lifestylehotels
Text: Nina Prehofer
