Wellness Hotels along the Whale Route, South Africa

The Marine Hotel, Liz McGrath Collection / Carchele

A comprehensive list of treatments promises an experience that soothes the body, mind and spirit to leave one feeling refreshed and revitalised when visiting the Health and Beauty Spa at The Marine Hotel (Relais & Châteaux Hotel group) in Hermanus, South Africa.

Facilities at spa found at The Marine Hotel, Hermanus include a Steam Room and a Dynamic Hydro Bath Table for Mud and Gel Body Wrap treatments including Vicci shower. Carchele offers an exfoliation Sea Salt Scrub or a Body Massage next to the Tidal Pool whilst listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean. Revive your skin, purify your body, relax your mind, uplift your spirit, treat yourself to the health and luxury you deserve in the hands of Carchele's experts. Spa treatments which are offered at the Spa in The Marine Hotel Hermanus, South Africa, include Decleor Facials, Waxing, Tinting, Manicure, Pedicure, Paraffin Wax Treatments, Reflexology, Massage, Aromatherapy, Scalp Therapy, Algologie Spa Body Wraps, Make-Up.

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Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa, Kleinmond / Hermanus

The Altira Spa and Wellness Centre located at The Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa in Kleinmond / Hermanus, provides world-class facilities and programmes using only natural products. Acknowledged as one of the premier spa destinations in South Africa, it is also ranked as one of the top 100 spas in the world. The spa offers luxurious facial and body treatments, steam room, Rassoul Chamber and Hydropool. The world-first, sensory African Rainforest Experience combines free-flowing water, enveloping mist and a variety of African colours and fragrances to create a treatment that stimulates all the senses.

Located just a twenty minute drive from whale watchers haven of Hermanus, the Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa Resort boasts the internationally acclaimed AltiraSPA, the Kogelberg Nature Reserve and the 18-hole championship Arabella Golf Course, host to the Nelson Mandela Invitational for three years running. The region is rich in fynbos, bird life, exquisite mountain landscapes and endless recreational activities. Here, just 100km from Cape Town, you will enjoy access to comforts and amenities that replenish your energy and refresh your spirit. A world of rare beauty, where elegance is timeless, service is seamless and every day abounds with simple pleasures. A place where exquisite luxury is reflected in sublime details.

The Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa has taken the title of the best luxury coastal hotel in the World Luxury Hotel Awards.The awards attracted 150 nominations from Ireland, Bali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Dubai, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, France and South Africa.

The Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa is already known for its award-winning golf course and exceptional spa. But this award was judged on the complete experience rather than only the spa or the golf course. This and the fact that we were up against some exceptionally tough competition makes it particularly special.

The awards were judged by a panel of 50 travel industry consultants. The 16 judging criteria included facilities and service, food, attention to detail, scenic environment and effective management.

The Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa, is a short drive from South Africa's whale watching capital, Hermanus, and overlooks the beautiful Botriver Lagoon, which forms the eastern coastal boarder of the Koegelberg Biosphere Reserve.

It's golf course is considered one of the top five in the country and the spa and wellness Centre, have been recognised as amongst the '100 best Spas of the World'. It provides the full gamut of relaxation and beauty therapies from the African Rainforest Experience to therapeutic and regenerative facial and body treatments.

The 145-room luxury resort hotel boasts two restaurants and bars and a relaxed lounge. It is is part of the exclusive Luxury Collection, featuring some of the world's finest hotels and resorts. As such the spacious rooms are generously appointed and all feature large balconies or terraces, looking out over the Botriver Lagoon or the indigenous gardens.

As a guest at the Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa, access to AltiraSPA, one of the most prestigious health spas in South Africa, is complimentary. What an extraordinary pleasure to regenerate body, mind and spirit in an environment where nature and technology blends this seamlessly. The AltiraSPA combines traditional and modern therapies, artfully fusing Far Eastern and Western knowledge and using innovative beauty products of the highest quality. The result is a unique and effective synthesis that regenerates and restores, leaving you with a feeling of deep relaxation and balance.

Two beautiful, Greek goddesses - Althea, the healer and Saphira, the beautiful - combine to create 'Altira'. 'Beauty through healing' is the philosophy of every AltiraSPA. The seven pillars of wellbeing - beauty, harmony, vitality, aqua, life balance, nature and nutrition - combine to refresh and restore your body, your spirit and your soul. Each health spa is an oasis of calm, peace, pampering and relaxation that allows you to shed every layer of stress laid upon you by the outside world.

The health spa's holistic approach encompasses every aspect of mind-body well being. The range of spa treatments includes everything from health and fitness assessments and personal gym training to massage, wraps and pampering beauty treatments, is designed to make you feel expertly cared for.

The Arabella Western Cape Hotel and Spa is home to the world-first, sensory African Rainforest Experience, which comprises of therapeutic showers, scrubs, steam treatments, African colours and local fragrances to stimulate all senses.

The fifteen steps included in The African Rainforest Experience offered uniquely at the Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa are:

1. Exfoliation Room: Receive a soap or salt scrub on heated slab by a therapist10 minutes / To clear old, rough and dry skin and to make the skin more receptive to the treatment to come. Lying on a heated slab, the body is kept warm as the scrub is applied.
2. Ante Room: Guest to take a hot shower (or to be showered down by therapist). Afterwards guests ladle themselves from the cold water fountain in the ante room / 5 minutes. The hot shower warms the body up, relaxes the muscles and opens the pores of the skin. The cold-water splash then improves circulation. In order to be effective, these steps should not be rushed. They give the body a signal to start to detoxify.
3. Eucalyptus Steam Room experience (42ºC) / 10 minutes. The steam, in combination with eucalyptus, opens the pores and benefits the respiratory system. Plus, eucalyptus is very effective against headaches, fatigue and stress. The steam room further encourages relaxation and detoxification.
4. Cold Shower: Therapist or guest to ladle themselves from the cold water fountain in the Ante room / 3 minutes. After the high temperatures of the steam room, it is important to cool the body down. This further stimulates the lymphatic system to clear toxins.
5. Rest on mosaic slabs underneath heated aromatherapy towel / 5 minutes. Oils like lemongrass, lemon, orange, lavender, peppermint, ginger encourage relaxation and help to induce feelings of calm and serenity.
6. Aromatherapy Sauna (75ºC): Guest to select preferred Aromatherapy oil to be infused inside the sauna / 5 minutes. The aroma you choose is very important. Trust your instincts and go for the oil that appeals most to you at that moment. The therapist will also advise you on the effects of specific oils. The heat in the sauna helps increase the benefits of the oil - helping the body detoxify faster. The pores open and the body starts to perspire, flushing away toxins.
7. Waterfall Shower: Cool to cold shower or cold water hose / 2 minutes. For skin cleansing and to close the pores. Again lymphatic drainage is stimulated and circulation enhanced, helping to detox.
8. Dry heat Sauna (75ºC) / 5 minutes. The dry sauna causes more perspiring so the body is further cleansed. Muscles are relaxed by the heat.
9. Cold Mountain Mist / 5 minutes. Soft cold mist falls lightly down on the skin and cools the body down.
10. Dry Relaxation Beds / Rest for 15 minutes. Whilst relaxing, drink one glass of water, it is very important to drink a lot of fluids in situations as you are perspiring a great deal. This ensures that you detox but not dehydrate. Rest is also important when the circulation is stimulated. This is where the body calms down, refreshes and relaxes.
11. Reflexology Footbaths with pebbles / Alternate 3 times:
    •  3 minutes warm water (38ºC)
    •  1 minute cold water (as cold as possible)
    •  12 minutes
    The warm water regulates the body temperature. Through heat, the water will activate circulation, giving a relaxed and calm feeling.
12. Rainforest Shower Beds (30-40ºC)
    •  3 minutes soft rain lying on back
    •  3 minutes pulsating rain lying on stomach
    •  6 minutes
    Pamper and relax under a cascade of warm water. This treatment is for the soul. Remember our bodies are over 90% water. A relaxed mind helps bring your heart rate down.
    Rest Area - 30 minutes
13. Drying and application of soothing and rehydrating moisturizers / 10 minutes. After the hot sauna and using the showers, the skin needs its moisture replenished with soft, hydrating cream.
14. Relaxation experience in the Candle Room / Whilst rehydrating with a glass of water / 30 minutes. Your body's detox system has been activated but you will be feeling very, very relaxed. Fall asleep, allow the body to calm and awake feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
15. African Tea Ceremony / 10 minutes. Time for Tea. The ingredients are important. A rooiboos /chamomile mix is relaxing. A Rooiboos/ peppermint mix is detoxifying and cleansing.
16. Total time - 130 minutes.