Go East

For the ultimate Exchange Rate Escape, head to the Baltic’s first Destination Spa: ESPA Riga. Then take to the Art Deco dotted cobbled streets, where the capital, Riga, reveals a host of memorable surprises...

The SPA

New age principles are often at odds with our buttoned-down, bullshit-free post-modern personalities. We like the truth, even if it hurts. We want pain, in order to know that it’s working.

But occasionally, we get to experience a place where you feel happier, healthier…better. ESPA Riga is one of those places – sprawling, but utterly serene. The design is unfussy, earth and organic, but also awe-inspiringly beautiful thanks to the Eva Menz sculptural staircase and amber stone accents. Every last thing has been thought of, from super-soft waffle robes to chakra-balancing amber bracelets that remind you of your locker number.

Given that this is ESPA, however, the real transformation takes place in one of the spacious therapy rooms. Treatments are generous, languorous and immensely peaceful, which is a real blessing for anyone who arrives on the doorstep sleep-deprived and red-eyed. There is also a cynicism-assuaging dose of science in the skincare approach: every treatment is prefaced by a Woods Lamp analysis, which shows up sun damage, dehydration and irregular sebum production. I was seriously impressed.

Given the fiscal-risks of our times, ESPA Riga is not just a brave investment, but also a giant leap of faith – a building with a fin de siècle facade that beckons towards the Baltic’s bright future. My stay was quiet, but well-to-do locals along with jet-setting business types were clearly taking an interest (the state-of-the-art gym doesn’t hurt). Build it, and they will come. And, one hopes, come back – as I plan to do as often as possible.

Once you’ve been treated, take to the streets for:

The RESTAURANTS

If you fancy eating in a spot where Elton John and Prince Charles have dined (no judgement), head to Vincents – where a different global destination inspires the menu each and every week. Eco-warriors needn’t suit up – the produce is all sourced locally. Or for something entirely out of the ordinary, try Hospitalis , where fine food comes with surgical lights, a clinical interior and waitresses dressed as nurses. Weird, but wonderful.

The MARKETS

The most popular with visitors is The Green Market (it runs on the second and fourth Saturday of every month), and is great for picking up delicious organic local food and spotting Riga’s Gordon Ramsey (M?rti?š R?ti?š of Vincents restaurant) hosting a cook-off from his regular stall. Brave a hearty glass of pickled cabbage juice, from Mat?ss Market’s Fruit & Vegetable Pavillion – which is said to cure anything that ails (including serious hangovers).

The MUSIC FESTIVALS

From the main Riga Music Festival in January to the Bach Music Festival from February to March, it seems as though the city is always celebrating sound. The Olympics of the festival scene, however, is the Latvian Song & Dance Festival (though it takes place every five years, and has done so since its inception 100 years ago). The next one? Summer 2013 . 

Getting There

Air Baltic flies to Riga, Latvia daily, from EUR36 one-way.

by EA

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.