San Casciano dei Bagni, located in Sienna Province, is one of the more well known spa towns in Tuscany. What makes San Casciano so famous is the quality of its thermal water and the poshness of its new spa resort, Fonteverde Spa and Hotel. To spend a night at the hotel and have access to the spa facilities, the rates for 2005 start at 220 euros per person, per night. For my husband and I, this was just a little too steep to justify, so we decided to do the day spa option instead, and sleep elsewhere. We bought two 50 euros day spa passes which entitled us to a sap kit (use of bathrobe, towel, and slippers), one hour in the BioAquam Pool, one hour in the Turkish Steam/Sauna rooms, and use of the large thermal pool from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (it would have been till 7 p.m. but we arrived on Tuesday which is the day the pool closes early). You can also get day and half-day passes for the thermal pool for 15 and 8 euros respectively.

We started our day at the BioAquam Pool, which is a thermal pool on the second floor of the Spa that overlooks the valley. The view from this pool is really spectacular. There are several places in the pool that are carved out curved nooks where you can lean back into the whirlpool massage jets and look out at the beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the BioAquam, but still preferred the larger pool because I thought the BioAquam's water temperature was a little too tepid for me.

We then made our way to the Turkish Steam Room and Sweedish Sauna. This area also had a room that was done all in stone and was heated to slightly higher than room temperature. I don't recall the name of it, but we used it as a room to take a pause in when the heat from the other two rooms became too great. There was also a cold pool adjacent to the Turkish Steam Room, for dipping in to relieve the heat. Facing the Turkish Steam Room was a Lounging Area with comfy lounge chairs and cool Japanese Bancha Tea made with the spa water for drinking. I liked this area a lot. The inside of the Turkish bath was tiled entirely with mosaics. It was large enough never to feel crowded and the temperature was perfect. The Sweedish Sauna was equally well done, with plenty of room. Both were kept inpeccably clean. I would have liked to return to this area, but the pass we bought only allowed us one hour.

We ate lunch at the bar attached to the main pool on the ground floor. I was expecting lousy food for inflated prices, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a really fresh mixed salad and a delicious panini sandwich on seasoned focaccia bread. The price for a large mixed salad, two paninis, two coffees, a bottle of water and a fresh squeezed orange juice was 18 euros. More than what you would pay in a normal Italian bar, but not that much more. And the quality of the sandwiches and salads was definitely a notch above the rest.

After lunch we soaked in the enormous thermal pool on the ground floor which we were free to use for the entire day. This pool had a giant cascade which spanned the length of the pool at the far end. It also had several spigots of gushing water that you could position yourself under for a very hardy water massage, it felt great on my sore shoulders. Although most of the pool is outdoors, there is also a small stream which leads to a circular indoor part of the pool. This part is great as well because you can still see outside thanks to the giant ceiling high windows that enclose it. We visited on a day that was really rainy and cold, and I actually think that I enjoyed the whole spa experience a little more than usual for that very reason. We were warm and toasty in the water, (the main pool is hotter than the BioAquam), but our heads were cool and refreshed by the rain. It was fabulous. I did not want to leave. The quality of the spa water was soft, almost silky. I was amazed that after an entire day in the spa, my fingers didn't prune up.

I also decided to indulge myself in a all body 50 minute massage which cost 70 euros. The masseuse, Marco, was really good at finding all of the points of tension in my back, and then massaging them till they somehow melted away. I will say that for me, 50 minutes felt really short. I would have gone for the one and a half hour massage, but I just couldn't afford it.

My only problem is that I found myself wishing that the hotel offered a more affordable option, as I really wanted to stay the night, as well as have more liberal use of their other facilities. Also, on chilly days it is a drag to have to travel from floor to floor to get to the various pools and spa rooms as your body gets chilled en route, thus defeating the purpose of your long soak. I recommend toweling off really well before putting on your bathrobe. I forgot to, and got stuck with a cold wet bathrobe for the rest of the day.

At the end of the day, I found myself trying to think of reasons to come back the next day. All in all, this was a lot of fun, and very relaxing. For those who would like a day to de-stress and pamper themselves, Fonteverde Spa is definitely a great choice.

posted by gina, 2005-06-07