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Vital vitality L
Te centre was inspired by the heritage of Jurmala, which included mud treatments
HAND-PICKED PRODUCTS
THE BALANS INTERNATIONAL WELLNESS CENTRE USES TWO SPA LINES PICKED FOR THEIR LUXURIOUSNESS, EXCLUSIVITY AND FITTING INGREDIENTS:
n Created in Switzerland and packaged by Helena Rubinstein, Elier (Elier Unique) skincare products are nevertheless produced in Latvia, using mud and other ingredients sourced
locally. Tere are now plans to create signature Elier treatments and bed- room amenities. n Te brainchild of Rus- sian model Julia Lemigova, Russie Blanche is a lux-
ury line used to enhance the ‘banya’ experience. It comprises creams, masks, essential oils and scrubs, which are produced in France, but based on tradi- tional Siberian recipes.
We take a look at the International Wellness Centre in Latvia, where the approach is all about holistic wellness
ocated in the beachside town of Jurmala, a short drive from the Latvian capital city of Riga, the Balans International Wellness
Centre has been fully open for just over a year following the launch of its boutique hotel in June 2009. Te story of the family-owned operation
began in 1998 when ex-table tennis cham- pion Vadim Sokolov acquired a property which encompassed a bowling alley, a gym and a café as well as a public bathhouse dat- ing back to the 1960s. Te first phase of the redevelopment was
a revamp of the bathhouse. Carried out in 2001, the result was a Russian-style banya – a tradition deeply established as a weekly
ritual in the Russian psyche, with single- sex areas offering a hot room and plunge pool supervised by a specialist ‘steam maker’, treatments such as body wraps and detox massages and relaxation areas. Ten, in 2005, Sokolov bought the gym/
café and bowling alley businesses, which had operated independently, and his daughter Alla Sokolova – who is a co-founder, stake- holder and board member – helped establish the Balans International Wellness Centre concept and brand, which would later also include a hotel, spa and restaurant. But there was, as she explains, “no unity between the various elements of the offering”. It was to the heritage of Jurmala that the
Sokolovs turned as a potential source of this unity. Created in 1959 by the merging of seaside resort Rigas-Jurmala and hydro- therapeutic spa resort Kemeri, what is now known simply as Jurmala, had long enjoyed a reputation as a health destination. Indeed, archaeological findings suggest that Kemeri’s sulphur springs were already being used for medicinal purposes in the 16th century, and by the early 19th century Russian tsar Nicho- las I had granted funds for the creation of bathing areas. Te resort’s popularity con- tinued to grow, even throughout the Soviet
Facilities include a boutique hotel (leſt), a bowling alley, a restaurant, a gym, a spa (above) and a refurbished 1960s bathhouse
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