Capella Sydney has revealed its stunning spa offering, three months after the stylish new hotel opened the doors to its first guests.
Located in the heritage-listed former Department of Education building in the CBD’s Sandstone Precinct just steps from Circular Quay, the new arrival has added a touch of quiet luxury to the city’s hotel scene.
With 192 sophisticated guestrooms and suites spanning eight levels, local art-filled common spaces and signature restaurant, Brasserie 1930, there is much to love about the new arrival, but its the just-opened spa that might just seal the deal for beauty lovers.
Unlike other hotel spas where day guests are welcome, at Auriga, the hotel’s exclusive spa, the range of bespoke, holistic wellness therapies are accessible to in-house guests only.
If relaxation and reinvigoration is part of the appeal for booking a hotel stay, you might be convinced by the ambient spa treatment rooms, a 20-metre heated swimming pool and Technogym-equipped gymnasium, as well as sauna, steam facilities and experiential showers.
Like the rest of the hotel’s spaces, a key part of Auriga Spa’s appeal is the way modern design is balanced with the ambience of the century-old building. The teams from Make Architects and BAR Studio were responsible for the site-sensitive architecture and interior design respectively.
Three of the four spa treatment rooms are anchored beneath beautifully restored ‘heritage lanterns’. These treatment rooms – that can accommodate individuals or couples – appear as ‘cubes’ inserted into the atmospheric space, using timber reclaimed from the site as flooring to further enhance the connection to history.
But it’s the treatments on offer at Auriga that are particularly tempting. Custom made, plant-based skincare from Byron Bay’s Synthesis Organics is used throughout and each treatment is unique and Australia-centric, differing from those you might experience at Capella’s other locations like Bangkok, Singapore or the Maldives.
There are signature massages informed by the new and full moons aimed at increasing circulation, relieving physical and emotional tension, and balancing chakras. Ritual-based massages encourage introspection, new beginnings and reflection.
A range of ‘wellness journeys’ are intended to connect guests to the land, while the Body Alchemy packages provide luxe exfoliation, detoxifying masks and enzyme peel wraps. The Facial Alchemy includes treatments that restore balance, transform and replenish the skin, with precious oils and bio actives, combined with LED light therapy.
The huge variety – think a hair and scalp treatment using Chakra balancing oils to a body relaxation using heated stones gathered with permission from Indigenous Elders from wild far-flung regions of the country – means there is something for everyone.
Photography: Timothy Kaye
