Palace Hotel Tokyo Opens First evian SPA in Japan
Concept invokes ‘journey of water’ in one of the country’s most ambitious new spas
TOKYO (27 June 2012) — With panoramic views of the Imperial Palace gardens, an Alpineinspired design and a pristine, white ambiance that is at once remarkably serene and very Japanese,
evian SPA TOKYO introduces a current of French savoir faire into the city’s fast-developing spa
culture with its debut at Palace Hotel Tokyo.
A first for Japan and opened just last month, the 1,200-square-meter facility features fivetreatment rooms and a spa suite (each aptly named after a peak in the Alps), heated baths, amarble sauna, cold plunge pool, dry sauna, reclining baths and separate men’s and women’srelaxation lounges.
While urban spas sometimes struggle to evoke serenity amidst congestion, Palace Hotel’s
incomparable location is a willing collaborator, lending inimitable views of the Imperial Palace
gardens and moats and, on a clear day, mystical Mt. Fuji in the distance, to reinforce the naturalconnections.
“Like evian® natural mineral water itself, the concept for this spa springs from the mountains,”
says the hotel’s Executive Director and General Manager Masaru Watanabe. “The journey ofevian® water through the French Alps, which leads to its purification and balance, is the same
metaphorical journey we’re endeavouring to embark upon with our guests.”
Inspired by that journey, the spa’s treatment menu cultivates similar themes, with facials, bodyscrubs, therapies, journeys and rituals that celebrate celestial restoration, mineral enrichment, precious
nourishment and renewed vitality. Products by Paris-based Omnisens and Anne Semonin areincorporated throughout.
With a price range to serve as a lure to the hesitant and a menu designed to cater to both
newcomers and avid spa enthusiasts alike, Palace Hotel aims to make waves in Tokyo as the city’s
most accessible, high-end wellness experience.
One of the spa’s signature experiences - the Vitalizing Signature - is a 50- or 80-minute bodytreatment inspired by the Japanese philosophy of seitai, whereby pressure is meticulously applied to‘master’ trigger points using fingers, thumbs and elbows to intensely stimulate and improve theflow of energy throughout. To finish, a Swedish-style deep tissue massage is applied to releasetension and ‘trigger’ the body to naturally restore its own balance from within.
Tapping that same inspiration, the spa’s design is an interpretation of the purifying journey
undertaken by evian® natural mineral water.
“We sometimes forget that spa treatments can be very transformative, very much like a journey,”says Watanabe. “That theme, of reclamation and recovery, not only defines the treatments but thespace itself.”From the loose stone garden at reception signifying the water’s source on a mountaintop to theswimming pool’s resemblance to a deep blue mountain pond – a metaphor enhanced by original
plasterwork on the walls designed to echo a silhouette of the Alps – the hotel’s spa is all about
regeneration.
Amidst its minimalist aesthetic, one of the spa’s most distinctive design elements is a sculpturalorigami ceiling installation that represents a flock of birds, running the length of the spa’s maininterior space.
In the ladies’ spa area, a cedar-scented marble sauna takes center stage, complete with purposebuilt, heated seats and LED light therapy technology that mirrors a 24-hour cycle of natural lightin the French Alps - every 10 minutes.
Adjunct to the spa is a 127-square-meter fitness facility outfitted with a comprehensive line ofequipment by Technogym and Life Fitness. The indoor swimming pool, measuring 20 x 5 metersand framed on one side by wall-to-wall windows and an outdoor terrace, leaves swimmers tocontemplate the Imperial Palace gardens and vibrant Uchibori Dori below between laps or while
enjoying a dip in the Jacuzzi.
Click here to view a slideshow on evian SPA TOKYO.
For more information, please visit www.palacehoteltokyo.com or contact:
Japan
Palace Hotel Tokyo
press@palacehotel.jp
Southeast Asia & Hong Kong
Balcony Media GroupJim Sullivan
jsullivan@balconymediagroup.com
All other regions
Berkati Marketing Communications
Tiana Kartadinata
tkartadinata@berkati.com

USA
JG Group PR
Erin McKeon
erin@jggrouppr.com
United Kingdom
Mason Rose
Public Relations
pr@masonrose.com