Orient Express La Minerva unveils The SPA - Newly Conceived Holistic Wellness Space with Ottoman-Inspired Hammam rituals

Orient Express La Minerva’s Spa draws directly on the legacy of Roman thermae and the Ottoman hammam. Designed by Artist-Architect Hugo Toro and conceived as a place of transformation, The Spa offers a journey through baths and treatments in which time slows, and each stage prepares the next.

This approach echoes the spirit of the Orient Express journey, understood as a passage, a crossing, and a fully immersive sensory experience.

The Spa’s essence is structured around steam and a sequenced spatial progression inspired by the three stages of the ancient thermal ritual: the tepidarium, a temperate space of gradual acclimatisation; the calidarium, a warm environment combining pools and steam; and the frigidarium, the final invigorating cold bath.

Spaces alternate between shared relaxation areas, and single and double treatment rooms. Hand-blown Murano glass fixtures cast a soft, candle-like glow, heightening the tactile atmosphere. Brown travertine, red and veined marble, Roman-style plaster and stained oak create a powerful dialogue of textures. The contrast of stone, wood and richly woven textiles, including the canopy beds in the relaxation area, anchors the space in a distinctly earthy, elemental sensibility.

A finely crafted marble hammam rises as the heart of The Spa, surrounded by delicate fountains resembling Triton basins, echoing those found in the hotel’s guest rooms. Contemporary moucharabieh screens filter sightlines, deepening the exploration of light and texture. The hammam, an ancient Ottoman purification ritual, integrates Roman influences, establishing a dialogue between East and West, recalling the historic route of the Orient Express linking Paris to Constantinople.

Among the treatments offered, the signature rituals Dea Minerva and Stop Constantinople invite guests on a complete sensory journey: rose-infused foot baths, aromatic steam, kassa exfoliation, ghassoul clay wraps, foaming massages, and face and hair treatments. Raxul rituals leave guests feeling refreshed, with their senses awakened and skin radiant. Passed down from Byzantium to Istanbul, theseexperiences celebrate the regenerative power of water, heat, and touch.

Furtuna Skin, the Italian luxury skincare house rooted in regenerative agriculture and clinically proven performance, is the exclusive skincare partner of The SPA at Orient Express La Minerva. Formulated using ingredients cultivated on the brand’s 800-acre organic estate in Sicily, La Furtuna Estate, its products harness extra-virgin olive oil, wild-foraged botanicals, and medicinal herbs grown in accordance with biodiversity- led restoration practices. Deeply aligned with the Spa’s reverence for ancient ritual and elemental healing, Furtuna Skin’s approach bridges heritage and high- performance — pairing time-honored agricultural wisdom with modern extraction science to deliver visibly transformative results.

Obsidian treatments, including the signature Furtuna Skin x La Minerva Exclusive Vibrancy Facial, have been developed for The Spa, combining manual techniques, beauty tools such as an obsidian Gua Sha, and natural active ingredients. The treatments signed by Furtuna Skin designed nature’s most potent skin-reviving ingredients, and awaken the senses with unique combinations of circulatory stimulation and detoxifying techniques.

Accessible at all hours, The Gym and The Kinesis Room complete the experience. Equipped with Technogym Artis and dedicated functional training tools, each session may be guided by a personal trainer upon request, with programmes in fitness, yoga or Pilates tailored to your individual goals.

The Spa at Orient Express La Minerva is a coherent architectural ensemble, where space, ritual, and movement converge in a holistic path to regeneration. Inspired by the ancient healing traditions of the East, its treatments transport guests on a sensorial journey that evokes distant cultures and timeless rituals, offering an immersive experience of wellness in the heart of the Eternal City.

Book your experience today: https://www.orient-express.com/en/hotel/europe/italy/rome/la-minerva/spa