It sounds like the stuff of the Tuscan dream: two New York entrepreneurs move to Tuscany to escape the rat race and open a wellness centre par excellence. However, it took Florentin Döring and Ariba Tanvir nine years to cut through the red tape, build and open Asmana Wellness World, just off the A1 autostrada near Campi Bisenzio.
Their resilience paid off. Not only is the space vast at 35,000 square metres, but the spa experience at Asmana is like no other in Tuscany. For good reason did Döring and Tanvir name the spa Asmana: it means ‘paradise’ in Hindi.
Start your day at the spa by dipping your feet in the 37°C foot bath before moving on to one of the largest hammam pools in Europe. Warm up your body in the tepidarium, then purify in one of the three steam rooms (try the salt ceremony for a regenerating peeling). For further relaxation, choose any of the beautifully decorated rooms, including the temple, fire room and the chimney rooms. Stretch out on water beds or fill your lungs with the smell of the mountains in the hay dream room.
The saunas are a world in themselves, offering unique ceremonies of music, steam and essential oils. Beside the zen sauna, a waterfall gushes down into the grotto below, while entering the wine sauna is just like walking into a giant barrel.
Asmana also features pools, both indoor and outdoor, freshwater and salt water, for swimmers—and even for the lazy: one pool carries you around on its currents, plus there’s even an in-pool bar.
Asmana Wellness World
viale Allende, 10
Campi Bisenzio
055/892723
Daily: Sunday–Thursday, 10am to 11pm; Friday–Saturday 10am to midnight
Prices start at 20 euro
