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The elegant Villa Europa in Bento Gonçalves is a destination spa that specializes in the exclusive Caudalie vinothérapie. The grape-inspired facial and body treatments were developed about 10 years ago in Bordeaux, France.
Spa do Vinho at the Villa Europa
A spa experience is personal. One size doesn’t fit all. Whether the spa focuses on luxurious pampering, therapeutic treatments, or techniques for enhancing beauty, its services tend to be customized. A spa offers a refuge, a haven from the hectic demands of contemporary life. It’s a cocoon. You should emerge like a butterfly, feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
I recently visited three spas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state. Each is uniquely designed to accommodate a different expectation. Two, Serrano Resort Convenções & Spa and Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa, are in Gramado. A great getaway, Gramado is a favorite vacation destination of sophisticated South Americans who seek European ambience and continental cuisine. The third, the Spa do Vinho at the Villa Europa, is in nearby Bento Gonçalves, the heart of Brazil’s fine wine-producing region.
Serrano Resort Convenções & Spa
Romance is in the air at Serrano Resort Convenções & Spa, a luxurious lodge nestled in the Gaucho Mountains and hugged by hillsides of hydrangeas. The centerpiece of its secluded garden is a topiary sculpture of a man and woman dancing with joyous abandon.
The mood at the Serrano spa is sensuous. Soft lights, tranquil music, and aromatherapy caress the senses. Many of the treatment rooms are furnished for couples with side-by-side massage tables and capacious hot tubs. A single red rose is discreetly arranged atop snuggly white towels that invite gentle rubdowns.
With the amenities of a resort and urban attractions a short walk away, resorts like Serrano have ushered in a new wave of thinking about spa vacations.
Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa
The award-winning Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa (KUR) looks like an ultra-modern boutique hotel. The floors are polished white marble. The furnishings are gleaming steel and glass. Yet, for all its hard-edged décor, the professional staff is warm and friendly.
This is a wellness spa. It offers a complete menu of facials, massages, hair, cosmetic, and other spa services, but the emphasis is on restoring and maintaining health. It aims to give guests the tools they need to integrate healthful habits into their lifestyle at home.
A nutritionist plans the seven small meals a day and all the food is organic. Vegetables benefit from minimal cooking. No red meat is served. A typical buffet lunch includes gazpacho, tuna and salmon on toasted French bread, assorted cheeses, risotto, and fruit trays. All the beverages are caffeine-free. The menu features herbal teas and various juices.
The KUR is family- owned and operated by a doctor with his wife and their four daughters, two of whom are also physicians. A first-time guest begins with a medicinal consultation that includes a psychologist to customize the treatment plan. This is the protocol whether the guest books the new mom and baby program or wants help to stop smoking, reduce stress, or control weight.
A variety of options address stress reduction, including a relaxation room with cushy chairs, soft music, and a waterfall, a gentle stream of water continuously washing over a glass wall. I tried the NASA chair, which simulates an astronaut’s feeling of weightlessness in space. In a darkened room with pinpoints of light on the blue walls and ceiling to represent stars in the night heavens, I was strapped into a comfortable reclining chair that slowly swirled and tilted to give me the feeling of weightlessness. I found it relaxing. However, some people react differently. I’m told that a few get dizzy and need to get off, while others fall asleep.
The spa encourages guests to participate in exercise classes, including Pilates, and to enjoy the swimming pool and clay tennis courts. With a nod to nature as well as nurture, the area also offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation such as kayaking and hiking.
Spa do Vinho at the Villa Europa
The elegant Villa Europa in Bento Gonçalves is a destination spa that specializes in the exclusive Caudalie vinothérapie. The grape-inspired treatments were developed about 10 years ago in Bordeaux, France.
According to the French web site, vinothérapie is effective because the antioxidants contained in the grape seed polyphrenols have an incredible capacity to fight free-radicals and therefore aging. The Europa is one of only a handful of Caudalie vinothérapie spas in the world and, except for The Plaza in New York, is the only one in the
western hemisphere.
The Villa Europa resembles an Italian castle. It crowns a hill covered with an apron of vineyards and seems centuries old. In fact, it’s only a few years old. Think Tuscany. That’s the view from the terrace.
As a destination hotel, the Europa makes a convenient base for exploring the countryside’s colonial architecture, crafts studios, historic sites, and wineries. Nevertheless, with its luxurious furnishings, fine wine cellar, and talented French chef, there’s little incentive to leave. The ambiance is posh and nurturing. True, there are indoor and outdoor pools and exercise rooms, but no one urges guests to expend the least bit of effort. Most of the spa treatments are delightfully passive.
As one of the hotel’s brochures states, the Villa Europa wishes that your stay be “filled with peace, relaxation and comfort.” Indeed, the staff spares no effort. It’s the only breakfast buffet that I know at which the waiters wheel cart after cart of fruits, cereals, eggs, and pastries to you table side!
Yes, a spa is personal. One size doesn’t fit all. But one or another is a perfect fit.
Shirley Moskow traded work as a newspaper editor for the life of a footloose freelancer. She writes for magazines and newspapers about her two passions, the arts and travel. Currently, she's putting the finishing touches on her third book, first novel.
