I’m soaking in a relaxing wine bath and after being massaged with Chardonnay-infused lotions before being covered in a grape seed wrap. Soon I’ll be off to a spa dinner with fresh, local ingredients all paired with wine made right in the vineyards cascading down the hills outside the door. It’s sounds like something out of an oenophile’s fairytale, right? But it’s no wine-induced fantasy – Loisium Wine Spa & Resort offers a menu of vinotherapy treatments and complete relaxation at their resorts set amongst Austria’s picturesque vineyards.
Loisium’s Vinoble Wine Treatments
Grapes, grape seeds and grape vines happen to contain some of the nature’s most powerful antioxidants. I got to sample a taste of vinotherapy earlier this summer with a wine pedicure at the Ritz Carlton Chicago. My feet were soft for months after, so I couldn’t wait to head to Loisium Wine Spa to experience more vinotherapy treatments.
Loisium has a romantic couple’s treatment room where you can both indulge in relaxing massages, body peels, and other treatments. I told Tim that we were having a couple’s wine bath before heading to the spa. He’s not really in to spa treatments, and that conversation went something like:
Me: “We’re doing a couple’s wine bath.”
Tim: “But I don’t want to get stained.”
Me: “It’s white wine.”
Tim: “I don’t like white wine.”
Me: “Then it’s a good thing we’re sitting in it and not drinking it.”
Bathing in wine a la Cleopatra is not actually good for you. The bath is actually water with a mixture of grape oil extract, rose petal water, red grape leaf, and oak bark added, so you’re in no danger of being stained red and it’s very good for your skin and circulation. The bath is in Loisium’s ying-yang tub, which is divided in to two. It’s really kind of perfect, because I always like the water much hotter. You soak in the bath for about 20 minutes in candlelight. Our skin was incredibly soft for days afterward, which was great as the hard water in Italy and the cold weather tend to make my skin dry and itchy.
I also had the 90-minute Chardonnay wine treatment. It begins with a foot bath in a mini wine barrel with grape seed oil in the water. Much needed since my last pedicure was at the Ritz Carlton Spa a few months ago, my feet were scrubbed with grape scrub that blissfully removes the dead skin, slathered with more grape seed oil and wrapped up, and then massaged. Next a full body massage with the fruity notes of a Chardonnay grape seed lotion put me to sleep. I was also wrapped up in a nourishing grape body wrap and had a head massage. My only complaint is that 90 minutes seems to go by too fast when you’re being pampered. It finishes with a glass of Chardonnay to enjoy.
Wine Spa Tea Time
My massage was perfectly timed to end just before spa tea time, which happens each afternoon beginning at 3:30pm. A selection of fruit infused waters, teas and snacks like fresh fruit, breads and spreads, and nuts are available. We sat relaxing in our soft spa robes near the fireplace while looking out over the vineyards.
Wine Spa Cuisine
Loisium’s philosphy is that relaxation comes from enjoyment and that a meal paired with fine wines is part of the entire relaxation package. There is an a la carte menu, but a nightly tasting menu is crafted with in season local ingredients. You can mix from the vegetarian and vineyard tasting menus and opt for the extensive buffet to make your own salad in place of a starter course.
Each evening we dined on delicious dishes that included starters like pumpkin from Loisium’s garden, main courses like duck breast with croquettes, and divine desserts like chocolate soffle with raspberries. Each course is paired with a local Austrian wine in the surrounding area.
Food truly enhances and brings out the undertones in wines. A wine can taste entirely different when paired with food and Loisium’s sommeliers expertly select the best local wines to compliment each dish. We tried a variety of wines, from young white Junger Rivaner that was so clear it could have fooled me as water if the fresh citrus tones didn’t dance across the air while it was being poured to velvety reds with chocolate tones.
Spa cuisine is delicious and healthy with a focus on organic, local produce and proteins. The portions are smaller so even a three-course dinner doesn’t leave you feeling stuffed and unable to move.
Breakfast is an equally delicious affair. I’m always thrilled when local honey is available and Loisium impressed by even having honeycomb at the buffet. Eggs are cook-to-order and I can never resist a veggie omelet, fresh fruit, and Greek yogurt that I swirl honey in. But no matter your breakfast routine, your heart’s desire was likely on offer.
Active Adventures
Rounding out the wellness spa, Loisium offers a variety of activities to get you moving between spa treatments and Michelin-quality meals. Each day there are different activities like Nordic walking, in addition to the hiking and cycling trails along the wine route. You can pick up a trail map from reception and even order a picnic in a backpack to take with you for a full day out. At Loisium’s South Styria location, Murstätten Golf Club, a leading golf course is just 20 minutes away.
The Tuscany of Austria boasts some 300 days of sunshine each year, but we happened to visit when a fog settled in for our entire weekend. We had brought our hiking gear and fully intended to hike one of the wine routes which range from 4 – 12 kilometers, but we took advantage of the gloomy weather to just relax. There is still a lot you can do right at the resort with a full gym, indoor pools, sauna, and steam room. The outdoor heated pool felt a bit like Iceland’s Blue Lagoon with the milky blue color of the water as the steam rose off the pool’s surface. Best of all, you don’t even have to walk outside to get in the pool. Loisium’s designers thought of every detail!
Loisium Wine Spa Locations
We had the pleasure of visiting both Loisium Wine Spa locations: Loisium Langenlois is about an hour from Vienna and we even popped in to the city for a quick visit to the Christmas markets, some shopping and the best soft tacos I’ve had in a long, long time at a little Tex-Mex restaurant run by an American expat living in Vienna.
Loisium South Styria is just a few hours away in the beautiful rolling hills of Lower Austria, which even in the fog, I could totally see why the area is known as the Tuscany of Austria. We passed winery after winery and I would love to go back in better weather, like spring time when the vines and flowers are in bloom, to hike or bike the wine road.
Know Before You Go
- Various packages that include overnight, spa treatments, and 4-course dinner with wine are available from €158 per person.
- Both Loisium Langenlois and Loisium South Styria are accessible by train to stations just a few minutes from each wine spa and shuttles are available to pick guests up. There is also on-site parking and each can be reached by car.
- Loisium South Styria has a Vinoteca where you can purchase a variety of local wines and gifts, such as local chocolate, honey, and olive oil, and more.
- The spas sell a variety of products, including the Vinoble products that are produced locally right in Austria, so that you can treat yourself to a wine spa at home.
This post was brought to you by Loisium Wine Spa as we were invited guests to experience both Loisium Langelois and Loisium South Styria. However, Luxe Adventure Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own.
Larry says
The picture of the wine glass in front of the fire is very unique and beautiful.
Cathy Sweeney says
This is my kind of decadence. Love the dialogue between you and Tim. I finally got the hubby to do a couples massage recently. He loved it, but it took some convincing. I don’t think I’ll have as much convincing to do for a wine treatment. The food at Loisium looks awesome, too.