A new wellbeing retreat in the heart of Florence, La Spa at Helvetia & Bristol opened in April 2022. Featuring an extended hydrothermal zone that opens onto a caldarium and continues with an aquamotus (Vichy shower), there are also emotional showers, a sudatorium (Finnish sauna), a frigidarium and a tepidarium (salt room).
The Lacus Quietis offers two pools with water features, built in a space that once served as the vault of the Banco di Roma. The hydro circuit leads to an upper floor with three rooms for individual treatments, including a wellness suite that is equipped with a private Turkish bath.
History meets the modern day The philosophy of La Spa is modelled on the origins of the site itself – a union of the historical and the contemporary. Inspired by the Latin principle of mens sana in corpore sano it recreates the experience of a Roman baths in a contemporary setting. The spa is located on the spot where the Capitoline Baths of the Roman city of Florentia once stood, fragments of whose walls can still
be seen along the wellness circuit. bbspa Group and Starhotels’ architects Silvia Stoppacciaro and Francesca La Rosa have chanelled a minimalist and modern vision of the historic Roman bathing tradition.
“Being in the heart of Florence is already magical – especially in a building with such a rich history – but bringing back to life the ancient Roman bathing traditions is what makes this project so unique,” says Régis Boudon-Doris, founder and CEO of bbspa Group.
