The Irene Forte Spa is located inside the Rocco Forte Hotel de la Ville, right at the top of the Spanish Stairs. At just five treatment rooms, it’s a small but beautiful spa that uses natural ingredients and is known for it’s sustainable excellence.
In an attempt to get The Husband to enjoy la dolce vita, I booked us the couples Mediterranean mudding ritual for two with 60 minute massages. You start with the mudding ritual. The couples treatment room also has a Rasul, which is like a two-seater sauna. You apply an exfoliating scrub, then rinse it off and apply the mud. They supplies disposable underwear so you don’t have to worry about bringing a change of clothes. You sit with the mud on in the Rasul for about 30 minutes and let the mud and steam do it’s thing.
When the 30 minutes are up you rinse off in the showers in the treatment room then get ready for your massage. They give you all the instructions, including what time they will be back to start the massages, before the mudding so you know exactly what to do.
The massage was so lovely. They offer a variety of essential oils to accompany the massage. We chose lavender and it smelled so good, fresh, not artificial, and not too strong. We both had relaxation massages, and they were wonderful. Just the right amount of pressure.
The changing area is really nice, too. I hate the shower in our Airbnb, so I took advantage of the giant rainfall shower head in the spa and it was wonderful. They also have everything you need to get ready.
The staff was just as wonderful as the spa. They were so kind and personable. The Husband had a long chat with Elena at the desk while I was showering, discussing all things Rome and even other areas of Italy.
At €320 for both of us, it wasn’t cheap but it was worth the cost. The rest of the spa amenities were an additional €25 each, which seemed a little steep after spending as much as we did. I would have liked to check out the salt room, sauna, steam room, hydro pool, and plunge pool, but I felt like I already spent enough.
When we were done, we headed to the rooftop bar for an apertive. We’ve been to a lot of bars, and a few rooftops, and this was by far the most expensive. The view was nice but it wasn’t a great as some of the other rooftops. I would skip the rooftop bar next time.
It was the perfect detox and relaxation. I wish I would have booked it sooner. I think it would be a great way to push through jet lag sooner.
Saves Lives Will Travel 
A good sleep is needed for jet lag. When I was teaching in the UAE, the first month they had us in a very wonderful expensive hotel-all paid for and we had a wonderful buffet breakfast (inclusive). It was a deluxe hotel. I slept very well! Have you had the opportunity to communicate with the natives easily?
By the way, in my novel I write using my experience in the United Arab Emirates as this is one of the settings. Again, mostly fiction! Read for escapism.
Agreed! I’m having a hard time sleeping in our Airbnb so that definitely isn’t helping.
I’ve been working on my Italian. Most people also speak English, so I use that as a chance to practice and get corrections. It’s a little intimidating but still fun!