What better way to recover from an overnight flight than to be whisked away to a destination spa? I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at Richmond Nua Wellness Spa in Sapanca, Turkey (www.richmondnua.com), but I'm going to raise the bar here for the travelers who follow me - I love this place!
This is one of the Richmond Hotel chain's 5 locations, and the only one that is a wellness spa. The six-story, 131 guest room location is ideally situated on the south side of Lake Sapanca, about 1 1/2 hours outside of Istanbul. The staff is terrific all round, and the accommodations are top notch. The 26,000 square foot spa has 16 massage and body treatment rooms, 3 facial rooms, a salon, a wellness center, and a wet amenity area on two levels with more features that I can count, including a laconium, tepidarium, aqua cave 
adventure shower, a loft sauna, at least 3 different kinds of steam room, and multiple relaxation areas, some of which are warm, and some room temperature.
I spent 3 hours in the spa and tried every single wet amenity; enjoyed an excellent Aromatherapy Massage, and then found my favorite spot; a relaxation room featuring 6 heated water beds, each with it's own set of headphones playing rainforest-oriented nature sounds. Bliss for the jet-lagged body, I could have spent the night right there.
Although everything that I ate during my stay was delicious and healthy, the hotel also offers a specific Wellness Menu, and numerous detoxification and 
wellness programs for those lucky enough to stay more than 1 day. If you're just visiting for a day, you can enjoy healthy teas and juices available from the Vitamin Bar at Spa Reception.
Richmond Nua is well-designed to accommodate business and conference groups as well as spa guests, and one of my favorite sights was watching a cluster of men who had been in meetings all day play in the wet area like kids who had been let out of school. What a great way to bond with co-workers and relax after a day of brain work!
Whether you're aiming for one day of relaxation, or booking a company training session, Richmond Nua Wellness Spa is just the ticket.