ROYAL FLUSH
Perth’s Crown Spa brings La Prairie treatments to Western Australia with a decadent flourish. By Remy Rippon.
Perth’s Crown Spa brings La Prairie treatments to Western Australia with a decadent flourish.
The towering ceilings at the entrance to Perth’s Crown Towers feel more suited to the lobby of a hotel in New York or Hong Kong than one situated just a 20-minute cab ride from laidback Cottesloe Beach. The seven-metre void might even feel cavernous if it weren’t for the inviting sandstone colour palette, intricate Bottega Veneta-inspired basket-weave ceiling details and a collection of perhaps the largest chandeliers I’ve ever seen. But would you expect anything less from a hotel touted as the most expensive to create in Australia? As far as first impressions go, this one delivers.
Just one level below, in what feels like a world away from the buzz of the lobby, lies Crown Spa, where the ceilings may be lower but the sense of grandeur and unwavering decadence is elevated to new heights. Down here, panel detailing and the blue, aqua and white colour palette give the sense of being aboard an extremely opulent cruise liner (think one a Saudi prince might own).
If you’ve tired of the temperature-regulated, sprawling (8,800 square metres, to be exact) outdoor pools that echo the nearby Swan River as they snake around the exterior of the hotel, then take a dive into the spa’s aqua retreat. At the end of a lengthy hallway, a circular azure pool awaits for a pre- or post-treatment splash. Or seek out the steam room, sauna and the handful of relaxation zones that hark back to old Roman bathhouses, a sentiment interiors maestro Blainey North kept front of mind when designing the space.
The place is a rabbit warren of treatment rooms structured around a central axis that reveals tranquil dens where the sole purpose is acute relaxation. Pre-treatment, guests are ushered into a dimly lit sitting room (so moody that the blue glow from an iPhone feels like a floodlight), complete with streamlined leather lounges to sprawl and unwind.
The 13 treatment rooms are as indulgent as they are relaxing, with every detail masterfully considered. Likewise, no expense is spared in the treatments, which are courtesy of La Prairie, the gold standard in skincare.
Today, I’m treated to the Caviar Lift facial, which, as the name suggests, is luxe factor and brawn rolled into 90 minutes. It starts with the typical cleanse and exfoliation, but the La Prairie difference comes into play with a nifty massage technique utilising heated glass globes that feel like a warm hug for the face but also prove efficient in infusing Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentré deep into the skin. The best part? The grand finale is an application of the brand’s Skin Caviar Luxe Sleep Mask, which gives you permission to hot-foot it to your room (without even derobing) and relaxing into a restful slumber. If it sounds excessive, it is.