Top 5: Relaxing spas in Jerusalem

If you're in need of some much-needed pampering, you can't go wrong with one of these superb world-class spas.

By LOREN MINSKY/ ITRAVELJERUSALEM.COM TEAM
Facial (photo credit: Wikicommons)
Facial
(photo credit: Wikicommons)
The Inbal Hotel Health Club
The Inbal Hotel Health Club has all the elements you'd expect from a top spa – warm and professional therapists, soothing colors and calming aromas – and manages to strike the right balance between being upmarket and yet also relaxed and friendly.
The spa menu offers six facial options and 13 massages; those you'd expect such as Swedish and Deep Tissue Massages, as well as some more interesting options such as a hot shells massage using shells filled with seaweeds and minerals. The Inbal Massage (60 minutes on the body, 30 minutes on the feet) is a truly decadent and relaxing massage using oils from a special candle.Address: 3 Jabotinsky Street, TalbiyehPhone: (02) 675-6609The David Citadel Spa
The David Citadel Spa is a beautiful, calm and inviting space designed according to Feng Shui principles. The Spa menu is vast and includes facials, beauty treatments, guided imagination treatments and a huge bouquet of standard and more exotic massages including Ayurveda (traditional Indian) Massage, shiatsu, Thai Massage and combined Tui Na Massage based on Chinese physiotherapy. One of the Spa's highlights is the Seven Chakras Massage, which combines energy work, reflexology, a massage of your body and scalp as well as streaming of oil on your "third eye.” The heated massage beds are a winner, as well as the tranquil relaxation space with the sound of flowing water and healthy drinks and snacks.Address: 7 King David StreetPhone: (02) 621-1111Akasha
Akasha is just what you'd expect from luxurious designer hotel Mamilla, and has a completely unique feel with eastern music, dark lighting and mesmerizing scents.
Akasha's treatments are focused around the four elements: Earth, fire, air and particularly water with hydro treatments in a watsu pool, hammam treatments, and a host of signature treatments.
The hot stone massage comes highly recommended and includes exceptional touches such as a bowl of steaming aromatic water underneath the area where your head rests, and the gong and vibrations of a Tibetan bowl to round off the experience. There is also an innovative organic juice and snack bar on site.Address: 11 Shlomo Hamelech StreetPhone: (02) 548-2222Ramat Rachel Spa
One of the most well-known spas in Jerusalem, Ramat Rachel Spa at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel offers packages for individuals and couples that all include use of the pool (heated and covered in winter), jacuzzi, steam-room and saunas as well as lunch at the Ramat Rachel Restaurant.
The spa menu is varied and includes options for pregnant women, medical massage, osteopathy and mud wraps. Ramat Rachel Spa is found just ten minutes from the center of Jerusalem, yet has a country-like kibbutz atmosphere with sprawling manicured lawns, tennis and basketball courts and other sports facilities on site.
Address: Kibbutz Ramat RachelPhone: (02) 670-2555Mount Zion Hotel Spa
If you're after a romantic old-world atmosphere, Mount Zion Hotel Spa is for you. The Spa is set apart by its authentic, exotic and elegantly decorated Hammam (Turkish steam bath) as well as its open-air tub overlooking the Old City.
The spa treatments include a variety of techniques and styles from all over the world such as Oriental Massage, Ayurvedic (traditional Indian massage) and Turkish Bath Massage. A treatment at the Spa includes use of the indoor and outdoor jacuzzis as well as the swimming pool set in verdant gardens overlooking Mount Zion, the Valley of Hinnom and the Old City. Address: 17 Derech HebronPhone: (02) 568-9555ITravelJerusalem.com is a new online international travel portal offering all the latest information on things to do, places to eat and places to stay in Jerusalem.