The baths offer seven hydrotherapy pools, for up to 14 bathers at one time / photo: Aire Ancient Baths
Since ancient times, public bathing has been an integral social and cultural unifier – bringing the powerful benefits of hydrotherapy to the masses.
Drawing on this notion, Aire Ancient Baths launched its first bathing facility in Seville, Spain in 2000, taking inspiration from the best of Greek, Roman and Ottoman traditions. Today, it has a portfolio of eight urban locations in the US, Copenhagen and Spain and has just opened in London, UK.
First impressions Entering Aire Ancient Baths London I’m welcomed with the comforting smell of orange blossom – a signature component of all Aire experiences – and face-masked staff greet me with elastic wristbands indicating my spa package and bathing duration.
Aire’s traditional blueprint is evident as the spa is set within a restored historical building that reimagines the classic tradition of thermal baths in a contemporary fashion.
The London experience has a unique charm and is housed in the restored 18th-century townhouse home of celebrated author JM Barrie who penned the childhood classic, Peter Pan.
Following the pandemic, the industry has been keenly monitoring interest in spas and staff proudly reveal Aire London has been fully booked since launch day. During my visit, only eight bathers are allowed during a 120-minute slot, which I’m pleased to hear after feeling uneasy about crowded spaces. Since then, restrictions have lifted and 14 bathers are now allowed.
Down in sleek, grey and uncluttered locker rooms I shower and put on my costume and a pair of bathing socks (as politely instructed), before being escorted through a dark wooden door and down a candle-lit staircase to the softly-lit subterranean bathing area. The spa’s heat and orange blossom fragrance wash over me as I’m given a brief tour of the facilities.
Hydrotherapy hideaways The labyrinth-like, compact facility houses seven hydrotherapy pools, a steamroom and a relaxation room.
It’s been restored with original features such as deep red vaulted brick ceilings with intricate details and these are cleverly juxtaposed by smooth pale marble and dark wooden furniture, illuminated by glowing candles and softly lit pools. Part of the spa’s design remit was to transport guests back to the simplicity and tone of the bathing experiences of antiquity and it does just this.
All visits are sold in packages consisting of a 90-minute free roam of the baths, with the option of treatments afterwards. I begin my thermal journey in the tepidarium pool (36˚C) as recommended by the spa team to help my body prepare for contrast bathing. On first impressions, the lack of daylight, controlled numbers and abundance of private nooks makes for a soothing introduction, as it helps you switch off and disconnect.
I make my way to a marble peppermint-scented steamroom, then the vaporium, and its bracing in-built frigidarium (10˚C) and progress into the balneum, aka the Bath of a Thousand Jets – which is surprisingly even more vigorous than the name suggests!
The treatment Next I’m booked in for a 120-minute bathing experience incorporating a 30-minute massage for £150 (US$207, €176). My therapist, Roxanne, begins by removing my socks and proceeds to work through knots in my back with sweetly-scented almond oil, while adding some invigorating assisted stretching. She’s extremely attentive, checking I’m comfortable and that the pressure is just right.
After treatment, she places warmed socks back onto my feet – a pleasant finale. Personally, the treatment journey feels a little rushed with no post-treatment advice or water, instead I’m politely sent to get changed so I can restart my bathing experience.
Feeling relaxed, I re-acclimatise with the tepidarium and then visit the caldarium pool (40˚C) which is like stepping into a vast hot bath. The caldarium is the hottest pool on offer and is complete with a glass covered archway separating it from Aire’s vinotherapy room. Stacked with vintage-style emerald green wine bottles, this is where guest can soak in a wine bath for 30 minutes as part of the 180-minute Wine Bath Experience costing £450 (US$627, €528).
I make my way to the relaxation room, comforted by fragrant tea. The room has a soothing ambience, but would benefit from loungers or seating.
Finally, I head to Aire’s salt-water flotarium where the pool’s high salt concentration enables total weightlessness. The room is enhanced with a shower alcove with salt granules to exfoliate and reinvigorate yourself afterwards.
Just as I think to myself that I could float for hours, a delicate bell chime tells me it’s the end of my session. When I emerge from the underground baths, my skin has a dewy glow, my mind is calmer and my upper back feels relaxed. It takes my eyes and body a few seconds to adjust to daylight and the bustle of modern London. I feel I’ve been transported – either that or perhaps this is how it feels to have travelled back in time.
Megan Whitby is assistant editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 3
Editor's letter: All about the people
With global staff shortages threatening to stall economic recovery, it’s time to reboot our commitment to driving improvements in pay and working conditions across the spa and wellness industry
Spa people: Dr Mark Hyman
Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
New opening: Six Senses Shaharut
Six Senses has opened the doors to its new 60-key retreat in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, complete with a 1,900sq m, two-level spa and wellness sanctuary
New opening: QC NY
A 74,000sq ft Italian day spa has opened on New York’s Governors Island after a US$50m investment and seven years of planning, building and restoration.
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
We talk to the global head of spa at Marriott International about navigating the global lockdown, re-imagining the company's brand portfolio and what it will take to succeed post-COVID-19
Sponsored: Time out
Answering a growing demand
for non-invasive, anti-ageing skin
care, Comfort Zone is relaunching
its Sublime Skin line with a new
filler-like natural formula that
reverses cellular degeneration
Research: Total impact
Latest ISPA report considers the economic fallout of the pandemic and the spa industry's road to recovery
Sponsored: Gharieni Group
CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about his relentless drive
to deliver innovative products to underpin operators’ success
Analysis: Role model
What business models are showing the most potential in the wellness industry? Lyndsay Madden Nadeau shares her insights
Interview: Lorenzo Giannuzzi
The hospitality veteran dreamed of reinventing an historic Italian palazzo as a world-class medical spa. Lisa Starr went to find out more
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin
Snow rooms are creating a ‘wow’ factor for customers,
while reducing operating costs in the delivery of hot and cold
experiences
Interview: Gloria Caulfield
The executive director of Lake Nona wellness community talks about tapping into the latest tech to create healthy living environments
Software: Revenue management
How software suppliers have been supporting spas to get savvy with yield management since the pandemic began
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme
Iyashi Dôme’s touchless infrared tech is the perfect investment for the post-lockdown world, says Florent Cornelis
The baths offer seven hydrotherapy pools, for up to 14 bathers at one time / photo: Aire Ancient Baths
Since ancient times, public bathing has been an integral social and cultural unifier – bringing the powerful benefits of hydrotherapy to the masses.
Drawing on this notion, Aire Ancient Baths launched its first bathing facility in Seville, Spain in 2000, taking inspiration from the best of Greek, Roman and Ottoman traditions. Today, it has a portfolio of eight urban locations in the US, Copenhagen and Spain and has just opened in London, UK.
First impressions Entering Aire Ancient Baths London I’m welcomed with the comforting smell of orange blossom – a signature component of all Aire experiences – and face-masked staff greet me with elastic wristbands indicating my spa package and bathing duration.
Aire’s traditional blueprint is evident as the spa is set within a restored historical building that reimagines the classic tradition of thermal baths in a contemporary fashion.
The London experience has a unique charm and is housed in the restored 18th-century townhouse home of celebrated author JM Barrie who penned the childhood classic, Peter Pan.
Following the pandemic, the industry has been keenly monitoring interest in spas and staff proudly reveal Aire London has been fully booked since launch day. During my visit, only eight bathers are allowed during a 120-minute slot, which I’m pleased to hear after feeling uneasy about crowded spaces. Since then, restrictions have lifted and 14 bathers are now allowed.
Down in sleek, grey and uncluttered locker rooms I shower and put on my costume and a pair of bathing socks (as politely instructed), before being escorted through a dark wooden door and down a candle-lit staircase to the softly-lit subterranean bathing area. The spa’s heat and orange blossom fragrance wash over me as I’m given a brief tour of the facilities.
Hydrotherapy hideaways The labyrinth-like, compact facility houses seven hydrotherapy pools, a steamroom and a relaxation room.
It’s been restored with original features such as deep red vaulted brick ceilings with intricate details and these are cleverly juxtaposed by smooth pale marble and dark wooden furniture, illuminated by glowing candles and softly lit pools. Part of the spa’s design remit was to transport guests back to the simplicity and tone of the bathing experiences of antiquity and it does just this.
All visits are sold in packages consisting of a 90-minute free roam of the baths, with the option of treatments afterwards. I begin my thermal journey in the tepidarium pool (36˚C) as recommended by the spa team to help my body prepare for contrast bathing. On first impressions, the lack of daylight, controlled numbers and abundance of private nooks makes for a soothing introduction, as it helps you switch off and disconnect.
I make my way to a marble peppermint-scented steamroom, then the vaporium, and its bracing in-built frigidarium (10˚C) and progress into the balneum, aka the Bath of a Thousand Jets – which is surprisingly even more vigorous than the name suggests!
The treatment Next I’m booked in for a 120-minute bathing experience incorporating a 30-minute massage for £150 (US$207, €176). My therapist, Roxanne, begins by removing my socks and proceeds to work through knots in my back with sweetly-scented almond oil, while adding some invigorating assisted stretching. She’s extremely attentive, checking I’m comfortable and that the pressure is just right.
After treatment, she places warmed socks back onto my feet – a pleasant finale. Personally, the treatment journey feels a little rushed with no post-treatment advice or water, instead I’m politely sent to get changed so I can restart my bathing experience.
Feeling relaxed, I re-acclimatise with the tepidarium and then visit the caldarium pool (40˚C) which is like stepping into a vast hot bath. The caldarium is the hottest pool on offer and is complete with a glass covered archway separating it from Aire’s vinotherapy room. Stacked with vintage-style emerald green wine bottles, this is where guest can soak in a wine bath for 30 minutes as part of the 180-minute Wine Bath Experience costing £450 (US$627, €528).
I make my way to the relaxation room, comforted by fragrant tea. The room has a soothing ambience, but would benefit from loungers or seating.
Finally, I head to Aire’s salt-water flotarium where the pool’s high salt concentration enables total weightlessness. The room is enhanced with a shower alcove with salt granules to exfoliate and reinvigorate yourself afterwards.
Just as I think to myself that I could float for hours, a delicate bell chime tells me it’s the end of my session. When I emerge from the underground baths, my skin has a dewy glow, my mind is calmer and my upper back feels relaxed. It takes my eyes and body a few seconds to adjust to daylight and the bustle of modern London. I feel I’ve been transported – either that or perhaps this is how it feels to have travelled back in time.
Megan Whitby is assistant editor of Spa Business magazine
| [email protected]
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 3
Editor's letter: All about the people
With global staff shortages threatening to stall economic recovery, it’s time to reboot our commitment to driving improvements in pay and working conditions across the spa and wellness industry
Spa people: Dr Mark Hyman
Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
New opening: Six Senses Shaharut
Six Senses has opened the doors to its new 60-key retreat in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, complete with a 1,900sq m, two-level spa and wellness sanctuary
New opening: QC NY
A 74,000sq ft Italian day spa has opened on New York’s Governors Island after a US$50m investment and seven years of planning, building and restoration.
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
We talk to the global head of spa at Marriott International about navigating the global lockdown, re-imagining the company's brand portfolio and what it will take to succeed post-COVID-19
Sponsored: Time out
Answering a growing demand
for non-invasive, anti-ageing skin
care, Comfort Zone is relaunching
its Sublime Skin line with a new
filler-like natural formula that
reverses cellular degeneration
Research: Total impact
Latest ISPA report considers the economic fallout of the pandemic and the spa industry's road to recovery
Sponsored: Gharieni Group
CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about his relentless drive
to deliver innovative products to underpin operators’ success
Analysis: Role model
What business models are showing the most potential in the wellness industry? Lyndsay Madden Nadeau shares her insights
Interview: Lorenzo Giannuzzi
The hospitality veteran dreamed of reinventing an historic Italian palazzo as a world-class medical spa. Lisa Starr went to find out more
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin
Snow rooms are creating a ‘wow’ factor for customers,
while reducing operating costs in the delivery of hot and cold
experiences
Interview: Gloria Caulfield
The executive director of Lake Nona wellness community talks about tapping into the latest tech to create healthy living environments
Software: Revenue management
How software suppliers have been supporting spas to get savvy with yield management since the pandemic began
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme
Iyashi Dôme’s touchless infrared tech is the perfect investment for the post-lockdown world, says Florent Cornelis
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
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