Naturresort PURADIES, Leogang, Österreich: Garden of Eden
Can wellness be a sin? Certainly not in Puradies: the new “Heaven Spa” has been carefully integrated into the landscape with a view to sustainability. From June 2023, the new relaxation oasis and restaurant will open its doors not only to Adam and Eve, but to all guests of the nature resort in Leogang.
Can wellness be sustainable? How do you treat resources and nature with care? How many pools are really needed? And: How do you stay true to your roots and still create something new? Many questions that the Madreiter brothers Philipp and Michael asked themselves when it came to planning the new “Heaven Spa” addition. Ever since the Leogang family business Embachhof reopened as Puradies in 2016, modernised and stylishly expanded, it was already clear to the two hoteliers that the day of the spa expansion would come at some point. Now, after several years of careful planning, the time has come: from 1 June, Puradies guests can discover, experience and enjoy the expanded “Heaven Spa”, including the new restaurant.
When planning the new wellness area, the theme of “water & pool” was at the top of the guests’ wish list – and that of the two hoteliers. Michael Madreiter: “Our bathhouse ‘Innere Mitte’ has already offered a selection of saunas and relaxation rooms for years. Only the water, that’s what we were missing. Our natural bathing pond is very popular in summer, but of course it can’t be used all year round. With the new building, a well-tempered bathing experience with a view of the mountains can now be experienced 365 days a year.” In addition to an outdoor pool with indoor access, a shallow children’s pool and beautiful new relaxation rooms, there will also be a light-flooded yoga room with direct access to the garden and bathing pond. Michael Madreiter: “I am particularly looking forward to this! We have been offering wonderful yoga retreats for years, and this will allow us to take them to a whole new level. In summer, you can open the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. You have a clear view of the mountains from the whole room. It will be fantastic!” More space and light will also be added to the fitness room, which will also find its place in the new extension. The icing on the cake – in the truest sense of the word – of the new premises will be the restaurant, which is located on the upper floor with a large terrace and an unobstructed view of the mountain panorama.
Carefully planned space for more relaxation
Why is there “only” one new pool in the Puradies with the new wellness extension and not two or three? When construction takes place up here on Leogang’s sunny plateau, the opposite of “higher, further, faster” is the result. Because the new building had to withstand a number of criteria relevant to the formerly traditional farming business. Building a huge wellness area would be out of the question for Michael and Philipp Madreiter. The Leoganger Resort stands for nature-based time-out, down-to-earthness, tradition, in short: for green holidays. And that will not change with the expanded “Heaven Spa”. Michael Madreiter: “It was important to us that we can offer our guests more space for relaxation, but still remain true to our principles. Thus, the new building will be carefully embedded in the landscape. We wanted as little interference with nature as possible. The roofs and partly the walls are greened, environmentally friendly geothermal energy creates a cosy atmosphere of well-being, large glass surfaces perfectly capture light and landscape. The unobstructed view of the Birnhorn and the Steinerne Meer from all the new rooms is fantastic – in a way, our goal was to direct our guests’ perspective to the essentials.” The focus on the essentials is not lost in the décor of the “Heaven Spa” extension. Natural stone, clay, wood, fire, water: these are the ingredients for the alpine feel-good character that blends perfectly with the existing hotel in modern architecture. Despite the new building, everything in Puradies seems to be cast from a single mould.
Drive up to come down
The fact that the place on a plateau above the village of Leogang is made for relaxation was already appreciated by guests when the family business was still a farm with guest rooms. Up here, you don’t just get the feeling that the sun is always shining a little longer. It’s a fact. “We are very grateful for our solitary location in the geographical centre of Leogang. It is literally ‘puradiesisch’, with around 300,000 square metres of meadows, forests and silence,” says Michael Madreiter. Those who holiday here enjoy almost limitless freedom. The “Heaven Spa” does not bear its name for nothing.
Naturresort PURADIES is a member of Lifestylehotels™
