In Italy, when someone offers you coffee or cappuccino, always say yes.
Why? I don’t know, it’s just my gut feeling, but they’re usually teeny-tiny, I haven’t said no since arriving, I’m on my 4th one today, and I have no regrets yet.
It’s actually my 5th, if you include the Coffee Scrub and Milk Bath at the Antico Casale di Scansano Spa, a duo of treatments that sent me into a tranquil afternoon of decadent sweetness.
Before I get into the treatments, let me tell you a little about the spa at Antico Casale di Scansano. Warmly-colored walls and decor are immediately inviting at the Beauty Farm and Wellness Spa, which is right in the middle of all the hotel rooms on the mountain so you can just stroll on over in your robe. The cozy, inviting ambiance is complemented by sleek chairs and beachy touches. It’s the precise mix you’d want in your spa experience under the Tuscan sun.
The spa philosophy of the Antico Casale di Scansano Spa is rooted in the traditions of Maremma, and does a good job of blending them with forward-thinking spa techniques and local products. One of the scrubs is so fresh and local, that it has chunks of grapes in it that would otherwise be served on the dinner table in the form of local Morellino red wine.
The Spa Treatments:
(read the full spa treatment descriptions here)
My treatment began with a body scrub with Coffee and Cardamom. The scrub is made with actual coffee beans that are mixed with almond oil and enriched by the fragrant aroma of cardamom. Black, thick and exfoliating scrub was massaged onto my body, and then I was wrapped in a cocoon to let the oxygenating, vitamin-infused product seep into my skin. The moment I was wrapped up, I fell asleep. A deep sleep too, and I had a dream. I don’t remember what it was, but there’s no way it could have been as good as Masimmo’s, one of the Antico Casale owners, who recently had a dream/nightmare about giant New York skyscrapers chasing after him like Godzilla. He loves New York, but things are a little quieter here in the Maremma. I then showered off the nice strong shower, and was escorted to part 2.
Usually I take milk with my coffee, but this time I took it after.
The milk bath was a warm, relaxing way to turn into a caffè con latte. It was a half hour of solitude (no tweeting from the bathtub) with sweetness for my palate too. It’s fairly obvious I’d be served coffee and milk (and cake!) during my milk bath after my coffee treatment, but the experience of it was even more wholesome than it was ironic. There’s something enlightening about treating your insides the same as you do your outsides, people often forget to do both. It was a good reminder that both are equally deserving of pampering, attention and Tender Loving Caffeine.
And then, after having my bath and eating it too, I headed over to the indoor pool, tipped my chair back to full recline, and fell fast asleep for an hour. Even with all that caffeine, relaxation rose to the top.
Every country/region has its own unique coffee rituals and culture. What is your personal coffee ritual?
Spa-rrividerci!
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