Latvia ' s Burgeoning Spa Scene

Latvia ' s Burgeoning Spa Scene

A foxy five - minute traipse from Riga ' s Old Corner, past crooked medieval houses, cobbled streets and handsome municipal buildings, takes you to the elegant Kronvalda Lawns. Once the playground of 19th - century sports club the Rifleman Society, the arena was obsessed to the public in 1930 so they could eat up strolls along sanguine - lined paths and over flashy bridges, with the calm waters of the Riga Longitude Canal passing below. Attached the stadium is Kronvalda Boulevard, a grand, pullulating approach along which trams rumble to and from the historic center. Here, in a simple but elegant 19th - century former multitude storehouse is Taka Spa, one of the most pleasing additions to Latvia ' s burgeoning spa scene.
Established in 2006 by former health journalist Dina Vjatere and her crony Agnita Vavere, the heart is on a holistic approach. " Our aim is not to work just for relaxation, but for results, " says Ms. Vjatere. " Many therapists work together and we lift skill things with hands than with organisation. It gives us the knack to find out the clients ' needs better. "
Taka Spa ( www. takaspa. lv ) caters to a wealthy, mainly local crowd, which flocks here for treatments that include lymphatic drainage, Elemis lime and relish scrubs and wraps, as well as yoga and Pilates classes in the airy space in the converted loft at the top of the crash pad.
Ultimately, the aim is to provide an escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life. Aija Ozolins, a regular customer, says, " I love it for the facials - using a firm, tame touch, massaging my face and shoulders into deep relaxation with the application of natural oils. "
On the other side of the park - and at the opposite end of the scale from the intimate, cozy approach of Taka Spa - is the glitzy ESPA ( www. espariga. com ), attached to the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, which opened in 2009. Leading the show in the habitat in terms of peacocky, the six - macadamize layout caters to the new, rich Latvians and wealthy tourists.
A giant Swarovski chandelier hangs down from the atrium. The dark deep stinking rich pool is more evocative of a disco. Gold - flecked walls shimmer, rhythm is moody and there is a bar yielding Cristal champagne, fresh - fruit smoothies and sushi. There is besides Riga ' s most heirloom gym, a broad space kitted out with the latest Technogym equipment. Upstairs on the top level, sauna pods are located with an outside plunge pool and there is a large relaxation area, complete with white hide sofas, modern art and piles of loganberries and apples to snack on, as well as the latest glossy magazines.
Treatments are both curing and relaxing. The Stressbuster combines head and shlep massage and a unruffled eye treatment, while the spa ' s Amber Sunny treatment involves skin brushing, exfoliation and a cleanse, with chakras massaged by amber crystals.
Those looking for a more boutique sense can try one of the treatments at the mink Dome hotel ( www. domehotel. lv ), located in a 400 - year - old merchant shack in the emotions of Old Riga. Here, a stone ' s pitch from the Romanesque and early Gothic Dome Cathedral, quarter - weary guests can relax with a Kamisimo massage - a Japanese way using clement rice - or a body shine in the hammam, using olive blend. This is a good option for weekenders looking for a fuss - free option in a great, historic stage.
As a aberration to these town spas, the scenic coastal resort of Jurmala - about an hour outside Riga - offers front-page for spa - seekers looking for a longer beachside scamper. Jurmala has far-off been a brilliant limit for the comfortable. Spa resorts - notorious for the abode ' s mineral springs and stout climate - were built in the 1800s, catering to Russian soldiers proximate the Napoleonic Wars. It was also a popular intent for Innovator camps, which sprang up here in the Soviet year, and where progeny would come and spend the summer in the restorative predilection.
Many of the pulchritudinous 19th - century wooden villas that once graced the frolic - lined avenues of Jurmala have been torn down and replaced by more - elaborate holiday homes with manicured arena and jewel peacocks. The army of blacked - out SUVs in the driveways understanding at the in clover residents inside.
The Amber Spa ( www. amberspahotel. lv ) is a modern and silvery addition to the historic spa scene here. Located on a quiet system, five rag from clean white sands and calm seas, the spa has been catering thanks to 2009 to the legion of Russians and Latvians who bland collect to the zone, and is now targeting the international bazaar.
The spa was manifest by invalid Latvian fare - tennis speaker Vadim Sokolov after since the benefits of therapies he posted as an athlete. It offers complete weeklong programs congeneric as weight - loss and sports therapy; locally innovational treatments using traditional herbs, buckwheat and birch; and amber massage, which uses the stones to stimulate muscles.
Rooms are furnished in orange and offensive tones, as befits the thesis of the spa ( Amber is Latvia ' s governmental stone ). Its excellent restaurant, My Life, offers healthy spa food uniform as pork loin with cranberries and, for breakfast, homemade yogurts and breads served with tremendous berries.
The spa offers a traditional Russian banya sense, involving a adjustment of hot saunas, cold baths and an refreshing banya besom treatment - a stimulating massage using birch or oak twigs. Pedantry goes out of the window. You are asked to don a harmonious cap and are poles apart nude for much of it. Refreshments between treatments come in the form of cranberry juice, pickled herring and gherkins. The seat in the main spa is clean, serene and attractive, and the treatments have healing aims - the theatrical masculine masseurs finding knots you never knew existed.
Even the sanatoriums of old, holdovers from the Communist - time in both feel and style, are adopting improvements. Jumala ' s Amber Shores Sanatorium caters to Soviet pensioners and old state officials who still flock to it in their Ladas. For around โ‚ฌ80 a night, guests can sleep in simple, die over - clad chambers, dine on comfort food consistent as borscht in the canteen and be treated to mud baths and mineral soaks, administered in ancient toss - compacted tubs by stern babushkas. While basic, it ' s considered pleasure by locals, says director Viktor Daniloh: " Before, you used to just corker down in a mud pool in the cold. But it was difficult for the love to take. "