Seawater-based thalassotherapy is the hottest new spa treatment
On a brisk autumn afternoon, immersed in a 100-degree pool at Italy's Verdura Resort, I admired the lush Sicilian landscape as seawater-filled jets eased my muscles, tightened from long days of travel. I felt I could easily get used to it, and experts on thalassotherapy, a broad category of treatments using seawater, say we all should.
'Seawater is incredibly effective for muscle-skeletal issues. It's anti-inflammatory and also really helpful for skin conditions like eczema. Inhaling aerosols of mineral-rich water in ionized form helps with respiratory issues,' says Dr. Marie Perez Siscar, president of France's national thalassotherapy association, and owner and medical director of the Côté Thalasso spa hotel in Banyuls Sur Mer, France.
4 The mineral-rich seawater at Côté Thalasso in Banyuls Sur Mer, France, promises anti-inflammatory healing.
Cote Thalasso
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Dr. Perez Siscar, a former emergency room physician, says that while lake bathing can be pleasant and beneficial, seawater's particular combination of living plankton and trace minerals provides superior results.
Rich in calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the water in Verdura's four outdoor thalassotherapy pools comes from the surrounding sea. It's combined with a slightly oily, mineral-rich water containing mud and salt from the salt marshes in Trapani, on Sicily's northwest coast.
4 Pools at Verdura Resort in Sicily, Italy, are quipped with seawater-filled jets.
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'The therapy works by osmosis, meaning that the skin absorbs all the elements,' explains Luciano Porcu, spa director at Rocco Forte's Sicilian properties, which include Verdura, the Villa Igiea in Palermo and Palazzo Castelluccio in Noto, set to open next year. 'Osmosis of marine salts into the skin and warm water dilates blood stream, helping to detox and reduce water retention.'
Verdura's 43,000-square-foot Irene Forte Spa features a large gym, saunas and steam rooms, but its thalassotherapy pools are the main draw. Visitors follow a 90-minute sequence, spending about 15 minutes in each of four pools before repeating the circuit. The first stop is the 100-degree pool, where the salt density is 24%, encouraging muscle relaxation and detoxification, and dilating blood vessels. The second pool, heated to 98 degrees and with a 17% salt density, features waterfall jets targeting areas around the neck and back. The third pool, at 82 degrees, has 10% salinity. The last pool, just 77 degrees with 5% salinity, encourages vascular constriction.
4 The thalassotherapy pools at Italy's Valle dell'Erica in Sardinia boast spectacular views of Corsica.
Valle dell'Erica
In addition to the pool circuit, Porcu says, the spa's Trapani sea salt body scrubs and algae and mud body wraps help remove impurities and intensify the marine water benefits.
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In Sardinia, the Delphina group runs four other thalassotherapy-centered seaside hotel spas along the island's north coast. At its Valle dell'Erica spa, thalassotherapy pools offer sweeping views of Corsica. High-pressure jets massage everywhere from the bottom of visitors' feet to their shoulders. For the most energetic guests: An ersatz pool-based gym has water-based treadmills, bikes, trampolines and foam weights.
4 New York's own Aire Ancient Baths also offer saline serenity.
'The pressure exerted by the water on the body, combined with movement, creates a massage effect that promotes lymphatic drainage,' says Andrea Brucciani, who directs the spas, explaining that working out in water reduces impact on joints, creating safer conditions for jumping and running.
As for New Yorkers hoping to approximate thalassotherapy, the subterranean and candlelit Aire Ancient Baths in Tribeca offers an impressively saline option. Among the six pools — ranging from 50 to 102 degrees — Aire's Epsom salt-filled 'flotarium' measures about 35% salinity. The buoyancy, meant to mimic the Dead Sea, provided a restful soak on a recent visit. It was a long way from the vistas of Sicily, but it would do.
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Seawater-based thalassotherapy is the hottest new spa treatment
On a brisk autumn afternoon, immersed in a 100-degree pool at Italy's Verdura Resort, I admired the lush Sicilian landscape as seawater-filled jets eased my muscles, tightened from long days of travel. I felt I could easily get used to it, and experts on thalassotherapy, a broad category of treatments using seawater, say we all should. 'Seawater is incredibly effective for muscle-skeletal issues. It's anti-inflammatory and also really helpful for skin conditions like eczema. Inhaling aerosols of mineral-rich water in ionized form helps with respiratory issues,' says Dr. Marie Perez Siscar, president of France's national thalassotherapy association, and owner and medical director of the Côté Thalasso spa hotel in Banyuls Sur Mer, France. 4 The mineral-rich seawater at Côté Thalasso in Banyuls Sur Mer, France, promises anti-inflammatory healing. Cote Thalasso Advertisement Dr. Perez Siscar, a former emergency room physician, says that while lake bathing can be pleasant and beneficial, seawater's particular combination of living plankton and trace minerals provides superior results. Rich in calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the water in Verdura's four outdoor thalassotherapy pools comes from the surrounding sea. It's combined with a slightly oily, mineral-rich water containing mud and salt from the salt marshes in Trapani, on Sicily's northwest coast. 4 Pools at Verdura Resort in Sicily, Italy, are quipped with seawater-filled jets. Hotel Photography srl Advertisement 'The therapy works by osmosis, meaning that the skin absorbs all the elements,' explains Luciano Porcu, spa director at Rocco Forte's Sicilian properties, which include Verdura, the Villa Igiea in Palermo and Palazzo Castelluccio in Noto, set to open next year. 'Osmosis of marine salts into the skin and warm water dilates blood stream, helping to detox and reduce water retention.' Verdura's 43,000-square-foot Irene Forte Spa features a large gym, saunas and steam rooms, but its thalassotherapy pools are the main draw. Visitors follow a 90-minute sequence, spending about 15 minutes in each of four pools before repeating the circuit. The first stop is the 100-degree pool, where the salt density is 24%, encouraging muscle relaxation and detoxification, and dilating blood vessels. The second pool, heated to 98 degrees and with a 17% salt density, features waterfall jets targeting areas around the neck and back. The third pool, at 82 degrees, has 10% salinity. The last pool, just 77 degrees with 5% salinity, encourages vascular constriction. 4 The thalassotherapy pools at Italy's Valle dell'Erica in Sardinia boast spectacular views of Corsica. Valle dell'Erica In addition to the pool circuit, Porcu says, the spa's Trapani sea salt body scrubs and algae and mud body wraps help remove impurities and intensify the marine water benefits. Advertisement In Sardinia, the Delphina group runs four other thalassotherapy-centered seaside hotel spas along the island's north coast. At its Valle dell'Erica spa, thalassotherapy pools offer sweeping views of Corsica. High-pressure jets massage everywhere from the bottom of visitors' feet to their shoulders. For the most energetic guests: An ersatz pool-based gym has water-based treadmills, bikes, trampolines and foam weights. 4 New York's own Aire Ancient Baths also offer saline serenity. 'The pressure exerted by the water on the body, combined with movement, creates a massage effect that promotes lymphatic drainage,' says Andrea Brucciani, who directs the spas, explaining that working out in water reduces impact on joints, creating safer conditions for jumping and running. As for New Yorkers hoping to approximate thalassotherapy, the subterranean and candlelit Aire Ancient Baths in Tribeca offers an impressively saline option. Among the six pools — ranging from 50 to 102 degrees — Aire's Epsom salt-filled 'flotarium' measures about 35% salinity. The buoyancy, meant to mimic the Dead Sea, provided a restful soak on a recent visit. It was a long way from the vistas of Sicily, but it would do.
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Why book? Because as soon as you step foot on the adults-only property, you'll feel your shoulders relax and any stress will melt away. The wealthy Florentines who own villas in Forte dei Marmi have been happy to keep this posh beach town off the tourist radar, but the opening of this new member of the Leading Hotels of the World is primed to put it on the map. Set the scene The streets of Forte—as insiders call it—are a maze of tall box hedges and gates that shelter private villas built for wealthy and aristocratic Italian families. Set on a residential block a five-minute walk from the beach, Pensione America is nearly invisible from the street, but as soon as you step through the gate, a leafy pergola leads to the peachy pink L-shaped hotel with its shaded verandas. In the crook of the L is the pool flanked by cushy green sunbeds and surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn. Every design detail conveys that this is a place meant for lazy summer days that are the very essence of il dolce far niente: pale terracotta floors, bamboo and wicker furniture (including egg-shaped wicker hanging chairs), huge potted plants (banana plants indoors and kumquat trees outside), cushions printed with images of the area's emblematic umbrella pines, a white baby grand piano and chess set just waiting to be played. It's meant to evoke a sense of villeggiatura, the Italian tradition of decamping to the seaside for the whole summer. The backstory The Maestrelli family, which owns and operates the hotel, has deep roots in Forte dei Marmi, where they've been summering every year for six decades and counting. They already own another boutique hotel in town, which has a loyal clientele, and Pensione America had always fascinated Sara Maestrelli, who played at the adjacent tennis club every summer. It was built 1899 as a private villa for a Roman artist and became a pensione (a humble boarding house) in 1922. When Sara and her aunt Elena purchased it in 2021, it was in desperate need of some TLC. They embarked on an ambitious renovation that took four years, pouring their hearts and souls into the project, which is the fifth hotel in their slowly growing hospitality brand, Collezione Em. Travelers who have stayed at their other hotels, in particular Violino d'Oro in Venice and Villa Roma Imperiale a few blocks away, will sense a through line in the sophisticated design (like all of their hotels and homes, it has interiors by Piera Tempesti Benelli), the emphasis on genuine cuisine, and the warm hospitality conveyed by the mostly female staff. The rooms There are 17 rooms in the main building and a two-bedroom villa overlooking the pool. Like the public spaces, the rooms and suites embody a nostalgic Italian coastal style with a predominantly white color scheme accented by varying shades of greens and blues. The bathrooms feature colorful tiles with geometric patterns by Sicilian ceramicist Nicolo Giuliano and come stocked with full sized bottles of bath products by Florentine brand Santa Maria Novella. Each room is slightly different from the others; some have refurbished antique dressers from the original pensione, while others are adorned with contemporary art. The Apuan Terrace Loft features high ceilings and a large terrace. For more space and privacy, book the two-story, two-bedroom Villetta, which is essentially its own standalone home, albeit without a kitchen. Food and drink Though there's only one restaurant on the property, a snack or a drink is never too far away. The day starts with breakfast served a la carte on the veranda. I loved the croissant filled to order with pastry cream, which I attempted (unsuccessfully, no doubt) to offset with a green detox juice. Lunch is served here too, but during the day most guests prefer to head over to the family's beach club, Bagno Assunta, which serves classic Italian summer fare, like a solid insalata caprese and spaghetti alle arselle (tiny local clams). Complimentary tea and cookies are set out in the restaurant every afternoon from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and aperitivo is served from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For dinner, expect unfussy cuisine with a few flourishes (the signature seafood-filled ravioli are heart shaped). Upon request, you can opt for half or full board, a nod to the pensione's early days, when guests would have eaten all their meals there. The spa No spa, but a treatment room adjacent to the gym is in the works. Guests can book treatments with trusted local therapists through the concierge. The neighborhood/area Far from the glitzy Amalfi Coast, Tuscany's Versilia coast is a bit of an unsung beach destination in a country known for them. It's all about quiet luxury here: the big outdoor market, which takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays, sells cashmere sweaters and high thread count cotton sheets. Streets in the center of town are paved in marble from the nearby quarries of Carrara. Designers including Giorgio Armani and Prada have set up shop amid the more local boutiques, like La Cestaia, which sells the kind of rattan tableware and baskets that are all over Pensione America, and Giovanni del Forte, an artisan who makes made-to-measure wooden soled sandals. The sandy beach stretches on for miles, much of which is given over to beach clubs. It's very much a summer destination that starts to fill up in June and empties out as soon as school is back in session. Pensione America closes in October and reopens around Easter. The service The service leans toward the more low-key end of the scale, with staff who are friendly and ready to offer suggestions and make reservations. Complimentary bikes—the preferred mode of transportation in Forte—are on hand for guests to use and an electric vehicle (shared with sister property Villa Roma Imperiale) is available to shuttle guests around Forte upon request. For families Though this is an adults-only resort, teens are welcome from the age of 13 and up. The Apuan Terrace Loft can be joined together with the adjacent room and closed off for added privacy, but the best solution for families is the Villetta, which has an exterior staircase as well as an interior one, so teens who sneak off to La Capannina or Twiga can return in the wee hours of the morning without disturbing their parents. Eco effort Solar panels on the roof contribute to the property's energy use and the hotel avoids single use plastic whenever possible, opting for glass straws, for example. Nearly everything in the hotel was crafted by hand locally. Accessibility There are handicap accessible rooms and bathrooms as well as elevators to reach the upper floors. The lobby lounge, restaurant, and pool deck are on the ground floor. Anything left to mention? Guests staying at Pensione America have privileged access to the tents, umbrellas, and sunbeds at Bagno Assunta, where the first rows (those closest to the water) are reserved for them. The Maestrellis have also purchased the adjacent tennis club and are planning to revamp it and incorporate it into the hotel.
