The Spa Meeting in Abu Dhabi took place in a very cool venue; The Yas Viceroy. The hotel is placed in the middle of a Formula 1 course and just a few weeks ago the yearly race took place here. I could almost feel the energy from the event still swirl in the air…

Arriving to the Yas Viceroy in night time is quite spectacular and it really looks like something that has landed from the outer space. The hotel consists of two buildings and parts of the course (Formula 1 circuit) and they are all  connected and covered by something that looks like a mesh (a LED canopy) and it emits a concert of colors at night time, so the arrival is impressing.

The view from my room was over parts of the Formula 1 course, maybe not so breathtaking and maybe not the most serene place to be in, as there were motorbikes driving in the evenings on the course. However the vibe in the hotel is still cool and kind of funky.

But, what about the spa? The spa was not disturbed by the activities on the course on my visit, however I’m sure you are not able to close out the noise during the actual F1 race, but on the other hand – during the races I’m sure most people are on the grandstand, rather than in the spa…

The spa at Yas Viceroy is operated by ESPA, it is a modern interpretation of the Middle Eastern traditions, it is a chic and urban sanctuary and if you have been to ESPA before you will recognize the design and ambiance. The spa is rather large and consists of has two floors and you have to take the elevator to reach the treatment rooms. The changing and waiting rooms are spacious, it is cosy and quite dark, in some spaces I would say that the lights are almost too dimmed (vanity).

I took the opportunity to book a Hammam treatment as they have a special female-only hammam. The treatment was overall good, some parts were of course tweaked from the traditional Hammam treatments. The results were expected; skin is soft as velvet, and I felt it was a good detoxification after a long flight, I literally rinsed off all stress and worries. My only issue was that the steam generator was quite loud and I would have liked the room and the Hammam table to be somewhat warmer.

After the treatment I emerged into the relaxation room, were one part of the room is facing the Marina with a view on all the luxury yachts. The other part of the realxation room, is a “room in a room”, which is kind of cone shaped. It feels like entering a pyramid and inside it is all white with a large, white round shaped daybed. Lying down you see hundreds of thin cords with a LED light in the end of each cord, displaying different colors. (see picture) The color of the lights changes and you easily drift away as you close the door to the outer world… This relaxation room was a great and unexpected experience…

I also had an aromatherapy massage and I must say the therapist did all those small details, asking me for pressure preference, room temperature, I could also choose the oil I wanted and the therapist also did a small thing that made a big difference for me. She placed a bowl with hot water and some drops of eucalyptus oil in the water, under the headrest. I always tend to get stuffed in my nose while lying on the massage table (even without having a cold) and this way the essential oil actually helped me and (my nose) and I could breathe properly and felt so much more comfortable during the treatment.

So all in all, a good spa experience, even on a Formula 1 course…

//Maria