T Spa, architectural splendor

Grand Hotel Tremezzo has one of the best spas on Lake Como, housed in the handsome Villa Emilia, once home to the library of neighboring Villa Carlotta. The correspondence between the building’s past and present is by no means coincidental; in our vision, every spa treatment offers guests the opportunity to “read” themselves in a completely new way. The body as a book, a miraculous collection of words to listen to and bring to light. The skin as the softest of parchment, pages on which to write new and luminous verses. To read, write and rewrite our stories, we need a special place, one with a soul crafted by time. The story of the architecture of our Lake Como wellness center unfolds like a novel, from its ornate 18th century origins to the clean lines of Studio Venelli Kramer’s contemporary design. It all began in the Age of Enlightenment, not unlike the all-enveloping Grand Detox treatment that seeks to “enlighten” the entire body. In the salon of our Spa, vying for attention with the enchanting views of Lake Como, you find a delicate garland of 18th-century features: a few pastel-colored details stand out, from dusty pink to Versailles green, while the flowers and birds of springtime dance across the ceiling frescoes, beautifully mirrored in the Venetian terrazzo inlaid with tulip, anemones and buttercup blooms. 

With this as our starting point, it is easy to see how the 20th century took these elements—along with the beauty and energy they transmit—and transformed them into modern design. The crisp, clean air became the inspiration for the sauna and its magnificent picture window, allowing guests to contemplate, while purifying the body, the beauty of our beloved lake. Similarly, the massive gilt frames encircling the ceiling frescoes echo in the welcoming oval cocoon of our Hammam, clad floor to ceiling in Lasa marble. A brief digression on this splendid stone: Lasa marble is quarried in the Italian region of South Tyrol, much loved by legendary Italian architect, Gio Ponti, and even found beyond our borders in a monument to Queen Victoria in London, in a New York City courthouse and in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. 

Valentina De Santis

And what of the architectural luminaries that have crossed the threshold of our Lake Como spa hotel? The backlit wall in our spa’s most intimate and secluded space, for instance, is reminiscent of the extraordinary onyx wall at Villa Tugendhat, featured in the 1930s home of the eponymous German architect in Brno, Czech Republic. Let’s not forget the elegance of Maestro Mies as we take a dip in the elegant Infinity Pool, which parlays between the blue waters of the Lario and an equally stunning sky. A heady scent of lemon, bergamot and anise lingers in the air and on your skin, the key players in our T Spa Haven ritual. Starring in all of our treatments is the Santa Maria Novella line of products from the celebrated Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which was founded in 1221 in Florence, at a convent brought to life by Dominican friars. We should probably add that more than two centuries later, in 1470, the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella was designed by none other than the patron saint of Renaissance architecture, Leon Batista Alberti. It is precisely this combination of history, radiance and certainty that makes every day a rebirth of sorts. For a renaissance of your very own, you need the right place, the right book and the right hands, eager to care for you with love and wisdom. The place, book and hands of Grand Hotel Tremezzo spa.