Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley

I am back at The Thief, Oslo’s most wonderful hotel, and this time to review their new 800 square meters Spa. Thank you, Siri for inviting me back and granting my wish to return when the Spa was finished, see the post from my stay here: Inside-The-Thief. I did not need to turn up in training gear with a swimsuit beneath – thankfully – but had a full tour guided by Anette Ose, the Spa Manager, and an introduction to the latest and most indulgent treatments you could ever have imagined possible. Entering the Spa felt like entering a space age, previously unknown to man. It was me, that walked around with my jaw constantly dropping so frequently that I had to remind myself to close it. For each room and treatment a small group of us – journalists and me – saw and heard about, I added it to my birthday wish list. Actually the whole Spa menu is now on my list, and all you have to do is ask for a page of it. The posh Gym; the pool with light therapy and counter current system; Oslo’s first hamam – with handsome Daniel Mental scrubbing you with soap bobles no less; Sensor Sky Showers: performance ones with lights and scents; real diamond powder fascial massage lying on a light-therapy water bed; the sauna and the dry ice container the size of a fire place – another item I did not know existed I just felt an urge to have my own. No wonder my head was spinning, really! I could feel my list of addictions grew quite a bit longer. Check out the menu here: Thief Spa.

Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley

First, the posh gym, with the latest series of machines from Technogym – my kind of gadgets; when talking about speed, I tend to talk about my own running speed while my husband talks about driving speed. Second, a treatment room with a comfortable chair with inbuilt basins for pedicures, again with light therapy and jacuzzi. Third, the make-up room with Philip Starck chairs, fit for a movie star. Fourth, the pool, again with light therapy and a counter current system to make you swim even harder. The Norwegian materials chosen by the Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen, in the interior with a lot of slate and light, give the Spa a masculine feel but it is softened by amazing art chosen by The Thief’s own curator, Sune Nordgren, works by the Norwegian artists: Tom Sandberg and Marit Følstad.

Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley

Fifth, the hamam, the Turkish bath where you lie on a large marble bed surrounded by soap bubbles and receive a cleansing body scrub. It is large enough to take two people at the time and as you might have guessed, you do need to book an appointment soon since numerous hen parties have already been in touch. A magnificent idea though, I think!

Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley

Sixth, the Sensor Sky Showers introduced by Dornbracht’s own representative, to a price of a flashy car if you where considering acquiring your own, with a selection of programs which includes lights and scents. It does take 40 hours just to install but you do not need a remote control nor a user manual to use it, but these showers will guaranteed make you take even longer showers. For technical details, check: Dornbracht.com.

Photo: Studio Dreyer Hensley

Seventh, the divine massage bench, filled with both heated water and light therapy for the ulterior comfort experience. The jacuzzi with a view towards the Oslo fjord, make the massage treatment possible for two people at the same time. Above the massage bench, in the ceiling, is a large light box with matching colors. One journalist volunteered and miraculously guessed with her eyes closed the color she was lying on. I would not mind throughly testing if I could feel, through vibrations, the right color.

We also checked out the generously sized Steam Bath, Sauna and another treatment room where the French beauty product supplier Carita offer an anti-age lift firming treatment using electricity to reduce facial lines. It was not as shocking as it sounds, but the electricity merely created a slight stinging sensation on the skin.

The Spa is open not only to hotel guests – who can enter using a lift from the hotel to the lower level of the Spa –  but to everyone else as well. All you need to do is book in advance, and plan your birthday wish list or who you want to bring.

Even the goodie bag was out of this world, one from each main beauty care product suppliers: Carita, Keune, and Babor. Each one containing full size and generous sample products. The testing commenced as soon as I got home…