Location: Nadushka Spa, San Casciano, Florence, Italy
Category: Resort Spa
Price Range: Massages ($30-$120) Facials ($80-$120) Body Treatments ($80)
Signature Treatments: Officina de’ Tornabuoni Facial
Treatments Received: Therapeutic Body Massage, Officina de’ Tornabuoni Facial
Summary: What do you say about a spa nestled inside the wine cellar of a restored 15th century Tuscan villa that sits perched on a hill overlooking a vineyard and olive grove? Bellisima! A few years ago the owner of the privately owned Villa Mangiacane converted his vacation home into an intimate luxury resort. The villa is only seven miles from the heart of Florence and home to Nadushka Spa, named after the villa owner’s fiancée. Although the spa is reserved for resort guests, it was the low season (April) and so we were able to get in as day guests. As soon as we arrived, the resort receptionist greeted us warmly in the resort’s opulent reception room and immediately served freshly squeezed blood orange juice as we waited for our spa escort.
Nadushka Spa is a one-woman operation, run by an efficient and enthusiastic Londoner name Susie. She serves as the spa manager, solo therapist and in our case, villa tour guide. She led us through the villa’s main salon, filled with sculptures and Da Vinci era murals as awe inspiring as anything found in a Florentine museum.
The underground spa was a pleasant surprise. The subterranean treatment rooms, pool area and relaxation lounge were bathed in soft sunlight from clerestory windows. Old World marble sculptures kept vigil over modern chaise lounges and a compact, indoor lap pool flanked by a soothing onyx water feature. The Turkish-style sauna was a steamy light show….twinkling ceiling lights softly illuminated the mosaic-tiled surfaces with a changing rainbow of color….hi-tech chromotherapy. Candlelit treatment rooms were softly scented by local Tuscan oil blends and featured super-soft linens on heated beds.
The menu is limited to a few facial and massage treatments, but quality definitely rules quantity here. Susie’s deft fingers and eagerness to please made the massage experience flawless. The facial was also far from standard. Stress (and a few wrinkles) melted away as she massaged Officina de Tournabuoni, an herbal-based Tuscan skin care line, into the face and upper body. It was hard to say arrivaderci to this gem of a place.
Category: Resort Spa
Price Range: Massages ($30-$120) Facials ($80-$120) Body Treatments ($80)
Signature Treatments: Officina de’ Tornabuoni Facial
Treatments Received: Therapeutic Body Massage, Officina de’ Tornabuoni Facial
Summary: What do you say about a spa nestled inside the wine cellar of a restored 15th century Tuscan villa that sits perched on a hill overlooking a vineyard and olive grove? Bellisima! A few years ago the owner of the privately owned Villa Mangiacane converted his vacation home into an intimate luxury resort. The villa is only seven miles from the heart of Florence and home to Nadushka Spa, named after the villa owner’s fiancée. Although the spa is reserved for resort guests, it was the low season (April) and so we were able to get in as day guests. As soon as we arrived, the resort receptionist greeted us warmly in the resort’s opulent reception room and immediately served freshly squeezed blood orange juice as we waited for our spa escort.
Nadushka Spa is a one-woman operation, run by an efficient and enthusiastic Londoner name Susie. She serves as the spa manager, solo therapist and in our case, villa tour guide. She led us through the villa’s main salon, filled with sculptures and Da Vinci era murals as awe inspiring as anything found in a Florentine museum.
The underground spa was a pleasant surprise. The subterranean treatment rooms, pool area and relaxation lounge were bathed in soft sunlight from clerestory windows. Old World marble sculptures kept vigil over modern chaise lounges and a compact, indoor lap pool flanked by a soothing onyx water feature. The Turkish-style sauna was a steamy light show….twinkling ceiling lights softly illuminated the mosaic-tiled surfaces with a changing rainbow of color….hi-tech chromotherapy. Candlelit treatment rooms were softly scented by local Tuscan oil blends and featured super-soft linens on heated beds.
The menu is limited to a few facial and massage treatments, but quality definitely rules quantity here. Susie’s deft fingers and eagerness to please made the massage experience flawless. The facial was also far from standard. Stress (and a few wrinkles) melted away as she massaged Officina de Tournabuoni, an herbal-based Tuscan skin care line, into the face and upper body. It was hard to say arrivaderci to this gem of a place.
Facility: 5 Services: 5 Staff: 5
Highs:
- Low season meant we had the spa all to ourselves
- Chromotherapy in sauna, Jacuzzi and pool created a calming experience
- Dressing room cramped and in need of better lighting and a working blow dryer
- Toilets were out of order in both bathrooms