Set the scene
From the lobby of the resplendent Orient Express La Minerva, a member of the hotel’s staff leads you up to the first floor, down a long hallway, and to the elevator that descends to the spa. As the doors open, you find yourself in a warm, wood-panelled reception room reminiscent of a 1920s train carriage with skincare products by Furtuna Skin displayed on the shelves.
After inviting you to fill out an intake form, the receptionist escorts you to the wet area and offers you a cup of olive leaf tea with Sicilian black bee honey. You’re in the heart of Rome’s historic centre, just steps from the Pantheon, but this inviting space with tall ceilings, latticed oak woodwork, glowing lanterns made of hand-blown Murano glass, and fringed olive green sofas transports you to a Turkish hammam, if only in spirit.
You’re encouraged to spend 30 minutes here relaxing before your treatment, first in the caldarium (the steam room), then in the tepidarium (a tepid space with marble benches along the walls), and finally in the frigidarium (the cold room). The circuit is inspired by ancient Roman baths and Ottoman hammams. Afterwards, your therapist will escort you to one of the treatment rooms, which feature the same latticed woodwork, stained oak cabinets, and veined marble counters.
What’s the backstory?
Orient Express La Minerva opened in 2025 as the first hotel in the reborn Orient Express brand, which also includes luxury trains and soon-to-come sailing yachts. It’s housed in the Fonseca Palace on Piazza della Minerva, which was built in 1620 and became a grand hotel in 1811. In its heyday, it was a favourite of artists and writers on the Grand Tour, but suffered a considerable decline under its previous management.
Following a complete redesign by the talented Mexican-French artist-architect Hugo Toro, its rebirth was much heralded by Romans who fondly remember the historic property, and affluent travellers alike. Like the hotel, the spa was inspired by the nostalgic lore of the Orient Express and its classic route from Paris to Istanbul.
What’s the wellness concept?
Furtuna Skin is the exclusive skincare partner of the SPA at Orient Express La Minerva. Founded by former model Agatha Relota Luczo, the Italian luxury skincare brand – which counts celebrities like Martha Stewart and Hailey Bieber among its fans – practices regenerative agriculture on an 800-acre organic farm in Sicily. Its products harness the power of wild-grown botanicals, whose essences are extracted using sound baths for visibly transformative results.
“It’s a regenerative farm and we try to bring that into Furtuna Skin by practicing regenerative beauty, taking clean beauty to the next level of how we think, how we take care of one another, and how we make our products,” Luczo explains. “It’s about leaving the world a better place than we found it.”
What are the signature treatments?
The Furtuna Skin x La Minerva Exclusive Vibrancy Facial is a deeply relaxing 60-minute treatment that leaves you feeling radiant both inside and out. It involves the application of eight different products meant to cleanse, exfoliate, and replenish the skin and lips. A trained therapist uses an obsidian tool to perform Gua Sha, a technique rooted in Chinese medicine known for reducing puffiness, encouraging lymphatic drainage, and temporarily tightening the skin. The treatment also involves a 20-minute hand or foot massage while a replenishing mask works its magic on your face.
In addition to 60- and 90-minute facials and massages, there are also 15-minute express facials and foot massages for those with little time to spare. If you do have time, though, there are a variety of hammam rituals lasting between one and two hours. The 120-minute Dea Minerva Hammam Ritual, for example, starts with a foot soak in rose-scented water and involves a deep kassa exfoliation and a ghassoul clay wrap.
Which therapist should I book?
There are three therapists in addition to the spa manager, and they’ve all been trained by a representative from Furtuna Skin. My therapist, Eva, had a confident touch that made me feel at ease.
What makes it different?
To our knowledge, the SPA at the Orient Express La Minerva is the only place in Rome offering this kind of traditional Ottoman hammam treatment. And it’s the only spa in Rome with treatments using products by Furtuna Skin.
“When we had the opportunity to partner with Minerva, it was the perfect partnership because we have the same philosophy, values, and goals,” Luczo told me. “We’re a luxury brand that respects artisan craftsmanship. It’s all about complementing the heritage of the Orient Express with Furtuna Skin and delivering the highest quality from all services.”
What else do they offer?
The Gym and Kinesis rooms offer opportunities for movement-based fitness. The Gym is equipped with Technogym’s Artis collection, while the Kinesis room has medicine balls, foam rollers, balance domes, dumbbells, and resistance bands. Private yoga, pilates, and personal training sessions are available upon request.
Where do you stay?
The hotel’s 93 rooms and suites feature soundproof windows and supremely comfortable beds for a restful night’s sleep. Just be careful not to overdo it at Gigi Rigolatto, the hotel’s fabulous rooftop restaurant, where the bartenders tempt you with exquisite original cocktails and the menu features hits like truffle-laced cacio e pepe and grilled tenderloin with cardoncelli mushrooms.
Anything else to mention?
If you ask us, a relaxing treatment at the spa would be the ideal way to kick off – or recover from – a journey aboard La Dolce Vita Orient Express train, which is all about bringing back the glamour of slow travel. The train definitely feels more hedonistic than wholesome, with free-flowing Franciacorta, elaborate menus by Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck, and post-dinner entertainment in the bar car. A facial would leave you glowing for the journey ahead, but a detoxifying session in the Turkish bath may be just what the doctor ordered after a few days of indulgence.
Final word
After that facial, my skin was glowing and I felt positively radiant. Luckily, the spa is open to external guests so I can return anytime I need a little pick-me-up. In more than a decade of covering hotels and spas, this has been one of my most memorable treatments.