Occasionally, in the middle of a hectic day, I close my eyes and re-experience the gush of well-being I felt at the Fortina Spa recently as a rush of soft warm rain washed over me… the washing away of care…

Slowly, the feeling transports me back to a classic Greek décor, to the soft, gentle interiors of the spa, where water flows and bubbles and falls in soft warm or cold rains…

The setting is rather like a Greek Temple where, unseen by the eyes of the world, people move around, devoted to the cults of life, beauty and well-being. There are various closed doors, chambers into which one can enter and which serve a specific function, the meditation room, the ice grotto…

There is no indication as to this temple’s location, time is left outside, it is far away from anywhere else… the only reality one encounters is the immediate, the water, the ice, the soft misty rains…

Still, despite its dream-like qualities, this place is real enough. In fact, it is safely ensconced in the heart of the Fortina Hotel in Sliema… Oblivious to the goings-on around them, invisible to the outside world, people in the spa move in and out of the chambers, devoted to their rites and ablutions, dedicated to the cults of life and beauty…

Spa Santé

In the middle there is a giant deep Jacuzzi (or reflexology pool), where you can sit, lie down, float, or roll around, constantly being massaged by the flow of air bubbles… this is surrounded by a series of chambers where play with water, light, warmth and cold has created a set of well-being, soothing and relaxing treatments which not only purify the body but also the mind.

The first of these is the Aqua Meditation room, where softly dripping water creates a light pattern which stimulates relaxation, assisted by the subtle scents of aromatherapy; another is the Ice Grotto, where you can rouse yourself by rubbing ice all over your body after a relaxing massage in the warm Jacuzzi; or the Tepidarium where you can relax on heated recliners…

There are the fun showers, where water gushes out from the sides, or you are washed by a shower of fresh mint rain in a soft rush, or you can even choose to pull a rope and get drenched with a bucket of cold water after a hot sauna. Door after door reveals new treats… The Roman Laconium where you can sit comfortably on heated seats in a carefully-controlled dry atmosphere… stillness… or the wonderful Kneipp Walk where you walk successively through three pools containing cold, warm and cold water creating a totally unpredictable sense of exhilaration.

The Belle Époque

The climax is the Belle Époque, a huge creamy shell into which you climb, covered in warm mud. The mattress is a warm water bed which surrounds you and adjusts to suit the shape of your body. You then choose aromatherapy scent, light colours, massage setting and rain setting and… plunge into the most soothing and fun experience you can imagine…

The treatment is a wonderful combination of all the spa ingredients; at one given moment, you are experiencing a stimulating massage the length of your body coming from the waterbed, the warmth of the waterbed, the benefits of the mud on your skin, the soft lights changing slowly, the delicate aromatherapy and… best of all… the soft rain washing over you, cleansing, cleansing, cleansing…

Another memorable treatment was the Cleopatra bath, which is a sleek black mummy-shaped bath in the middle of a room covered with Egyptian motifs. The bath is at the centre of the room and commands a view of the motifs on the room’s columns, friezes, and ceiling. You sit back in the warm water, enriched with horse’s milk and honey, and enjoy the bubbles which massage your body, interspersed with tiny jets of cold water for stimulation…

The spa bedrooms

The Fortina Hotel introduced the world’s first therapeutic spa bedrooms, a wonderful concept which brings you the pleasures and benefits of spa in the privacy of a bedroom.

The rooms are thought out in every detail: from the relaxing soothing eye cream on the bed sidetable to the private pool with therapeutic double-concentrated seawater on the terrace.

No amount of thought, imagination and luxury has been spared. You can have a wonderful time exploring and discovering the treats, until you pick your favourites. The bath, for instance, is actually a Jacuzzi bath with seven different programmes including relaxing, stimulating, exciting etc… it comes complete with seaweed, salt and essential oils for maximum benefits.

The bathroom, therefore, apart from serving its normal purpose, is also a private spa. There is a private steam bath complete with muds and algae and aromatherapy. All the treatments are arranged in the order in which they should be used. There is also a Dermalife Machine which works with a combination of factors, including steam, vibratory massage and infrared, cleaning out the body’s toxins.

Move into the main bedroom where the eye immediately rests on a few steps which lead up to a king-sized Jacuzzi on an elevation overlooking the wonderfully comfy beds. The water bubbles and growls, lights in the water can be switched on or off… if you manage to resist jumping straight into the Jacuzzi, you might discover the spiral stairs in the balcony which will lead you to your very own private pool area complete with mosaic pattern and colourful flowers. A few petals floated gently in the water when we first saw it. This is too much to resist. The water is concentrated seawater for better therapeutic treatment, and includes a strong jet of water to use as exercise or as massage treatment … the terrace also includes a private barbeque area with dining space, private shower, sunbeds, umbrella… you can even get a chef to prepare your private barbeque on your private pool area!

Restaurants

There are a number of restaurants at the Fortina hotel. One of these is a Health Restaurant at the Qui-Si-Sana which complements the feeling of well-being and the health benefits derived after a day spent pampering yourself at the spa.

Nonchalantly shrugging off health benefits, however, we opted for the Japanese restaurant Hibiki. The choice, as it turned out, was excellent. Nowhere was a meal more perfectly balanced between flavour and lightness. Starters were mouthwatering bite-sized sushi to be dipped into soy sauce with a dash of spicy wasabi; the meat in the second course was tender, tasty and light. The staff at the Hibiki is mostly Asian and the service was discreet and prompt. At Hibiki it is possible to eat inside, outside surrounded by the tropical garden or have your meal cooked in front of you.

The Fortina’s other restaurants include the recently-opened Thai and Chinese restaurant, the Garden View Restaurant, Garden Pizzeria, the Tigne Brasserie – which serves Italian and French cuisine and has recently also started serving Maltese specialities. The La Vallette Buffet Restaurant overlooks the magnificent view of the Valletta Harbour.

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In the middle of a hectic day I only have to imagine that soft rain…