There are several options and price ranges. You can do only the baths, or the baths and massages of varying lengths and types. My friend and I opted for a 90 minute bath and aroma therapy session and a 30 minute massage.
From the minute you walk in, the candles lining the walkway and the vaguely Middle Eastern string music creates a calming environment. You get a bracelet that identifies what sessions and treatment you’ve paid for, so don’t try hiding under water when your time is up, they’ll be onto you real quick.
The first stop is the locker room, which is pretty standard, although like with the beaches here, you encounter more free flying nudity than you would at a spa in America or the UK. Luckily I belonged to my local YMCA back in the states, so floppy old lady boobs being briskly toweled off don’t really phase me anymore.
Everyone wears a bathing suit, if you don’t bring yours they’ll provide you with one, but I brought my own (homie don’t play pre-worn swimsuits), though I did wear the little rubber-bottomed, mesh booties they provide.
Someone is waiting to guide you through every step which is very nice. I’m not sure if they speak any English, but you can pretty much get what’s going on by watching everyone else. We were directed to the showers first, and then led into the adjacent massage room. It was a great 30 minute massage. The only time I wasn’t relaxed was when, during the leg portion, my bathing suit bottoms were moved pretty much as far inward as they could go and I had to stop myself from giggling awkwardly and to resist the urge pull out the masseuse-induced wedgie.The entire massage and bath area is lit only by the hundreds of candles on the floors and shelves and lights in the pools. This helps make it more relaxing. The whole place is hot, dark and wet and the whole time you’re there you are slightly slippery and you don’t have anything to worry about; I think that is the closest I’ll ever get to knowing what it feels like to be a fetus.
The bath area is very open, though dark, with clusters of pools at both ends and a sauna in the center. At one end there is a warm salt water pool and a large whirlpool with some powerful jets. At the other end is a large warm pool, a smaller hot pool and two very small, very cold pools. The idea is to spend some time in the hot pool to open your pores, dip into the cold one to close your pores and then lounge in the warm pool to, I don’t know, give them a break I guess.
The sauna constitutes the aromatherapy portion of the session. The thick steam is strongly scented with menthol and eucalyptus; it’s like inhaling a cough drop. It’s quiet in there and since you have to close your eyes against the steam you might not notice if someone walks in. Take a look around before you start telling your friend a funny fart story because you might not be alone anymore; I learned that one the hard way.
You are free to roam from pool to pool at your leisure, or to sit on the built in benches along the walls and have water or tea. When the session ends they ring a bell and you make your way back to the locker room and reality.
Though I just went with a friend, there were a number of couples who seemed to really enjoy it, although I wished the perfectly sculpted, Ken and Barbie-type couple had been in a different session; I can’t fully relax when I keep feeling compelled to suck in my stomach. And contrary to what one person had told me, it didn’t appear to be a hotspot for sordid gay trysts- but maybe that happens at the late night session…
Aire de Barcelona is located at Paseo de Picasso, 22 in the neighborhood of El Born. Basically across the street from Ciutadella park, the closest metro stops are Jaume I on the Yellow L4 or Arc de Triumf on the Red L1 line. From either metro it will be a 10-15 minute walk. They are open every day except December 25 and January 1. There are hour and a half sessions that begin at 10am and go until 11:30pm, with a half hour gap in between each session. On Fridays, Saturdays and the eves of holidays there is also a midnight to 2am session. Prices range from€25 to €80 based on the massage services you opt for beyond the bath and aromatherapy. Make reservations to make sure you get the time you want. I’d suggest doing a late morning/early afternoon appointment so you can follow it up with a nice lunch in El Born.
0 comments:
Post a Comment