Nestled among the Austrian Alps, the Romantik Hotel Gmachl, which opened in 1334, is now folded into Europe’s Romantik Hotels & Restaurants brand. The property is still operated by the (23rd generation) Gmachl family and offers spacious rooms, a fine dining restaurant and a 5,000-square-foot spa dubbed Horizont. Perhaps most impressive is the latter’s indoor infinity pool, surrounded by white couches and a “floating” fireplace overlooking Mount Untersberg. The spa also boasts a steam room, dry sauna and infrared sauna. Day use is available for $78 (about $30 of which must go toward a treatment) Monday through Friday; $95 ($30 toward treatment) on weekends and holidays; and $30 (no treatment required) on evenings from Monday through Thursday.
RELATED: Spa Snapshot – The Spa at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore
Signature Services
Visiting couples are smart to book the Wonderful Sensual Break (60 min./$213), which includes back and neck massages with rose oil, a candlelit bath and champagne. Another popular option is the Wonderful Cream Pack (30 min./$59 per person), which involves a wrap of local honey, avocado, grape seed oil and aloe.
PHOTOS: Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica
Noteworthy
The team at Hotel Gmachl takes advantage of its location in the bucolic, farm-dotted countryside village of Elixhausen by using local ingredients to create spa products under the Gmachl Wundervoll (Wonderful) line. Offerings include a lip balm, salt scrub, rose oil and bath milk—available on site only. “We use honey from nearby farms, and sometimes spring water from Elixhausen,” explains cosmetician Eileen Jaensch.
– by Katie Morell