The Irispa at Villa San Paolo is luxurious and only a 15 minute drive away from La Torre! Situated in the Tuscan countryside, on top of a hill surrounded by olive trees up to 1000 years old, is the perfect place to sit back and unwind. We truly felt relaxed at this spa not only from our nourishing massage, but the serene atmosphere as well as having fun with all the different water features they have to offer.
Swimming pools
The spa consists of indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the water is heated to 34°C at all times which never made us feel cold, neither too hot as it was close to our body temperatures. We really felt at peace by the architecture of the inside pool, especially the bridge that passes over the pool, it felt as though we were on another planet full of serenity. The outside pool has stone rests and benches in the water where you can lay and relax with the warmth of the water - although they aren’t very comfortable for a long period of time. We almost got carried away drifting off into a nap under the sun on the cozy recliners, on the grass in the gardens.. luckily we brought sun cream! It was lovely to have the pool transform into a jacuzzi, relaxing our muscles and improving our blood circulation. The Irispa spa also hosts ‘spa under the stars’ in the outdoor pool every Friday from 7pm to midnight with prosecco, different fruits and mouth watering snacks such as freshly baked croissants; that has been put on our bucket list for our next spa trip!
Water features
Aside from the calming swimming pools, there are other activities we really enjoyed, with most of the water features and rooms we felt wallowed in a calming atmospherere.
For instance, not only did they have the normal steam rooms that helped to unclog our stressed pores, the Tuscan armomarium is a steam room that also releases vapourised essential nutrients and oils to aid in relieving stress and nourishing the skin. Walking out from that room, we smelt like flowers and it stayed for hours!
The fountain of ice was revitalising and refreshing after having exited from the sauna and two different steam rooms as it gradually became quite hot in those rooms. Additionally, the foot spa was marvellous, it helped to relieve tension in our feet and ankles which was extremely satisfying. A room that we felt was rather overwhelming and less tranquil to the other features was the menthol spray room as it opened up our airways yet breathing the menthol in after a couple of minutes became difficult as we had the taste of a strong chewing gum in our throats! We advise not to stay in this room for too long if you are a sensitive breather.
Treatments and Massages
They offer many treatments and rituals from cleansing the body and face, toning the body, removing cellulite to releasing muscle tension and much more! We decided to have a 20 minute ‘Tension Relief Massage’ which is ‘the vigorous and energising massage relieving muscle tension and stiffness’. When the masseuse asked if we would like a hard and deep massage, medium or gentile, we both decided on hard as we aimed to get rid of all our stiffness. The kneading turned out to be unusually strong, yet it was still calming. On our next trip to the spa, we would like to try out a ritual Tuscan hammam where the experts clean your face, hair and body with essential minerals and natural herb masks followed by a refreshing body rub. After treatments, tisana (tea) is offered and is the perfect finish to a relaxing day at the spa - we didn’t want to leave!
Overall
In general the spa was authentically relaxing and emitted a very serene atmosphere. The facilities were clean apart from the odd hair found here and there from other clients. From all the fun yet calming activities to choose from, it’s impossible to become bored; the wide variety of treatments makes it appropriate for many skin problems or muscle stress one may have. One of our favourite elements of the spa is that it offers a range of deals for couples such as joint massages and gift packages including an indulging Tuscan dinner or some bubbly with organic fruits, perfect for a special occasion. Lastly, the location was ideal for us as the panorama of the Tuscan countryside is tranquil and connects you to nature with the beautiful plants and olive trees surrounding the place of relaxtion.
Atmosphere: 8
Facilities: 9
Experience: 9
Service: 8
For more information about the spa, it’s facilities and treatment, visit the website below:
https://www.villasanpaolo.com/spa
