Rituels d'Orient

I wasn't sure what to expect when I entered the glass door of Rituels d'Orient, where I'd been invited to try out their treatments, on the unassuming Carrer Loreto. Little did I know I was in for an experience unlike any other.

Rituels d'Orient is the only spa in Barcelona that is meant to replicate the traditional Turkish and Moroccan baths. My first time in a 'hammam' was both pleasant and intriguing. I descended the stairs and opened a door to a large water oasis of sorts, with different rooms and baths of varying temperatures. The humid rooms of the hammam include a slightly cooler bath in one area and a hot steam room in another, putting to practice the health benefits of progressive temperatures. Plenty of places to sit and take it all in while being surrounded by an almost mystical but simplistic Moroccan atmosphere made me feel like I was on a serene journey, entering different rooms when I chose and exploring all that the hammam had to offer.

After about 45 minutes, I moved to a treatment room, where I received a luxurious body treatment of a type of soap, followed by a body scrub and mask, all using organic products. The entire process was intermingled with rinsing and showers, of course, as the hammam centres on the healing powers of water. After my time in the baths' area was over, I went upstairs and received a 20-minute massage followed by a cup of mint tea and Moroccan pastry in a final room with couches and pillows galore. This would be a perfect place to reflect or have a nice conversation with friends after your treatments.

Traditionally in Turkey, the hammam was a place to go and relax, cleanse and socialise. Men would discuss politics and philosophy and women would share their beauty and health secrets—it was a place to purify the body and spirit. My experience was more solitary, as I went on a weekday morning, when most people are at work.  Rituels d'Orient is great for someone looking to relax by themselves, but it is also perfectly suited to groups of people, or couples, who can enjoy the experience of the hammam together and still get individual treatments afterward if they're looking for some alone time, too. Hen or bachelorette parties, especially, or a group of friends wanting some relaxation time would love the blend of communal and solitary treatments the spa has to offer.

The spa offers a wide range of treatments outside the hammam as well, from the typical Oriental massage to foot treatments and anti-aging remedies, as well as packages for couples and themed combinations of treatments.

Rituels d'Orient is located at Lorento 50 just off Diagonal, near Plaça Francesc Macià.