I visited the luxury Edinburgh hotel spa that's transformed into a stylish Wes Anderson fantasy
This new retreat is dreamy
I’m lying on the treatment bed, completely zonked out, when I hear the deep rumble of a train from beneath.
It’s a rather cool experience, to be relaxing at the newly transformed spa at The Balmoral, and to suddenly remember that this place was built in 1902 as a railway hotel.
The clock tower is way above me, and the station below. There seem to be references to this history, in this subterranean spa’s redesign, which was headed by hotel owner Rocco Forte’s skincare expert daughter, Irene Forte.
The new Irene Forte Spa has a golden age of travel vibe, with its symmetrical patterns, but also a palette of shades that are inspired by Southern Italy, including a mural of lemon trees in the waiting room. There are no sharp edges anywhere, just soft rounded corners.It’s cocooning but also, for some reason, very aesthetically Wes Anderson-esque.
If you ever visited the old spa, you’ll recognise the pool, steam room and sauna, but everything else is very different, from the fitness suite to the chic changing rooms.
My treatment room - one of five of these spaces - is glorious, and I’m trying their 90-minute Peptide Power: The Wrinkle Smoothing Facial, which is one of their many new therapies, including a buccal facial that incorporates massage inside the cheeks (really). Among other things, you can also try the Scottish Cairngorm Quartz Healing Ritual, or get your nails painted in their beautiful Forte Vita Bar.
My facial is performed to a white-noise-ish soundtrack, and uses a selection of Irene Forte Skincare’s peptide-rich products.
There is a foamy deep cleanse, before a microcurrent probe-like device is used on my skin. If you don’t feel anything, we can turn up the setting, says my therapist, and I can’t resist going up to the max. There’s a light buzzing sensation, and the smaller muscles in my face seem to be waking up and flickering, like the stirrings of Frankenstein. It is not unpleasant.
After this collagen-boosting element, there’s some glorious massage, then some exfoliating and tingly gel is applied to my skin, before a hydrating sheet mask goes on top, and a red light is passed across my skin.
After all the techy elements, the remainder of the experience involves pure relaxation. There is a scalp rub, and the facial massage is so blissful, with gentle circuits of my orbitals and jawline, along with other tension taming moves that smooth out my resting angry face.
My therapist works right down to my decolette, then anoints me with a light gel that’s fragrant with hibiscus.
We’ve come to the last stop, and she asks if I’d like tea or water, before I head back to the changing room to examine my radiant glow and snatched epidermis.
That has to be one of the most pleasant journeys I’ve ever had.
Peptide Power: The Wrinkle Smoothing Facial is £175 for 90 minutes at Irene Forte Spa, The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh (0131 622 8880, www.roccofortehotels.com)
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