Visitors to a famous French mountain resort are being encouraged to relax, reset, refresh, and unwind, surrounded by nature. Frank Baldwin reports.
With the ski season well underway, the world-renowned French ski resort of Val d’Isère is offering visitors a host of new wellbeing activities and experiences surrounded by majestic snow-covered mountains.
The activities include new spas, wellness programmes, yoga retreats and outdoor experiences such as ice floating.
Seasonal yoga retreats
Hotel Les Barmes de l’Ours has teamed up with Le Tigre Yoga Club Paris and welcomes yogi Camille Satya from the 4 – 8 February 2024 for a five-day yoga retreat designed to harmonise energy, refocus and slow down the rhythm of daily life with various forms of yoga and meditation practices.
From 6 – 10 April 2024 there is another five-day Yang-Yin Yoga retreat led by the founder of Tigre Yoga, Elodie Garamond,. This retreat will focus on personal transformation and discovery of the elements to help guests energise their bodies through dynamic yoga practices.
- For specific yoga and accommodation package prices go to hotellesbarmes.com.
Spa openings
The 5* La Mourra, a private mountain hamlet with five luxury chalets and eight suites, has unveiled its new Spa by Susanne Kaufmann.
Created in the Austrian Alps, the Susanne Kaufmann brand has developed a range of beauty and cosmetic products by selecting mountain plants for their natural qualities.
Promising a sensory journey where nature and wellbeing meet, the different treatments use various massage techniques such as lymphatic drainage, fascial release, shiatsu, deep massage and trigger point work, to deliver holistic benefits. Signature hour long treatments priced from €160.
Personalised treatments
Le Yule has joined forces with two new French brands for 2024. They are Biologique Recherche, which offer personalised treatments adapted to various skin types, and the eco-responsible cosmetic brand Wesak Paris, which has the philosophy of ‘taking care of the body and soul’ using precious plant essences, delicate oils and refined fragrances to create a unique spa experience.
RESET at Le Refuge de Solaise
Le Refuge de Solaise hotel and spa has a new RESET wellness post-exercise relaxation programme based on the five key principles and steps – regenerate, respire, recharge, reconnect, and restore.
It achieves this through a blend of physical activities, holistic treatments and experiences designed to allow mind and body to intertwine.
Guests can also use facilities such as a Nordic bath, Hamman, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and an outdoor massage bubble, as well as yoga classes and a healthy restaurant menu.
The programme includes experiences such as alternating hot and polar baths, stretching, light therapy, sound healing and more, promising complete disconnection from the outside and reconnection within yourself.
The two-hour Recharge Ritual is priced from €245. It can be booked as a complete package or in individual stages.
- Go to lerefuge-valdisere.com for more information.
Ice floating
Val d’Isère has a new ice floating experience. Visitors can enjoy a moment of pure relaxation while drifting on the idyllic Quillette Lake during a sensory experience designed to reconnect you with nature.
Price: €80 for 1 hour.
The resort’s Aqua Leisure Complex has a variety of sports and wellbeing facilities such as a gym and weights room, swimming pool and children’s pool, wellness area and the Pure Altitude spa. Those who purchase a 6-11 day ski lift pass receive two free entries for the swimming pool, offering an opportunity to stretch sore muscles after a day on the slopes.
- For more information, visit valdisere.com.
