Hola amigos Miss Barcelona is back with some tips for your vacation in my amazing hometown Barcelona. VIVA BARCELONA!!!

Everybody knows that Barcelona is a very cosmopolitan city where you can find a huge variety of tourist attractions: beautiful buildings, museums, churches, the beach, etc. It also has amazing cuisine and of course a very exciting nightlife. But not a lot of people know that in the core of the old neighborhood of El Born you can find an incredible urban spa built in the same place were the water reserves of the city used to be in ancient times.
Aire de Barcelona has been open since the 23^rd of July 2009. This incredible place recreates with exquisite taste, the ancient tradition of the Hamman or as we colloquially know the Arabian baths. Water plays a big role in Arabian culture and it has two meanings. On one hand it represents deep wisdom and in the other hand it also represents purity.
Arabian culture has had a strong influence over Spain. The Arabic kingdom of Al-Andalus governed some areas of Andalucia, Galicia, Castilla y León, Aragón and Cataluña from 711 to 1492, this allowed a lot of cultural and social exchanges between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Even after the kingdom fell the influences, on for example the baths can be seen to this day. VIVA CULTURAL EXCHANGE!! 🙂
The baths were a very important part of life; it had not only hygienically purposes, it was also a social thing. The bath was a place where families and friends could gather together sharing conversations and even political discussions and conspiracies were born under the secrecy of the baths according to some historians.
Aire de Barcelona has renovated this amazing space conserving the principles of the ancient Arabian baths. As you can see in the pictures the architecture follows the baths traditional style. Brick walls, tall roofs, and a very light illumination give the area a sense of extreme calm, relaxation and privacy. The clever use of candles makes it feel warm and welcoming and gives it a special charm. VIVA AIRE DE BARCELONA!! 😉
We start our spa experience with a relaxing massage for 30 minutes; the team is very professional, welcoming and make you feel comfortable and relaxed. This massage takes place in one of the several private rooms in the area reserved for massages. You can have an individual massage if you go alone, but I have to say that I observed that this is a very popular activity for couples or for friends and it is not strange to see groups of people going to the baths together; so you can also have a couples massage in which the two of you can enjoy it at the same time in the same room.
Our massage was wonderful, making us feel very relaxed and removing the accumulated tension in our muscles. It was firm but gentle and they work all the back side of our body.
Almond oil is used in this massage. It not only has a delicious aroma but one of its properties is to soften the skin and it also helps swollen muscles to decompress giving you an incredible relief.
This treatment would be very helpful while you are traveling because it would calm your tired muscles after long walks around the city and due to the digestive properties of almond oil, it will help you keep your body on balance since it is difficult to follow a regular meal schedule while travelling. It will also help you sleep better so your batteries would be charged and ready for the next day.
After you finish enjoying your massage you can start with the baths where we can find the traditional circuit of different bath temperatures:   tepidarium 36ºc (temperate bath), caldarium 40cº (warm bath) and finally frigidarium 16ºc (cold bath). But before you go through this circuit, to train yourself in the art of the bath and to allow you to relax and forget about the outside world, you can start with jets bath. In this pool several water jets will work on your muscles providing a nice massage. In the same area you will find the salt bath, a large pool where you can float. Flotation has a lot of benefits, when you float there is no resistance to gravity so your body can relax and rest. It also reduces the production of stress hormones and helps to accelerate the endorphins.
Then you can go to the next room and continue with the circuit or take a break and drink some water or tea (served in classy Arabian glasses) in the resting area that separates the baths. You can relax and sit or lie on warm stones, as you can see in the pictures, or just make a quick stop to have a drink. It is a beautiful place with Arabian decorations that will transport you centuries back in time and make you feel peaceful at the same time.
Then you will find the second bath area where you will find two different cold water pools on each side and a larger warm water pool in the middle. Separated by columns you will see the largest and warmest pool of all. It is in this area where you can actually have the hot-cold-hot baths that were the basis of the Arabian baths.
You should start with a temperate bath to get your body to adapt, continue with a warm bath to relax your muscles and open your pores, and then finish with a cold bath to activate the circulation of the body and close your pores. You can repeat the circuit as many times as you want as you have about an hour to do it. The way they announce that the time is (sadly) over is by ringing bells, and when the second sounds, you must leave the baths free for the next group.
These fantastic baths have excellent facilities, the changing rooms are wide and super clean, they provide you with towels and a bath robe for a cozier feeling as well as flip flops. The baths are mixed so both men and women can go in the baths at the same time but not the changing rooms. A bathing suit is required but if you forgot yours or didn’t bring one with you don’t panic, you don’t need to buy a new one! They will lend it to you for deposit fee.
The baths are open from 10:00 to 00:00 and Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and before bank holidays from 10:00 to 02:00!! So you can enjoy this experience after you have been visiting the city and then go to sleep like a baby. VIVA ARABIAN BATHS!!
There is a schedule to go in the baths so you should book in advance in order to get the time you want. That way you don’t have to wait if you just drop in and find the turn to be busy or having already started. Aire de Barcelona’s professional team will help you with the reservations and will attend to all your questions.
Some of the secrets of Aires de Barcelona’s success according to its commercial director Olaia Sarasqueta; their professionalism, a good price-quality relation, a very wide time schedule, good location but above all the wish of doing things properly and hard work.
Their goals for next year are to increase the number of reservations and customers that they receive, and increase the sales of gift cards. But the big news is that they are opening Aire de New York at the end of this year! So if you are visiting the Big Apple don’t hesitate to enjoy this relaxing experience because you won’t be disappointed!! VIVA NEW YORK!! 😉
Stay connected to Miss Lopez for the best news, always, with a Latin touch. VIVA LATIN TOUCH IN BARCELONA!!! 🙂