In this case, it’s not a dream, although this place has every intention of whisking you off to other worlds. The Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Wellness centre originally opened in 1998 and is setting sail once again on seas of tranquillity after its full refurbishment. It was the first of its kind in the Canary Islands and its vast 7,000 square metres of wellbeing facilities make it the largest in Europe and one of the most cutting-edge. The sea, its relaxing sounds and enveloping fragrances, vegetation and the natural light that filters in through the large transparent dome, its sea view, architecture and art have all conspired with a common goal: your wellbeing.

Just like Bordes’s mural, thalassotherapy evokes water as it pools on the shore. Its transparent soul matches the feeling of calm and harmony that comes over you, lulled by the rhythm of the swell, and of course the therapeutic benefits of the sea, thalassa in Greek. This inspiration guided Estanislao Mañaricua’s original project and also the refurbishment, entrusted to the Gadap Bordes studio. It feels as though the ocean and the natural world have been whispering ideas in their ear.

The result is clear as soon as you set foot in the thalassotherapy centre. It’s as if you are suddenly inhabiting a peaceful sea. Just let yourself be rocked by the gentle current. The access ramp to the hydrotherapy area also gives an artistic nod to Bordes, in this case with the mural entitled ‘The Sea from the Inside: Phytoplankton Soup’, alluding to the view from the seabed gazing up towards the surface.

Here we find ourselves in waters that change temperature and take many forms, frolicking among more than thirty hydrotherapy stations to heal our every woe. The main pool creates sinuous channels that collect the falling water to form steamy waterfalls that wash away the slightest sign of stress. Mundane daily life is not allowed to slip through the doors or windows of the thalassotherapy centre as another mysterious trick in Poseidon’s secret palace on dry land.

The thalassotherapy centre has liquid borders, making it seem like natural landscapes can emerge from the thermal waters in the Turkish mountains of Pamukkale. This World Heritage landscape of white terraces and waterfalls was the point of reference when designing these facilities. In any case, you can always stare out over the nearby Atlantic Ocean and make out its murmuring through the large windows.

Stretching out like a treasure that someone has unearthed on the beach, the Harmony Zone, on the top level, has a jacuzzi, a relaxation bed and a cold-water pool, all lit from the ceiling and the floor to accentuate the sensations of being on a faraway island lost in time and space. Across the way, there are loungers looking over the central vaulted space and, further back, you’ll find the Turkish bath and the sauna. The ever-changing soft, warm lighting and the sensory aromatherapy and chromotherapy showers complete the scenario.

The Water Balance Zone comprises hydromassage cabins for personalised treatments that can be combined with mud massages or seaweed therapy. In turn, the Beauty&Wellness Zone is just the place to treat yourself to a whole host of treatments in booths fitted with intuitive panels to adjust the light and music so that each person can create their own paradise within this surfacing Atlantis.

Themed massages, such as Thai or Ayurveda, and the relaxation room make up the Experiences/Rituals Zone, intended for single use or couples. Furthermore, the relaxation area in this corner is separated off from the rest of the facility by a transparent enclosure which softens the light and creates an intimate space. It is watched over by the Bordes’s mural entitled ‘The Black Lake in the J’Bel Oasis: House of the Djins’. Art is speaking to us again, in a low but determined voice.

When you leave the thalassotherapy, you’re bound to feel like a character in a novel where their departure from a magical or unknown land is represented by someone stepping out from a waterfall that bellows forth from a deep tropical valley, or an island of golden sand with buried treasure at the foot of a palm tree, lost on the horizon of memory. In the case of Gran Canaria, its beaches, natural pools, palm trees, pines and ravines are perfectly real and are all still out there, within everyone’s grasp.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Location: C/ Las Margaritas s/n (35100) - San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Spain)
Phone: (+34) 928 77 64 04
E-mail: talasoterapia.sanagustin@gloriapalaceth.com
Website: www.gloriapalaceth.com/en/gloria-palace-san-agustin-thalasso-hotel/thalassotherapy/