Steamed, Then Chilled

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Antoni Gaudí's psychedelic Barcelona architecture may take your imagination on a magical mystery tour, but a visit to the Six Senses Spa, in the penthouse of the city's five-star Hotel Arts, will sweep your whole body along for the ride.

According to director Janet Fernandez, its philosophy is: "To balance all five senses in order to release your sixth sense — your internal flame." To this end guests are welcomed before treatments in a chic, chandelier-lit waiting room with a glass of ginger tea and a ginger candy to purify the body and boost energy levels, before being led to the sauna — the best seat in the house. With one wall entirely made of glass, the women's sauna overlooks a magnificent panorama of the Mediterranean, while men can gaze at the buzzing Catalan city below and the Collserola hills to the north.

From there it's straight to the "chromotherapy steam room," where gently pulsing magenta lights are used to "unlock the doors to your inner vision." The spa's signature massage is the Sensory Spa Journey. For 90 minutes two pairs of hands use a personalized blend of aromatherapy oils, to relax, detox or revitalize, all over your body.

As you dip in and out of a blissful consciousness, time — with you in it — seems to evaporate. Follow this with ear candling, the ancient Hopi Indian art of using a flame to extract the gunk from your ears, to guarantee a very bearable lightness of being. tel: (34-93) 2247067; www.sixsenses.com