Mid-afternoon among the vineyards of Portugal’s Douro Valley and I’m in a drowsy, supine state. There’s the sweet, heady aroma of wine in the air, a mellow soundtrack of strumming guitars. But this isn’t the tail end of a boozy lunch. Instead, I’m in the spa, sampling a more salubrious side to this region’s prized vines.
Grapes aren’t only good for making delicious tipples, it turns out. The signature treatment at Six Senses Douro Valley begins with a full-body scrub of grapeseed pearls and port, which preps the skin for a hot stone massage using polished schist – the same mineral-rich rock that dominates the surrounding landscape – placed on my back to melt away muscle tension. Two blissful hours in the treatment room (which, like most of the hotel, has dramatic vineyard vistas) concludes with a wine-infused mini facial.
‘Grapes are a treasure trove of health benefits, particularly due to their rich content of antioxidants,’ says Javier Suarez, the hotel’s wellness director. ‘Resveratrol, found in the skins, helps combat oxidative stress and inflammation, contributing to heart health and potentially even longevity.’
In skincare, Resveratrol is appreciated for its anti-ageing properties, promoting skin elasticity and firmness. High in vitamins C and E, grapes also ‘support collagen production and protect the skin from environmental damage,’ while the natural fruit acids slough away dead skin cells.
The origin story of vinotherapy – deploying wine by-products such as pips and pulp in healing treatments – can be traced back to Bordeaux. Noticing how vineyard workers’ hands remained remarkably youthful, French couple Bertrand and Mathilde Thomas started studying the skin benefits of grapes in the 1990s, eventually launching the brand Caudalíe.
A stay at Les Sources de Caudalie takes you back to where it all began. While shire horses plough the property’s vineyard, grape-centric rituals in the wood-panelled vinothérapie spa include a half-day rituel des vignes, unwinding in a barrel tub before being exfoliated with crushed cabernet grapes and anointed with warm, estate-grown grapeseed oil.
Now, vinotherapy is spreading further afield. At Gillham Vineyard Hotel in Northern Cyprus, guests can soak in a bath of wine and essential oils while overlooking the vines. Croatia’s rustic village-style resort Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery makes its own red wine serum.
For those whose tastes lean New World, try the grape-fortified facials at Mont Rochelle, set within 39 hectares of vineyards in South Africa’s Winelands. Argentina’s trailblazing female winemaker Susana Balbo and her daughter Ana have converted their family bodega into an art-filled seven-suite retreat, SB Winemaker’s House.
Opened in 2022, the House takes pampering so seriously guests get their own wellness butler. Splash out on a three-hour Frutos De La Vid (From the Vine) treatment, including a choice of body wraps using either hydrating red wine cream and raisin, or red wine must (freshly pressed grape juice) and mud to purify and smooth the skin.
Treatments are taken in-room – and why not, when each pad is a de facto private spa, complete with its own steam room and heated deck? (Fun fact about the grape-shaped concrete soaking tubs in the bathrooms: they’re upcycled fermentation tanks.)
But nor should guests neglect the Balbo’s winemaking prowess; rooms have wine fridges stocked with Susana Balbo vintages, while guided tastings can be taken anywhere from the cellars and barrique (ageing) room to alfresco on the winery rooftop and out in the vineyard itself.
Some may see the fusion of wine (drinking, that is) and wellness as contradictory. Isn’t a spa retreat meant to be all cold-pressed juices and herbal tea? Not so much if you prescribe to the growing trend for ‘soft wellness’ – a less stringent slant on self-care.
This is the ethos at Six Senses Douro Valley. ‘Our approach is rooted in the idea that wellness is not about deprivation but rather about finding equilibrium,’ Javier says, ‘celebrating life’s pleasures while nurturing one’s health. Enjoying a glass of wine, savouring delectable cuisine, and immersing oneself in the beauty of the surroundings are essential elements of a holistic and fulfilling experience.’
Their wellness programme reflects this by looking beyond classic spa facilities (epic though they are, with a cold-hot aquatherapy circuit, herb-scented salt and steam rooms, biohacking suite, a scenic forest sauna and swimming pool with underwater sound) to encompass tree climbing, mindful art classes, full moon rituals and blending garden botanicals into your own essential oils at the Alchemy Bar, which has more than a hint of a Harry Potter classroom about it.
Not forgetting the kind of ‘therapy’ I usually find in wine, ie: setting the world to rights with friends over a few glasses. Which is exactly what I do in the Six Senses’ wine library and on its terrace after the warming schist treatment. Soothed, scrubbed and glowing, we dispense some vinho tinto (Quinta da Caldeirinha QC syrah, to be precise) from the enomatic machines and settle on an outdoor sofa.
With the sun dipping over the Douro River, gilding the valley’s harvest-ripe vines, I decide celebrating the local grapes in all their guises – from spa to bar – is just what the doctor ordered.
After all, even Alexander Fleming was willing to concede that fine wine provides something his lifesaving drug can’t; ‘Penicillin cures,’ the scientist noted, ‘but wine makes people happy.’
Find out what happened when we sent a pair of winemakers for a wind-down at a wine retreat…