Leave it to the Milanese led by the likes of glitzy fashion duo Dolce & Gabbana to turn even a day at the spa into an όber-stylish experience. Just around the corner from the piazza del Duomo, the 2,000-square metre Younique is a serenely theatrical two-storey health club, replete with indulgent spa treatments and, for those so inclined, vigorous gym workouts.
Click here to see inside Younique
Banish all thoughts, however, of crowded spaces or of jostling for quality time on the exercise ball. Younique's mantra revolves around the curative powers of introspective solitude. In fact, the Milanese interior architect Matteo Nunziati imagined the space a former bar, of all things as a peaceful internal courtyard, a cloistered retreat from the harried pace of downtown Milan just on the other side of the wall.
And so, earthy materials like leather, stone and sweet smelling Palisander rosewood are used throughout the space to enhance the sense of serenity.
In the main salon, a series of black stoned pools seem to float over banks of light. To the side are huge modular sofas by Poliform for guests hoping to grab a quiet contemplative moment before attacking the gym mat or being pummelled by massaging jet sprays. Meanwhile, fitness rooms are designed for a single client and personal trainer, while each changing room again, for one is lined with Wenge and outfitted with its own locker, shower, sink and an LCD screen.
On the lower floor is a lava-stone sauna whose ceiling is studded with Swarovski crystals, a Turkish bath, swimming pool and a labyrinth of treatment rooms dispensing massages and Thalasso therapies.
And before you know it, it's time for a rejuvenative juice from the health bar upstairs before bravely setting out to face Milan's unrelenting glamour.
