How Costa Blanca Is Putting The Spa In Spain
By Zoe Dare Hall, Mon Dec 26th

Bea Geenen can recommend a great way to start the day. Itinvolves covering herself - and her husband, if he's handy - inmud, then steam-blasting it off. A close second is wrappingherself in algae and sweating it out beneath a hot blanket. Thenshe heads off to work.

"It's a fantastic way to get going in the morning or to relax onyour day off. It's great for couples too," says Bea, a housedoctor (she advises people on how to spruce up their property tosell it) who lives in Alfas del Pi near Benidorm.

Bea is a spa junkie. It's an addiction she feeds at least once amonth, or whenever a new spa emerges on the coast. And she's notalone as the Costa Blanca is fast developing a reputation forbeing the spa capital of Spain - the region that puts the spa inSpain.

In the 400km stretch between the vast Marina d'Or holidayvillage two hours north of Alicante airport, which boasts theEurope's largest 'scientific spa', and the new spa at La MangaClub, the famous sports resort two hours south of Alicante,luxury spas are sprouting up by the handful to satisfy thedemands of the growing numbers of tourists visiting this populareastern Spanish coastline.

In 2002-2003, passengers numbers at Alicante airport rose by56.4%, compared with 26.5% at Malaga airport. Given a perfectyear-round climate, and cheaper property prices than on theCosta del Sol, more British and Irish people than ever beforewant to spend holidays, and own holiday homes, in the CostaBlanca.

Combine this with our general increasing awareness of the needto keep healthy, and the fact that certain areas of the CostaBlanca, particularly around Torrevieja's natural salt lakes, aredeemed by the World Health Organisation to be the healthiestplaces to live in the world, and you can see why spas on thiscoast are big business.

"We are seeing a big increase in the number of luxury spasopening on the Costa Blanca, mainly due to the huge numbers oftourists who come here and because people are far more aware ofthe need for 'wellness' and stress-relief," says Inés Terrón,director of the Health And Beauty Centre at the five-starHesperia Alicante Golf & Spa Hotel www.hesperia-alicante.comwith an 18-hole golf course overlooking San Juan beach. Pricesstart at 129 euros for a day at the spa where treatments rangefrom subaquatic massages to seven-day Like A Queen programmesfor women who know they're worth it.

"Women work more than before and they want a healthy balance anda good level of living, so they use spas like ours as a form ofstress relief and to treat themselves," says Inés. But men, too,are queuing up to be pampered, she says. "About 40% of ourclients now are men. They particularly like massages andfacials."

Bea Geenen, who says winter is her favourite spa-sampling timeas all those hot wraps can feel cloying in summer, cites theMarriott La Sella Golf Resort's holistic Alanya Spawww.alanyaspa-denia.com in Denia as her number one Costa Blancaspa.

"The service is highly personalised and impeccably organised soyou feel like you have the place to yourself. They treat youlike a special guest from start to finish," she says. Bearecalls with particular fondness the Turkish baths, "with a blueceiling which twinkles like stars, and atmospheric music".

A close second for Bea is the algae wrap at Salux Hills spa inthe the five-star Hotel Melia Altea Hills www.solmelia.es,located in a nature reserve three kilometres from thepicturesque town of Altea, one of the fastest-growing areas ofthe Alicante province.

"The algae wraps are incredible," Bea smiles. "They scrub youdown, cover you in algae and lay you on a heated water bed,wrapped in a hot blanket for half an hour. Afterwards you feelfantasic."

Should you be seeking tranquillity in the coast's touristhotspot of Benidorm, the four-star Hotel Spa Levante Clubwww.luxor-benidorm.com, next to the town's popular Levantebeach, offers various programmes lasting two to five days forslimming, detoxing and general wellbeing. "The Levante ischeaper than many spas on the coast and everything takes placein one huge room," says Bea. "There is a huge hot tub, Turkishbaths and you can walk across Japanese stones which prick yourfeet to improve blood circulation. A lot of couples go there andit only costs about 30 euros a day."

If you are already frazzled once you arrive at the airport, orare looking for a way to prepare yourself for the flight home,try the Beauty Farm Centre at the five-star Hotel Spa Sidi SanJuan www.hotelessidi.es, whose programmes start at 99 euros andhave such dreamy names as Day In The Clouds (for women) and Careof the Modern Man.

Down the coast, La Manga, a five-star resort favoured bygolfers, tennis players and footballers wanting a spot ofsun-drenched training and relaxation, benefits from its uniquesetting beside the warm waters of the unique Mar Menor seawaterlagoon next to the Mediterranean sea.

At the new La Manga Club Spa www.spa.lamangaclub.com the localmineral-laden mud from the lagoon comes in handy for bodyscrubs, or you can treat your body to something more salubrious,says the spa's Idoia Carrillo. "Our most special treatments arethe caviar facial and the chocolate body wrap."

Nearby at the three-star Entremares Hotel Balneario Marinowww.entremares.com, guests at the Roman-style spa can indulge ina hot mango or strawberry among the range of aromatic showers onoffer. Treatments also use the Mar Menor's natural ingredientsincluding algae, which is rich in minerals, vitamins and aminoacids, and "magic mud", which acts like blotting paper on yourskin to absorb the toxins. The hotel also has four 35 degreeMediterranean seawater swimming pools and offers currentfive-night packages with five treatments included from 225 euros.

Inland from the Mar Menor, near the city of Murcia, spas tend tobe more traditionally Spanish, based around natural hot watersprings. They are favoured by local residents as a therapeuticplace to enjoy the weekend, with less lavish - usuallythree-star - hotels onsite.

Around Archena, 75km south west of Alicante airport, the area isbecoming known as 'Spa Valley', with new

developments ofapartments starting at £60,000 just 500 metres away from the19th century Balneario de Archena www.balnearioarchena.com, aspa set in a Mediterranean forest with views over the Ricotevalley.

The water here is famous for its medicial and therapeuticqualities and has a natural temperature of 51.7 degrees. Justfurther north is Fortuna-Leane www.leana.es, the oldest spahotel in Murcia, dating back to 1860, and the perfect place fora warm dip in winter with an average water temperature of 33degrees.

In nearby Cofrentes, the spa centre www.balneario.com/cofrentesclaims to be one of the biggest and most modern in Spain, withhigh-tech clinics for various ailments as well as a widepampering programme. If you're looking for more tangible resultsfrom your spa time though, head to Marina D'Or www.marinador.comin Oropesa del Mar, north of Valencia, which offers the mosthigh-tech medical tests available in the world, they say, ableto detect any illness so that preventative measures can be taken.

Should the thought of hepato-biliopancreatic tests orpolysomnographies fail to tickle your fancy on holiday, then goalong to Marina d'Or's vast 40,000m2 seawater spa and soak upthe lavish surroundings, including Gaudi-style mosaics andmarble columns adorning what must be the largest swimming poolsand hot tubs in the world.

About the author:Zoe Dare Hall is a regular contributor tohttp://www.lighthouse-spain.com, a unique service aimed attaking the risk and stress out of buying a property in Spain.