Sometimes you just have to blow the budget and do something special. I’d had my eye on a few of the very special looking Spas on the way through Spain, and in Seville it was finally time to (literally) take the plunge.
Based on the layout and process of ancient baths and hammams, the ‘Aire’ baths are found in New York, Chicago, Seville, Almeria, Barcelona and Vallromanes. Each offers similar services and experiences and if you can, check out something like this at least once in your life. We all deserve it.
AIRE spaces are temples dedicated to the relaxation of body and mind in which time does not exist. Inspired by the tradition of baths from ancient Roman, Greek and Ottoman civilizations, the AIRE Experience always takes place in restored historical buildings in the center of cities.
Cameras aren’t allowed inside, so our photos here are taken from the Aire Facebook page to illustrate quite how special this place is. It’s a quiet space, ideally silent, for you to relax, forget the outside world and the stresses of modern life, and just allow the waters to sooth you. We start in the courtyard with soft sofas, colorful old tiles, the sound of running water in the fountains, and a lush setting of plants. Hushed voices are encouraged from this point. There’s a feeling of anticipation for the treat we are about to experience.
We’re called through to the changing rooms by our hostess where you are given a bathrobe, a big fluffy towel and a set of water shoes. Swimsuits are to be worn, and the baths are mixed, although originally bathing would have taken place naked in same-sex groups. It was great to visit as a couple, and we found most of the other people there were couples too. It’s a very romantic atmosphere and experience.
Once changed, you enter the relaxation area where you can enjoy tea or fruit infused water. If you get a little overheated, you can come here to cool off. It also acts as a hub for the baths area, with the various baths and treatments all leading off from this room.
Then your ultimate relaxing and pampering time begins. You have a 90 minute session in the various pools with the standard entry. We added on a 30 minute couples massage for a combined 2 hours session of pure bliss. That cost €115 for the both of us. A big splurge for sure!
The spa contains:
- A large warm bath, where most people seem to spend most of the time. The temperature is just perfect.
- A hot bath, takes a while to be able to sink down into this one
- A cold plunge pool, and we mean cold. Ice falls down from a chute into the water and it’s freezing. It was strange after a while that instead of feeling so cold, a feeling of warmth would spread through you.
- A steam room, where there is so much steam, when you enter you can’t see anything and have to feel around to find somewhere to sit. It feels hot and a bit overpowering to start with, then your eyes and lungs get accustomed and it’s magical.
- A salt floatation bath, where you can simply lie back and let the water take your weight. Truly an amazing experience and the very salty water makes your skin feel like new.
- A huge jacuzzi with various different style of jet stations. With over 1000 jets, and buttons to press for bubbles on demand, this is great fun and it feels good to have the water pressure massage your muscles.
- A treatment area where massages and other amazing treats await.
The whole ambiance of the place cannot be easily explained in words. With candles providing all of the lighting, flickering off the ancient stonework and arches, the way the ripples on the water bounce light off the richly painted ceilings, the feeling of being somewhere really special – we simply cannot describe how wonderful it was.
The number of people there is always limited so it feels very exclusive and never crowded.
About an hour into the baths circuit, we were called for our couples massage. As we settled down on the soft beds, were covered in warm thick towels and breathed in the air fragranced by scented candles, we glanced across at each other and smiled. Oh yeah, we may have totally blown the budget on this one, but it was worth every penny.
