Spa Guide: Alpina Gstaad | Country & Town House
Country & Town House: Good Spa Guide | August 2013
Six Senses Alpina Gstaad, Switzerland
The Alpina Gstaad
The first Six Senses to open in Switzerland is a temple to relaxation and tranquillity after a day swooshing down the woodland pistes of the Saanenland. Its no-expense-spared yet warm and soothing ambience strikes perfect note between jaw-dropping luxury and charm.
At 2,000sqm, it forms a large part of the new CHF300 million (£210 million) Alpina Gstaad hotel set into the mountainside above the alpine village of Gstaad. It’s the first luxury hotel to be built here in 100 years – take a horse-drawn carriage tour and you will see that the village is made entirely of chocolate-box chalets, many 250 years old and more.
Using only recycled farmhouse beams and wood panelling, the grand chalet-style hotel is spacious (there is a modern art collection on the walls, including Tracey Emin’s And I Said I Love You), yet it feels warm and intimate with its low lighting, soft furnishings and all-natural materials – even the pillars are leather-clad. A sweeping central staircase draws you in, where you are met with a roaring log fire in a softly lit open-plan lounge and bar. Gardens have been landscaped over the spa, and great lightwells spill daylight down into the pool and whirlpool baths.
The Six Senses ethos of using natural materials and organic shapes has created a sense of calm and flow. Twelve treatment rooms and an extensive wellness menu offer everything from Ayurveda and Asian massage, to hammam rituals and yoga. Three complementary spa brands have joined the portfolio. Ila, from the UK, uses organic ingredients ‘wild-harvested’ by indigenous producers; QMS Medicosmetics, from Germany, is a pioneering authority on skin ageing and regeneration based on the power of collagen; and Biologique Recherche is a high-end French beauty brand. Among the 60 treatments you’ll find a favourite or be adventurous and try something new.
Don’t miss Early risers can steal a magical moment – on a winter’s day, take a dip at dawn in the outdoor heated pool, the steam rising into the crisp alpine air, surrounded by mountains and fir trees.
Book it Doubles from 603 CHF (£425) including breakfast and 100 CHF (£70) credit in the hotel’s three restaurants.+ 41 33 888 9898; thealpinagstaad.ch