Ensconced within the sprawling oasis of Franschhoek’s celebrated Babylonstoren Wine Estate – amidst the award-winning restaurants and wine cellars; the luxurious hotel and cottage accommodations; and the verdant, labyrinthine food garden – lies the estate’s exquisite Garden Spa. A living extension of the garden itself, the spa is dressed in lush greenery to intimately reflect the seasons, while various lei water channels lend a soundtrack of gently burbling water to the deeply tranquil atmosphere. And now, in addition to the variety of spa treatments already on offer, Babylonstoren has greatly expanded this oasis to include a Hot Spa and a varied array of exciting and indulgent treats.
Elegantly designed beneath a handsome bamboo pavilion filled with clarifying natural light, the Hot Spa features a steam room, sauna, and salt room crafted entirely from blocks of raw Himalayan salt, believed to hold therapeutic properties. But the crowning glory of the new spa is its enormous pool: two circular vitality pools united by a 16-metre channel of water. Here, guests can steep themselves in the deliciously warm water of this indoor-outdoor pool environment before or after treatment. And for those who believe enough in ice-cold water’s physical and mental benefits to brave it, two smaller mosaic-tiled alcoves in the pool are filled with bitingly cold yet refreshing running water, offering a divine contrast to the rest of the hot pool.
Adjacent to the Hot Spa is an authentic hammam – an ancient Turkish cleansing room made of floor-to-ceiling marble and tiled in blue mosaic—and a Rasul chamber, where guests can experience a traditional Middle Eastern mud ritual consisting of mud scrubs for exfoliation and deep soaks for “radical skin nourishment”. Alternatively (or additionally), guests can indulge in Babylonstoren’s Garden Spa’s signature deep-tissue bamboo massage, a deluxe pedicure, or a wide variety of bespoke facials or yield themselves to the embrace of a hydrating Lilian Terry body wrap. Finally, what could be a better conclusion to the intuitive and thoughtfully orchestrated therapies by the Garden Spa than a healthy lunch at Babel or the Greenhouse Restaurant?
No matter which treatments or experiences guests embark upon here, this oasis within an oasis is a place to yield yourself to the healing power of nature and her elements. And, truly, if there were ever an earthly approximation of the fabled lands of Shangri-la, Babylonstoren’s newly expanded Garden Spa would be it.