Latvia ' s Burgeoning Spa Scene

Latvia ' s Burgeoning Spa Scene

A dishy five - minute perambulation from Riga ' s Old Site, ended crooked medieval houses, cobbled streets and handsome municipal buildings, takes you to the elegant Kronvalda Grounds. Once the playground of 19th - century sports club the Rifleman Society, the stadium was prone to the public in 1930 so they could adore strolls along sanguine - lined paths and over ostentatious bridges, with the calm waters of the Riga Station Canal passing below. Closest the grassland is Kronvalda Boulevard, a grand, lush coming along which trams rumble to and from the historic center. Here, in a simple but elegant 19th - century former horde storehouse is Taka Spa, one of the most colorful additions to Latvia ' s burgeoning spa scene.
Established in 2006 by former health journalist Dina Vjatere and her main man Agnita Vavere, the hub 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 upgrade judgment things with hands than with tackle. It gives us the expertise to interpret 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 bite scrubs and wraps, as well as yoga and Pilates classes in the airy space in the converted loft at the top of the condo.
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, domesticated 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 situation in terms of garish, the six - flag dwelling caters to the new, rich Latvians and wealthy tourists.
A giant Swarovski chandelier hangs down from the atrium. The dark profound propertied pool is more evocative of a disco. Gold - flecked walls shimmer, melody is moody and there is a bar sufficient Cristal champagne, fresh - fruit smoothies and sushi. There is and Riga ' s most prized gym, a expanded 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 kid sofas, modern art and piles of loganberries and apples to snack on, as well as the latest glossy magazines.
Treatments are both curative and relaxing. The Stressbuster combines head and support massage and a stormless eye treatment, while the spa ' s Amber Rainless 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 number Dome hotel ( www. domehotel. lv ), located in a 400 - year - old merchant building in the feelings of Old Riga. Here, a stone ' s cast from the Romanesque and early Gothic Dome Cathedral, quarter - weary guests can relax with a Kamisimo massage - a Japanese way using temperate rice - or a body shine in the hammam, using olive compound. This is a good option for weekenders looking for a fuss - free option in a great, historic locality.
As a difference to these locale spas, the scenic coastal resort of Jurmala - about an hour outside Riga - offers momentous for spa - seekers looking for a longer beachside pace. Jurmala has continued been a luxurious design for the well-heeled. Spa resorts - popular for the place ' s mineral springs and beer climate - were built in the 1800s, catering to Russian soldiers close the Napoleonic Wars. It was further a popular goal for Explorer camps, which sprang up here in the Soviet bit, and where heirs would come and spend the summer in the theraoeutic standing.
Many of the nice 19th - century wooden villas that once graced the lark - lined avenues of Jurmala have been torn down and replaced by more - elaborate holiday homes with manicured park and solitaire peacocks. The multitude of blacked - out SUVs in the driveways estimate at the propertied residents inside.
The Amber Spa ( www. amberspahotel. lv ) is a modern and sparkling addition to the historic spa scene here. Located on a quiet road, five daybook from clean white sands and calm seas, the spa has been catering because 2009 to the multitude of Russians and Latvians who pacific aggregate to the zone, and is now targeting the international market.
The spa was avowed by terminated Latvian nutriment - tennis expounder Vadim Sokolov after through the benefits of therapies he knowing as an athlete. It offers complete weeklong programs alike as weight - loss and sports therapy; locally gifted treatments using traditional herbs, buckwheat and birch; and amber massage, which uses the stones to stimulate muscles.
Rooms are furnished in orange and treacherous tones, as befits the burden of the spa ( Amber is Latvia ' s national stone ). Its excellent restaurant, My Life, offers healthy spa food close as pork loin with cranberries and, for breakfast, homemade yogurts and breads served with immense berries.
The spa offers a traditional Russian banya familiarity, involving a formula of hot saunas, cold baths and an refreshing banya besom treatment - a stimulating massage using birch or oak twigs. Display goes out of the window. You are asked to don a harmonious cap and are differential nude for much of it. Refreshments between treatments come in the form of cranberry juice, pickled herring and gherkins. The locale in the main spa is clean, serene and attractive, and the treatments have restorative aims - the tony mainly masseurs finding knots you never knew existed.
Even the sanatoriums of old, holdovers from the Communist - past 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, languish - clad chambers, dine on comfort food matching as borscht in the canteen and be treated to mud baths and mineral soaks, administered in ancient pitch - stiff tubs by stern babushkas. While basic, it ' s considered pleasure by locals, says director Viktor Daniloh: " Before, you used to just invention down in a mud pool in the cold. But it was difficult for the passion to take. "