Tuscan Spa Relieves Tourist Tension

In Tuscany, there are many gorgeous places to make you feel good all over. Not only the fantastic Chianti wine, but the spas–they’re everywhere in this Italian province and use the natural environment and a skilled staff  to treat you right.

Carol Stigger wrote a story for GoNOMAD about an Italian spa called Adler Thermae Spa, where your spa days consist of Tuscan low calorie cuisine, selections from a well-stocked wine cellar with local vintages and the piece de resistance–the thermal baths in Chiusi.

She described some of the treatments of these spa weekend breaks

“The Etruscan mud bath was of historical interest, so I asked for an explanation, not an appointment. Nurturing muds are used to massage different body parts, each mud beneficial in its own esoteric way. A Cleopatra milk and honey wrap sounded sticky. The evening primrose wrap was tempting, but it would leave me scrimping in Rome.

The view from my terrace, bed and bathtub was a masterpiece. Green fields sloped up hills topped with terra cotta smears of ancient towns. I did not need a guidebook to identify the master. Lying on the bed, I watched shadows and sun veil and reveal a castle on the hill.

The next morning, I jumped into the indoor-outdoor pool, prepared for the astringent shock of cold water. But the pool, filled by thermal springs, is warm. I floated to a waterfall, then on to one of the Jacuzzi coves. My bathing suit almost blew off, but the water jets straightened every kink in my spine and loosened muscles that had been tourist-tensed for two weeks.

The Philosopher’s Cave

I investigated the steam baths and saunas and selected the olive wood sauna because it smelled so good. After my sauna, I could relax in a travertine grotto called the Philosopher’s Cave, on a waterbed in a silent, glass-walled room or beside the thermal where I stayed, with my feet in the water, until lunch. The harmony of bird song, waterfall, and thunk of a wooden waterwheel deepened my post-sauna daze.

Read more about Tuscan spas and travel to Italy on GoNOMAD.com