SPA BULGARIA

How the times change! About a dozen of years ago, the word "spa" was still new in the Bulgarian language and the holiday at a spa hotel was mostly thought of as a lavish luxury for the chosen ones. For most of the people, spa procedures were a thing that requires a mineral water source. The professionals were few and far between.

Today spa is an integral part of the holiday of everyone who wants to take the most of his or her few days far from the workplace and the everyday stress of the city living. The connection with mineral springs, of course, is still present and strong – Bulgaria is a country with incredible resources in this respect – but an increasing number of people are now in the search of more interesting, new and fascinating spa experiences. Trying different types of massages and beauty procedures, baths and saunas has become a pleasure in its own right and even a particular reason to choose one hotel over another for the holiday.

With each year the opportunities for us to enjoy spa pleasures in any part of Bulgaria are multiplying. Hotels and resorts invest in luxurious complexes, top-class cosmetics and consultants who know how well organised spa centre should operate. The professionals working in these places offer an expanding variety of procedures and services, which make us feel younger, more energetic and toned, more inspired for living.

Premier Luxury Mountain Resort: Time for relaxation and food that is art
Who says that Bansko is worth visiting only when it snows? The exquisite cuisine of Premier Luxury Mountain Resort (Bansko, 11 Karamanitsa St, phone: +359(0) 749 50500, www.premiermountainresort.com) and its spa centre Aegeo Spas are a reason enough to visit the city repeatedly, regardless of the season. Managed by the leading Greek company for spa and wellness Aegeo Spas, the spa centre of Premier is an oasis of a relaxing and stylish ambience. Leave yourself to the care of the experienced therapists, and try a variety of nature inspired therapies and procedures, which will make you feel refreshed and boosted with energy. Among the Aegeo Spas' suggestions you will find hydrating, cleansing and rejuvenating facial therapies; Swedish, lymphatic and Thai massage; relaxing, detoxicating and firming rituals; and seducing procedures like peeling with olive oil and lavender, sugar and honey, and pomegranate and almonds.

Midalidare Hotel & SPA: Wine therapy and more
You rejuvenate yourself, forget about the stress, sculpt your body, improve your blood circulation: these are just a few of the things that you can achieve with wine, and we are not talking about drinking it, but in the shape of a spa procedure at Midalidare Hotel & SPA (Mogilovo village, phone: +359 886 65 57 21, www.midalidare.bg). For several years now one of the best wineries in Bulgaria has been offering spa and relaxing procedures in an excellent hotel located in the picturesque nature of the Sredna Gora mountain. The spa centre of Midalidare Hotel & SPA offers indoor swimming pool and a Jacuzzi, Finnish, infrared and herbal sauna, Turkish and Roman bath and a variety of massages (classical, relaxing, aroma, sports, with aromatic salts). What makes procedures here really memorable is the use of grapes or wine in the shape of exfoliation with grape seeds, bath with wine elixir, wine cream mask and others. Why to choose some of these? Grape and its products are rich in glucose, fructose, vitamins А, С, Р and В, minerals and amino acids, polyphenols that slow the ageing process, irreplaceable fatty acids and one of the most powerful antioxidants in nature.

Mountain Lake Hotel: The magic power of the Rhodope
Everyone who has travelled in the Rhodope has felt it: only a few kilometres after you have entered the slopes of the mountain and have tasted the fresh breath of the forest, the everyday stress begins to disappear. Mountain Lake Hotel (Smolyan Lakes, phones: 0888 774 464, 0887 001 650; www.ezerata.bg) brings the natural tranquility induced by the Rhodope to a completely new level. Located in one of the most picturesque parts of this magical mountain, close to Smolyan and the Pamporovo ski resort, the hotel relies on the cosiness of traditional Rhodope architecture, the inimitable taste of local specialties and selected spa procedures. The Mountain Lake spa centre has an indoor swimming pool, secured children's pool, dry Finnish sauna and Roman steam bath, as well a relaxation zone with a gym, massage parlour and cosmetic services. The ambience of measured luxury helps for your complete relaxation, and when you leave your room or apartment, you are awarded with a vista of the unique Rhodope mountain.