For the ultimate spa experience…
Bauer Il Palladio Hotel and Spa
Visiting this dreamy place begins with a private boat ride from the Bauer Palazzo dock, steps away from San Marco. In minutes, you’re dropped on Giudecca Island, where you are welcomed to a sixteenth-century masterpiece property designed by the Renaissance superstar Andrea Palladio. The building was once a convent, then a sanctuary for zitelle—girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen who had no dowries. They learned lace making here, a craft that kept them from heading out to the canals to join in and earn money in the world’s oldest profession.
The sanctuary has been restored to a luxurious hotel and spa, retaining beautiful touches from its past, such as a long marble basin where you can imagine the zitelle lined up doing their laundry. Behind the main building is a breathtaking complex of three gardens, each ingeniously landscaped to conjure a different mood. One is English style, with rows of sculpted boxwood hedges, roses, and lavender. Another is graced with a large magnolia tree and fountain, a third features a pergola draped with grape vines where weddings can be held. Gardens are rare in Venice, and guests enjoy lounging amidst the greenery, or enjoying the pretty view from the patio of the L’Ulivo restaurant, that specializes in light and savory fare, locally sourced.
The Spa takes up the lower floor of the main building, offering state-of-the-art treatments, such as Reiki, oligo and elitocosmesi facials (to counteract the effects of aging), a Sea Malay massage...with so many choices, I left it up to the experts to plan my treatment.
Angela designed the perfect remedy for a traveler—detoxifying in a humongous bathtub surrounded by floating rose petals, then a reflexology session on my feet, and hot oil hair treatment. The grand finale was an amazing four-handed massage by Angela and her co-angel, Roberta. When all was finished, I sipped a tisane in the relaxing room, mesmerized by the sight of San Marco in the distance.
Night had fallen when it was time to go. My two angels, with beatific smiles, escorted me to the dock, where the boat was waiting to take me back to the mainland. The stars twinkled in the night sky. I was glowing and refreshed, ready to fully enjoy every moment of La Serenissima.
Bauer Il Palladio Hotel and Spa, Giudecca, 041 520 7022 3869 (www.palladiohotelspa.com)
Hair Salons
Being out on the water in vaporettos or even on a romantic gondola ride can make it a challenge to keep our hair pretty while in La Serenissima. Here are two places where you can take a break and get beautified, Venetian style.
Get styled or cut by inspired experts, with a fantastic view of the Grand Canal. The salon is state-of-the-art chic, popular with visiting celebrities and brides.
A team of thirteen signoras is on hand in this lively beauty shop, that’s been family run for three generations. Come for an excellent blowout, cut, or color.