Belgium’smacho spa that even men will enjoy!
HOW do you persuade a man to go on a spa break? A Belgian hotel may have the answer. Domaine La Butte Aux Bois has opened Spa Retreat La Forêt, with gym, spa and 20 new rooms. The only thing that’s fluffy is the towels.
The new extension, a low-rise monolith in grey, black, white and stone, shouts stern machismo. The moment I arrive at my room, I realise I should have brought a chap. The dull gold door is so heavy I can barely open it.
Inside, I’m ensconced in the penumbra of a forest glade — with swathes of wall and even the voile curtains in black tones. It’s a muscular palette.
The Spartan-luxe aesthetic works perfectly for the spa. The large sauna and hammam are ‘dress code free’ (be prepared for naked bodies) and you can give each other the shivers with matching ice bucket showers. The pool is built for lengths, not lounging. La
Butte aux Bois is set in the Hoge Kempen National Park (Belgium’s only national park) so you can walk or cycle through well-marked paths.
If you fancy flexing your muscles personal coach Ingmar Harthoorn will take you out for a woodland bootcamp. Yoga might seem a more laidback option, but I stagger away from my early morning class aching all over.
Detox menus and calorie-counting are anathema here — La Butte is so foodie
that even its spa menu (lunch only) comes with champagne. Its casual dining restaurant, Le Bistrot, majors in local produce with fancy flourishes. Meanwhile La Source is a Michelinstarred gastronomic explosion.
The spa treatments are perfectly pleasant but the real draw is dermatologist Dr Yolande Bullens-Goessens. Warm, friendly and deeply reassuring, she uses injectables (a touch of hyaluronic acid here, a little Botulinum there) lightly — ‘So you look natural, as if you’ve just had a really great weekend.’ And, even without a man, I have.