Spa Time in Switzerland

As one of the world’s premier spa destinations, Switzerland is a treasure trove of wellness sanctuaries. Raul Dias introduces you to a luxurious trio of the country’s best spas!

By Raul Dias

Topping the list for its serene beauty and superb quality-of-life, Switzerland places a great premium on wellness and health. No surprise then, that these three spa havens that we’ve curated, are the perfect combination of the legendary Swiss hospitality, European wellness practices and modern therapies. All this, in settings that are both luxurious and soothing at the same time!  

Palace Wellness Spa at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, St. Moritz
Voted Switzerland’s Best Hotel Spa at the World Spa Awards 2017, the legendary Badrutt’s Palace Hotel’s spa is an oasis of tranquility and rejuvenation. Aptly called the Palace Wellness Spa, the subterranean, cave-like spa is a mammoth 1,700 square meters of luxury with the oval indoor pool at its very core. The spa has a treatment center with 10 treatment rooms, two private spa-suites, an in-house hairdressing salon, Solarium, four massage treatment rooms and additional beauty treatment rooms. In the Wet Zone are several saunas, steam baths, multi-sensory showers and quiet rooms with breathtaking views of the St. Moritz Alps.
Some of the most popular treatments at the spa are their two two-day packages called The Morning After and The Burn Off. While the former focuses on detoxing the system and then regenerating it through a beneficial scalp and body massage complete with facial, The Burn Off package is a literal fat burner. A 70-minute workout packs a punch at the calories followed by an Alpine body wrap to firm and tone the body.

Eden Roc Spa at Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona
Gently perched on the shoreline of Lake Maggiore that is shared by Italy and the Italian-speaking Ticino Canton of Switzerland, the mighty Hotel Eden Roc is luxury and comfort at its very best. At the core of this Swiss brand of hospitality is the Eden Roc Spa, a 2,000 square meter wellness oasis reflective of the unique environment surrounding the lake.
As inspiration for its furnishing, Ascona interior designer Carlo Rampazzi took the incomparable Ticino floral environment. Flowers are the dominant theme of the Eden Roc Spa. They are intended to convey the guest a feeling of springtime—whatever the time of year.
In addition to the two indoor and outdoor pools, the water world—shimmering in the colours of Lake Maggiore from blue to gray—offers guests a hydropool with various whirlpool recliners in which to relax: the Kneipp path is constructed out of stones from the nearby Maggia River. In addition, the Eden Roc Spa offers a spacious sauna world with steam bath, sanarium, Finnish sauna and an exclusive private area for ladies as well as a fitness center with state-of-the-art Technogym machines and a hairdresser.  

The DOT.Spa at Kurhaus Cademario Hotel & Spa, Cademario
“Location, location, location,” that was the motto for the stunning Kurhaus Cademario Hotel & Spa situated in Cademario above Lugano in Switzerland’s Canton of Ticino. At 850 meters above sea level, it remains the highest lying wellness hotel and spa in sunny Ticino. The center was founded in 1914 by Dr. Adolf Keller who focused on “physical and psychological well-being”.
The 2,200 square meter DOT.Spa’s interior design mirrors four of the five geomantic elements: water—represented by spring water and natural cascades, wood—through the birch trees and woods that surround the spa. Earth is present through the interior use of stone, Metal is present in the natural properties found in the natural spring water. This Wellness Oasis is divided into different zones, both outside and indoors where the guest is pampered with medical as well as aesthetic treatments in the 10 sun-filled treatment rooms. From the indoor pool one can move to the outdoor section with its whirlpool elements and at the same time enjoy the view of the lake and mountains.
Interestingly, The DOT.Spa was one of the first in Switzerland to offer Hydro Colon Therapy, which purges and regenerates the entire body. In the grotto-like pool section, one can relax in the salt-water baths filled with Cademario spring water. A waterfall and a gush shower round off the Sole baths offerings. In the Sauna zone everyone finds their fit: From a Turkish-style Hamam to Salt Tepidarium to the Finnish and Bio Sauna, everything is available. Perfect bliss, isn’t it?

FACT FILE

Getting There
There are daily direct flights from India to Zurich, Switzerland on world-class airlines such as Swiss International Airlines. From Zurich, the extensive network of Swiss Railways gets you just about anywhere in luxury and comfort. Visit www.swiss.com for more information.

When to Visit
A great all-year-round destination, Switzerland is equally wonderful in the spring and summer months from May to September—when one can enjoy hiking in the lush hills and mountains—as it is in winter from December to March when the ski season transforms the country into a snow-covered winter wonderland. Visit www.swissinfo.ch for more information.

Accommodation
All three of the spas on this list are part of some of the best luxury hotels in the country that boast of stunning vistas, unrivalled beauty, attentive service and overall decadence:

* The Badrutt’s Palace Hotel and Spa, St. Moritz (www.badruttspalace.com)
* Hotel Eden Roc, Ascona (www.edenroc.ch)
* Kurhaus Cademario Hotel & Spa, Cademario (www.kurhauscademario.com)

(An edited version of this article appeared in the 5th October 2018 issue of the Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper, India on pages 14 & 15. http://www.afternoondc.in/48-hrs/spa-time-in-switzerland/article_232811)

4 Reasons Why Ticino is Switzerland’s Best Kept Secret

With its sunny, almost-Mediterranean climate and relaxed, laid-back vibe, the Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino in the south of Switzerland is a hidden jewel waiting to be discovered. Raul Dias shows you another facet of this perennial tourist favourite!  

Ascona (pic courtesy: Switzerland Tourism)

By Raul Dias

1. Ascona on Lake Maggiore
Lying at the delta of the River Maggia in a unique, sun-drenched bay, the pretty town of Ascona is often described as “the pearl of Lake Maggiore”. Although popular with local Swiss travellers as a top-quality holiday resort, not much is known about Ascona on the global travel scene. Not anymore, we say! With the motto here being “l’arte di vivere” or “the art of living”, Ascona puts on a mighty show with its irresistible waterfront on the Piazza Giuseppe Motta that is home to numerous restaurants, cafés and bars that stay open until the wee hours. Yet Ascona is more than just a chic party place: this picturesque resort town has a rich cultural and historical heritage. Especially impressive are the Baroque façades of the Casa Serodine and the neighbouring parish church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, a pillared basilica dating from the 16th century, of which the high bell-tower or campanile is the symbol of Ascona. Lake Maggiore is another one of its calling cards. As the largest lake in Southern Switzerland, with its shoreline divided between the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy and the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino, the lake is perfect for a leisurely afternoon sail down its placid waters.

2. Monte Verità: Europe’s Only Tea Plantation
Monte Verità, also known as ‘The Mountain of Truth’—that sits mighty above Ascona—is a unique place. Not only is it the spot where revolutionists, artists and philosophers once used to experiment new ways of life, but it is also the place that has mainland Europe’s only tea plantation. This botanic miracle has become a reality, on the one hand because of the unique microclimate, and on the other thanks to Peter Oppliger an expert in medicinal plants who calls himself a “tea philosopher”. After years of experimentation, it was only in the autumn of 2005 that the first harvest could successfully be made into a small amount of green tea. Oppliger’s aim, it is said, is not commercial cultivation, but to show those who are interested the working of tea cultivation and production. “Il sentiero del tè” (The Tea Way) is a course which has been built according to Japanese philosophy. Along this free-to-all path built into the slopes of Monte Verità, visitors can experience every aspect of the culture of tea from its production to its appreciation.

3. The Quaint Little Village of Gandria
Few places in Ticino are photographed as much as the beautiful little village of Gandria on Lake Lugano. As the last village of Switzerland before the border with neighbouring Italy, Gandria has a distinct Italian look and feel to it. And the best way to get a pulse of the magic of this former fishing village is to roam its narrow streets on foot. However, it is said that the lake is the best vantage point to see the terraced houses rising up the hillside below the Baroque San Vigilio Church. You can also reach the town of Lugano by boat in a matter of minutes. The alternative is to walk along the olive path, which meanders through woods and olive groves on the lake shore. Don’t miss checking out the information boards along the seven-kilometer route that offer valuable insights into the history, botany, cultivation, and oil made from the olive fruit.

4. Fall for Lugano’s Charms
As the largest town in Ticino, Lugano is not only Switzerland’s third most important financial center, but also a town of parks and flowers, villas and sacred buildings. With an unmissable Mediterranean flair, Lugano offers all the advantages of an excellent city, combined with the cachet of a small town. Located in a bay on the northern side of Lake Lugano, surrounded by the mounts San Salvatore and Brè, any side you look will reward you with splendid views. The traffic-free historic town center, the famous exclusive-shopping street of Via Nassa or the gourmet-street Via Pessina, the numerous buildings in Lombardy style, the exclusive museums, the mountains, lake and a packed calendar of events all suggest the decidedly Italian-inspired good life or “dolce vita”. By the lakeside promenade, don’t miss the Belvedere Garden, where the parkland boasts not only of camellias and magnolias but also of countless sub-tropical plants and modern works of art and sculptures.

(An edited version of this article appeared on 25 July 2018 in Travel + Leisure, India and South Asia http://travelandleisureindia.in/ticino-is-a-swiss-secret-canton/)

Notes from Switzerland

By Raul Dias

Fronted by the magnificent views of the hills of the city of Ascona on its Northwestern shoreline, Lake Maggiore—or ‘Lago Maggiore’ to use the lingua franca of Switzerland’s Italian speaking region of Ticino—is a rather unique waterbody. Not only is it the largest lake in Southern Switzerland, with its shoreline divided between the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy and the Swiss canton of Ticino, but Lake Maggiore also holds within its placid waters a little secret. Tea.

Down to the Tea
Yes, around one hundred tea plants can be found on the Isola Grande, the larger of the lake’s two islands, close to the Ascona shoreline. But with these planted as mere sample crops, Ascona’s true claim to fame as home to mainland Europe’s (there is another on the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands of Portugal) first and only tea plantation, however, lies a little farther up a hill. Aptly called Monte Verità or ‘Mountain of Truth’, it was on this hill, perched precariously above the city of Ascona, where revolutionists, artists and philosophers once used to experiment new ways of life, all thanks to one man.
In 1964, Baron Eduard von der Heydt bequeathed the Monte Verità complex to the Swiss Republic and Canton of Ticino with the request that “Monte Verità be used for international artistic and cultural activities at the highest level”. So, in the mid-90s, taking this request seriously, Peter Oppliger an expert in medicinal plants and self-confessed ‘tea philosopher’ started experimenting with cultivating tea plant saplings brought in from India, China, Sri Lanka and Japan.
However, it was only in the autumn of 2005 that this botanic miracle of cultivating tea in Europe became a reality, thanks to Oppliger’s efforts and because of Ascona’s unique microclimate. It was then that the first harvest of the Camellia Sinensis variety of tea could successfully be made into a small amount of green tea.

Japan in Switzerland!
Today, in-keeping with the Monte Verità communal philosophy, combined with Oppliger’s aim of non-commercial cultivation, the modest-sized plantation is open for free to all those who are interested in understanding tea cultivation and production. Set up to resemble a bucolic Japanese tea garden, replete with gurgling streams, a zen garden and a gazebo, it is here where volunteers take guests on a tea quest of sorts.
“Il sentiero del tè” or “The Tea Way” is a course which has been built according to Japanese philosophy. Along this path, tea enthusiasts get to experience every aspect of the culture of tea from around the world. With everything from our very own desi chai deconstructed, to the modern-day trend of cold brewing explained to the, well…T!
However, it is at the last station, where the most intense of all tea experiences takes place. In a purpose-built Japanese style log cabin called a chashitsu, guests are taken through a ritual chanoyu Japanese tea ceremony.

Add Ons…
But it’s not all about tea atop Monte Verità. For architectural style enthusiasts like myself, the Monte Verità Hotel next to the tea plantation with its large communal balconies and wide corridors presented itself as a perfect specimen of the languid, rather fluid lines of the Bauhaus architectural movement of the mid-20^th century. A style that itself was born out of the post-WWII need for austerity by embracing utilitarianism and community, while vehemently condemning ornamentation of any kind and thus a continuation of Baron Eduard von der Heydt’s ideology of fostering artistic and communal expression.

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 22nd July 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 7 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/notes-from-switzerland/article24481825.ece)