The clop of heels on stones and the laughter of a passing crowd are abruptly silenced as the automatic revolving door transmits me into the lobby of the Parco Dei Principi Grand Hotel. I ride the elevator down and step out into the reception area. It seems clear that the spa’s designer cares very much about surfaces and textures, and understands how they affect a person’s state. Each room and even the hallways are quite colorful. The walls of the spa’s reception area are embedded with rustic stone that make it seem like the spa is built into an underground cave. The fact that the spa is actually a few levels below ground gives an even stronger sense of peace and escape. There is no chance to be distracted by the outside world.
The first room I visit, and the one I find most impressive, is the swimming pool room. It’s hard to determine the room’s exact shape because of the low light. Cool blue and violet hues seem to emanate from no specific source. Pinprick lights bejewel the dark ceiling, creating the illusion of a starry sky. The stonework on two walls of the room, along with the sounds of trickling water, create the sense that one has found a secret entrée that opens upward to a clear night sky, complete with an aurora borealis effect. The air is warm and humid, lacking the familiar acrid scent of chlorine. The water in this pool is ozone sanitized, a healthier alternative to the old chlorine method. I feel compelled to move towards the water, as if the space is pulling me in. In one sense the whole room is filled with water save for a narrow walkway around the edges, but the bodies of water are actually separated by subtle dividers that sit just at water level. One of these sections is a dedicated Jacuzzi, which is further subdivided into two sections: one with vigorously bubbling water, the other placid. Beyond these is another area with waterfall showers. There is an endless pool for those who want to swim laps; and finally, near the back, there is a caldarium and a frigidarium that are easily distinguished by the red and blue glow emanating from the water. Essentially these are very narrow pools with hot and cold water and guests may move between the two temperatures, a process that is considered beneficial to blood circulation. The poolroom uses a wide range of materials, from raw stone, tile, glass, steel, and even Swarovski crystals, and yet there is a sense of unity. This is not that hotel pool with kids running around and people sipping soda in reclining chairs. This room is an experience.
Next I find myself in labyrinthine hallways encrusted from floor to ceiling with beautiful, shimmering mosaic tiles of slightly varying hues. It almost feels like I am exploring some ancient ruins, maybe those of Pompeii, but pristine and new. These hallways lead to various rooms: a Finnish sauna constructed completely from untreated cedar wood, a 
bio sauna, a steam room, sensorial showers, iced fountains, and a Swedish shower. Turning a corner I find a relaxation room which houses reclining beds, a drink station, and a wall of glass that looks out over the empyrean scene of the poolroom from a slightly raised perspective. I could imagine spending a full day here, going from the pool to the Jacuzzi to the sauna, to the relaxation room, and back again.
Further on in the labyrinth is a massage area which consisting of 12 treatment rooms where guests can choose from a wide range of face and body treatments. There are also 2 couple’s suites, which provide all the same treatments with the addition of a private Jacuzzi. I take a set of stairs and I’m surprised to find myself in a hallway I recognize. This labyrinth of luxury confounds and fascinates me. Continuing on, I encounter the Spa’s dining area. Further along, the ethereal aura of the pool room and sauna labyrinth gives way to a more energetic world as faint sounds of Springsteen’s Born in the USA echo quietly through the fitness area and its 450+ square meters of dedicated space. The equipment looks brand new. There are rooms for yoga, Pilates, boxing, muay thai and more. A personal trainer talks quietly with a woman who walks briskly on a state-of-the-art, curved treadmill.
Soon I find myself back in the reception area, wishing we could go around again. I talk with the women behind the desk and am surprised to find that the price of entry starts as low as €45 for a day. When I lived in Chicago I would regularly visit turkish baths. I liked the autonomy of being able to move at my own pace, from the sauna, to the pool, to a relaxation room. I’d spend all day there and it would cost a lot less than a spa treatment. Prince Spa is the closest thing I have found to that in Rome. I definitely plan on coming back for the full experience.
Now that my tour is complete, I thank my guide and take the elevator up to the lobby. Back on the street, feeling quite relaxed, I cross the street and enter to the expansive grounds of Villa Borghese for a leisurely walk home while I process my experience.
Via Gerolamo Frescobaldi, 3
