Sorrento and the surrounding coastline of the Bay of Naples is a wonderland of natural and thermal spas. During my short visit to Sorrento on business I decided to visit Ulysses which advertises itself as a Therm and day spa.
I made an appointment for a 50 min relaxation massage and access to their Therm Spa. I was not sure what to expect on the spa end but they said Jacuzzi, sauna ect; so it sounded interesting and refreshing.
I arrived at 3pm and wend down a few flights to go through glass doors to the reception desk. You could see the Olympic size lap pool with about 7 lanes and a very impressive workout area with Nautilus type machines.
The receptionist spoke good English and took me down a few flights of stairs into the darkness. We arrived to a very small area with small desk, white tile floor and one chair. Frosted glass door ahead and off to the right modern and clean changing rooms, bathrooms and lockers. Dim lights set a relaxing mood the second you get off the last step of the stairs. I am given a bath robe and locker key and go change. Swimsuits and flip flops required, but if you don't have any they have these paper thin disposable ones that work just fine.
So in my robe I am given the tour. I come out of the changing rooms and am taken past the frosted glass door with very low light behind. We open and go through. The first thing you notice is the mood lighting set into the floor edges and roof edges and the walls are rock which gives it a natural feel. The lights are dim but enough to see everything. Deep greens and blues, orange and red lights set a very peaceful atmosphere. I just arrived when they opened at three so there are no other customers; I have the entire place to myself. The room is big and you see a main pool; called "Turkish Bath" with deep green and blue dark lights, connected to that is a Jacuzzi that could fit about 8 people surrounded by large boulder walls and orange lighting.. very dramatic. The main pool has a waterfall which they call the "Neck Massage Fountain" that comes out of a pillar about 6 feet off the water and so the sound of the strong flow of water hitting the pool surface reflects throughout the entire spa. Different rooms with glass walls can be seen off to the right and left, the feel is relaxing, clean and inviting.
So the women in white pants and shirt shows me around. First is a place to leave your robe and flops and a semi-circle tilled shower, ok this looks standard fare I think to myself, then she take me around a small tiled wall into another single shower nook with two buttons on the wall, "aroma therapy shower" and "Spectrochrome" she says.. hmm that sounds nice.. ok cool what else.
A large wet steam room with rock walls and horseshoe black tile seats, a large dry sauna, standard fare so far but nice and large so you don't feel so close to your other spa people is great. Those are both hot zones and next to the dry sauna is a shower with glass door but the interesting thing is the Italian countryside wood bucket with thick white woven rope attached to the wall about 7 feet off the ground. Kind of looks like the bottom of a wine barrel with pull rope; its going to dump something on you, I wonder what.
Next is a large room with clear glass walls and about 15 wave shaped relaxation chairs, dim lights, mood music with nature sounds of water bubbling, birds chirping, and crickets. A single green blue light in the corner gives just enough light to bathe the room in dim color. In the center of the circle of chairs is cups and a pump of hot tea. "This is the relaxation room and herbal tea salon" she explains.
Next to the "I'm going to fall asleep in there and spill hot tea all over myself" room is another shower area with dark brown tile; a huge raindrop showerhead and a frosted glass pedestal lit with white light inside and what looks like large granular crystals piled up on top and a silver button.. wow what is this going to do..
Next is a very small pool about mid-shin depth split in two sections with river stone on the bottom and blue, red and green rotating lights under the clear water on each side. Steps and a stainless steel hold bar complete this interesting space. "Kneipp Walk and Circulation pool" she explains, "ohhhh very nice" is my reply and I'm set free to experience this wonderland of spa experiences.
So unsure where to start I go back to the simple tile shower and wet down. I head for the rock sauna. Hot steam with cold water fountain in the middle. Looks like the sauna could fit about 20 people. Nice relaxing instrumental music is piped in. A few older local women come in and two American tourists, the tours start for them when I'm in the Sauna.
Being the typical multi-tasking, ambitious and busy American; its hard to relax so I begin to write this article in my mind in the sauna and think "hey aren't I supposed to be relaxing now" The sauna is very hot and enjoyable for sure. I'm eager to try out the other areas so after my body temp gets to "lava" I hop out an head toward the aromatherapy shower with the two buttons. The area is good size for one person and well lit with standard white light; I decide to try the top button first.
I press and immediately the white light goes out and a deep bright red light comes on; imaging the scenes in submarine movies when the captain yells "dive, dive dive" and the light switches over to a "see in the dark red" as they head for the depths. At the same time a semi-heavy shower mist starts and the faint smell of flowers fills the space, wow this is nice and the water temp changes from warm to cool over the three or four minute cycle.
"That was great" I say out loud. I am ready for the bottom button… I press it and a dark blue light blasts on and the strong shower mist changes to a very delicate fine mist. A very nice strong menthol, eukylipitous aroma permeates the area; it feels great to take deep breaths. I'm starting to relax and enjoy this area so much I go through four cycles of each back to back… ahhhh.
Ok what's next? I decide to stay in order, so it's off to the dry sauna. The dry sauna looks like it could fit about 10 people comfortably and its very hot. I don't know what the temp was but it seemed hotter than the gym back home and takes a little getting used to. Blue/green soft lights and light music with nature sounds fills the ridiculously hot cedar wood filled space; I won't last long.
As I heat up and glance around for where I will pass out if I stay one moment more I decide to keep it short and dart out and into the shower area with the wood bucket with white rope. Dying to cool off I go under the bucket and pull hard on the rope not knowing if it will be wine, boiling oil or water… WhHOOOOO' ICE cold water dumps all over you. This water is so cold it feels like it was shipped in from the top of the Swiss Alps; it's shocking but very wonderful.
So I have been heated up, cooled down and now I'm ready for the split hot/cold walking pools or the Kneipp Walk as its known among spa regulars. The river rock floor of the two shallow pools looks like it will hurt to walk on but here goes. The first toe in and the temp is hot.. I bet about 120 degrees. The river rock bottom at first is "oh, ah, ouch" like walking on a hot beach but after a few steps you are hopping along then step out on the end, turn and begin the second side. Cold, very, very cold; the second side is a shocker as you walk your hot skin turns cold and your feet and ankles tingle, it's intense but feels good. I could only go around a few times before I was ready for flat, even temp ground; but I will go back to work on doing that one longer.
A fast few steps and I am standing under the waterfall and it's just glorious. The water is so far up the pillar that when it hits your neck it feels like a thousand hands doling the "chop chop" on your neck; it's great!
The water of the Turkish Bath is about 98 degrees, full of minerals and is very slippery. I let the "chop chop" do its thing for about 10 minutes.. I am very relaxed and have stopped thinking about work or writing this blog. I hop into the connected jacuzzi that is surrounded by rock to heat back up. The Jacuzzi will fit about 10 people but I have it to myself. I have been in the Therm for about 45 min and there are only 4 others enjoying this place.. It's great because I know in the height of the summer months I'm sure it's packed.
So with my body temp up to Mt. Vesuvius levels I go toward the second to last item; the brown shower with white light podium, crystal pile and silver button. I open the large clear glass door and the pile of crystals on the podium is ice, yes a pile of fresh small granular ice, a little bigger than slushy ice.
I press the silver button and a light cool mist begins to flow. What you do is scrub all over with the ice under the mist, at first it's a shock to the system but this is the one I kept on going back to.. it was wonderful and refreshing. The brochure calls this oasis of cold pleasure the "Ice Grotto" After some time in the Grotto im going to want to wire my refrigerators ice maker to my shower at home!
Off to the relaxation room. Wave shaped chairs that put you in a recline position with your legs at about bellybutton level and have soft thick padding are very comfortable. You go in through large clear glass doors and clear glass walls allow for a clear view of the entire spa. Rock covered walls, soft lighting, mood music with nature sounds and hot tea make this room very inviting.
Wrapped up in my robe; before you know it I'm just above sleep, hot tea is perfect and thank goodness I did not spill. A few people come in and talk which breaks the relaxing mood of the room but the environment eventually takes its grip on them and the room is again silent as people let go of their day and relax.
After this great Thermal Spa experience I top it off with a 50 min relaxation massage. The masseuse was professional and I felt very comfortable, the massage was of the quality of any high end spa back in the states.
One great aspect of this spa and fitness center is that you will not feel out of place, too large, too small or without the proper European swimsuit accessories. The environment is welcoming to all and later in the afternoon there were families enjoying the fitness classes upstairs.
If you are in the Amalfi Coast and want to take a special break away from the normal tourist shopping, walking to much then back to the hotel routine, then I suggest finding one of the many unique and special Therms located in Sorrento and along the coast. The island of Ischia is about one hour by boat from Sorrento and is a Mecca of natural thermal spas and springs.
The most amazing thing about this experience? The full day at the Thermal Spa was 20 Euro and the 50 min massage was only 45 euro; you would spend more on a diner or gaudy ceramic plate for your sister! Nuf said!
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