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My favorite travel hack when flying to Europe from the United States is to make Madrid my “base” airport for travel. Flights from New York to Madrid tend to be the most consistent in price throughout the year. Madrid also has an international airport where flights to most other European countries are usually relatively affordable.
As you may know, international flights from the US typically take off at night and, due to the time difference, arrive in the very early hours of the morning in Europe. Immediately, your sleep is completely thrown off and unfortunately, your hotel room or airbnb likely won’t be available to check in until the afternoon.
Thankfully, you won’t always have to prop your head up over a cafecito at a random coffee shop or a sandwich at a boqueria. Booking a spa visit for the late morning of your arrival will allow you safe a place to store your bags, a nice light lunch and a relaxing treatment or two where you’ll be forgiven entirely if you happen to fall asleep.
As of today, I’ve visited the Mandarin Oriental Spa in Madrid a total of four times across several trips. I’ve stack ranked their spa services, with comparison to similar offerings available at well known 5-star hotel spas (Ritz and Four Seasons, among others).
Overall Ranked Experience Review:
10/10 Bedside Manner
8/10 Spa Facilities
8/10 Amenities (coffee, tea, water, beverages, food)
10/10 Facial Experience
10/10 Massage Experience(s)
9/10 Spa Visit Experience
Total: 55/60
Below are my favorite treatments and daily itineraries for squeezing in some “you” time while traveling abroad.
Soin Lissant Facial using Biologique Recherche Products
Traveling can take a toll on your skin’s health, especially when traveling overseas. After several hours of sharing the same bubble of air with strangers, you’ll likely want to detox and reset some of your most crucial surfaces. Before getting the the hotel, allow one of the care experts at the Mandarin Oriental Spa treat you to an indulgent and relaxing facial.
My service provider spoke several languages fluently and offered an entirely relaxing experience from start to finish. She was careful with her approach, and made sure to ask substantial questions upfront to ensure products used were gentle and in alignment with my usual routine. At the end of the facial, she walked me through the products that were used, their purpose and those that I could consider adding to my own daily routines.
In the days after my facial, my skin felt tighter, more supple and far more moisturized than it had on previous trips to the same location. I’ve lived in Madrid before and never quite got used to how dry my skin felt constantly while there. This facial completely changed my perspective on how to both start my visits and take care of my skin in various climates.
Deep Tissue Massage
I had my first deep tissue massage in Madrid and haven’t been able to replicate the same quality of experience since. Extremely necessary for long flights in even the most comfortable of airplane seats — this massage offers customizable pressure, allowing for deep tissue recovery for athletes or slightly less firm pressure for those of us simply recovering from lots of walking and extended travel.
Oils and lotions used are customizable for skin sensitivities. All products used are available for purchase following your spa visit.
Relaxing and Anti-Stress Massage
I have to admit, on one trip I did book two massages within two days because the first was so wonderful. The anti-stress massage offered a completely unique, therapeutic experience to my deep tissue massage on the previous day. The session incorporates a large variety of essential oils to choose from, each tailored towards the mood and results you’re hoping to earn from your session. I was ever-so-quietly guided through the use cases for each throughout the experience and was so calm and relaxed that I fell asleep in final 5 minutes of the hour. Still, was very much worth the second trip and all 55 minutes of the experience that I was awake for.
