Mission To guzzle the entire menu of new spa treatments by
the fiercely fabulous fashion house Prada, at the glam post-Deco
Ritz-Carlton South Beach, over one weekend of winter sunshine in Miami.
Ambience South Beach is a slick city hotel, although the spa
sticks to corporate beige and lots of wood in its plush, pristine sanctum.
Shared facilities, such as a steam room, sauna, hot tubs and showers, are
immaculately tranquil. There is a great pool for hotel guests, which even
features a tanning butler, and weekly synchro shows by girls in 1950s-style
costumes.
USP Prada offers four 90-minute treatments, made with Prada
scents and extracts from magnolia, peony, bergamot and lotus. The most
unique element, however, is the application technique. The therapists
synchronise their massaging techniques with the guest’s breathing which
relaxes the guests, and helps the skin to absorb the ingredients.
Quality of experience Maritza, my Bolivian “aesthetician”,
was quick to decide, unsurprisingly after half a London winter and an
early-morning transatlantic flight, that what I needed was a deep clean,
called Exfoliant Visages, tailored to my skin type (pushing 40,
weather-worn/sensitive, ultra-fair). Under the influence of slow stretches
of neck and shoulders, the pacing of slow, deep breathing and the layer upon
layer of intensely fresh aromas wafting from the various unguents that
cleansed, purified and exfoliated, I was drifting towards a blissful coma
within 20 minutes. I barely noticed Maritza extracting the considerable
“congestion” around my nose and hairline, and by the hand massage had
achieved total surrender. The results were clear to the touch; my skin felt
dramatically finer, even glossy.
Products It was all Prada, darling. The ingredients have been
developed in Japan, Switzerland and the US, and allegedly mimic the skin’s
processes. Prada scent, and extracts from magnolia, peony, bergamot and
lotus, are incorporated into the lotions and potions.
Food The spa offers fruit, pastries, juices, coffee and teas;
the hotel boasts three restaurants with distinct characters.
In crowd A mix of well-maintained hotel guests and
well-heeled local regulars, both for routine maintenance and indulgent
splurges. South Beach’s specials, including the Carita Avant SoBe, the
ultimate five-and-a-half- hour spruce-up for a big night out, reflects the
hotel’s urbane, young, out-and-about appeal. Men and women in equal numbers
book massages, and in recent years the male takers for facial and body
treatments have rocketed.
Wallet watch Even with the considerable boost of the current
exchange rate, the Ritz-Carlton’s prices are unmistakably five-star. And
weighing in at between $275 and $375, the Prada treatments are priciest of
all. Still, you walk away with a bag of follow-up products, and doused in
half a bucket of Prada perfume.
Need to know The Ritz-Carlton Spa is at the Ritz-Carlton
South Beach, Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida. For further details phone
00 1 786 276 4000, and log on to
www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/south_beach/spa. Rupert Mellor travelled with
British Airways Holidays (0870 2433406; www.ba.com). Return flights from
London to Miami start at £309, and a four-night pack- age staying at the
Ritz-Carlton South Beach costs from £861 per person.
IF YOU LIKED THAT . . .
Montys, Somerset
Ousted in a boardroom coup, Roger Saul, founder of the Mulberry
fashion house, turned his attention from crafting leather bags to soothing
leathery skin. This retreat nurtures you inside and out, with a focus on
food as well as therapy.
Contact Montys, Charlton House Hotel, Shepton Mallet,
Somerset 01749 342009; www.montyspa.com
Bulgari Hotel spa, Milan
Retail and spa therapy go together like diamonds and for ever here.
Its Serenity treatment will balance body and mind, but at £300, may be not
your bank account.
Contact Bulgari Hotel Spa, Via Privata Fratelli Gabba, Milan,
00 39 02 805 8051; www.bulgarihotels.com
Palazzo Versace, Australia
Fittingly located on the Gold Coast, this haven of glitz and kitsch
is an extension of the Versace family empire.
Contact Palazzo Versace, Sea World Drive, Gold Coast,
Australia 00 61 7 5509 8000; www.palazzoversace.com
SUSANNAH DONNELLY
