Community, healing and comfort underpin the restoration of the 15th century monastery / photo: Hugo Thomassen
A15th century monastery and chapel in Antwerp, Belgium, has been transformed into a 108-room hotel and spa focused on community, healing and comfort.
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp sits next to the city’s botanic garden and this leafy, natural setting has been central to defining the concept of the Botanic Health Spa which spans three floors.
Designed to reflect a cloistral devotion to healing plants and herbs, the 10-treatment-room spa was brought to life by wellness consultant and designer Heinz Schletterer.
Schletterer’s brief involved crafting an elegant space featuring natural, uncomplicated and sustainably-built interiors. The finished article is an inner-city escape bathed in natural light and finished with natural stone, wood and glass design detailing.
The spa features a pool and relaxation spaces, as well as infrared loungers, a fireplace, waterbeds, a botanical shower experience, a whirlpool, vitamin and herbal bars and the Spa Bistro. Additional facilities include a historically-inspired steamroom, a panoramic Finnish sauna, a textile sauna, a salt and mineral sauna and a Kneipp walk.
History shapes the present Naturopathy, herbalism, phytotherapy and alternative medicine guide the healing philosophy of the spa. Plant-based treatments, herbal products and nutritional supplements provide solutions to help prevent lifestyle diseases.
The focus on herbal healing stems from the monastery’s history when the convent’s brothers and sisters would grow vegetables and herbs for food and to create remedies for the sick.
Furthermore, in the 16th century, renowned chemist Pieter Coudenberg established a medicinal herb garden next door – considered the precursor of the city’s modern-day Botanical Garden.
IRET Development worked with AIDarchitecten to sensitively preserve the location’s identity and create an urban retreat that brings together a sense of the building’s history with contemporary sensibilities and sustainable design.
As part of the major restoration project, the monastery’s former pharmacy has been brought back to life and established as a flagship store for herbal apothecary skincare and spa brand Saint Charles Apothecary. As well as supplying products for treatments, it promotes holistic wellbeing by curating herbal pharmaceutical remedies and developing exclusive products and scents inspired by the hotel.
Traditional European medicine The Botanic Sanctuary Spa’s healing approach is also guided by a combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and traditional European medicine (TEM). This sees spa therapists working with European herbs within the parameters of eastern healing methods.
The spa menu offers guests anti-ageing facials, medical skin solutions, performance assessments, massages, body rituals, retreats and beauty services.
TCM diagnostics, full-body scans and in-depth consultations are also offered by the spa’s dedicated holistic medicine and experienced TCM practitioner – Xavier Le Clef.
The team told Spa Business that, since opening, the average spa guest spend-per-visit has hit €160 (US$158, £139) and the customer base has been split between 40 per cent locals and 60 per cent international tourists. Roughly 50 treatments are performed each day, with massages and facials remaining the most popular.
The Botanic Health Club offers nutrition, fitness and lifestyle coaching services to complete the selection of facilities on offer. The club has chosen Technogym to fit out its workout spaces.
Workshops, yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes complete the bill to re-energise guests’ bodies and minds, while retreats are due to launch early in 2023.
Spa suppliers
Consultants:
Schletterer Consult and Marketing Deluxe
Equipment:
SPA4, Wattec NV and Dauwco BV
Wellness partners:
Saint Charles Apothecary, EviDenS de Beauté, Methode Physiodermie, Skin Vital Concept, Jet Peel, Technogym, InBody Scan, OMNIA3 and Ercolina Rehab
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa People: Marc Cohen
Leading medical, research, science and educational activities are all part of the new medical director’s role at the Peninsula Hot Springs Group in Australia
Menu engineering: At your service
Get inspired by the latest wellness services including a high-tech diagnostic circuit at SHA and a Zita West fertility programme at Bürgenstock
Interview: Stephan Wagner
As Saudi Arabia taps into tourism, the man heading up wellness at Amaala talks to Spa Business about what the major development is looking to bring to a previously undiscovered part of the Kingdom
Interview: Aradhana Khowala
The chair of the advisory board of the Red Sea – a Saudi development the size of Belgium – shares her passion for regenerative tourism with Spa Business
Sponsored: RKF: Dressed to impress
Following exciting new launches at Equip Hotel in Paris, including the new DresSoft line, RKF Luxury Linen is gearing up for an eco-friendly and fashion-conscious 2023
Everyone’s talking about...: Cold water immersion
A new scientific paper warns of the significant risk of cold water therapies. Spa Business investigates how operators can protect those taking part in extreme bathing programmes
Event report: Healing summit
Self-help and self-love were the key messages from this wellness event in Portugal, says Spa Business’ Lisa Starr
Sponsored: Comfort Zone: Effective by nature
Comfort Zone has revealed three new
products, including a new neck and
décolleté fluid, leveraging the power of
botanical bioactive extracts
Interview: Alex & Sue Glasscock
Editor-at-large, Jane Kitchen is put through her paces at The Ranch's new outpost in Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy and catches up with the owners
Event Report: Global Wellness Summit
The 16th annual GWS, held in Tel Aviv, Israel, homed in on the sector’s biggest issues following the pandemic. Spa Business reports on the highlights
Research: Wellness for all
A new study by the Global Wellness Institute provides a framework for businesses and governments to make healthy lifestyles accessible to all
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin Snowroom
The TechnoAlpin Snowroom made our Grand Aufguss Masters event extra special, says Robert Heinevetter
Finishing Touch: Cold call
Tumor suppression and boosting ‘good fat’ are two potential benefits of exposure to cool temperatures and swimming in icy waters, scientists reveal
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
Community, healing and comfort underpin the restoration of the 15th century monastery / photo: Hugo Thomassen
A15th century monastery and chapel in Antwerp, Belgium, has been transformed into a 108-room hotel and spa focused on community, healing and comfort.
Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp sits next to the city’s botanic garden and this leafy, natural setting has been central to defining the concept of the Botanic Health Spa which spans three floors.
Designed to reflect a cloistral devotion to healing plants and herbs, the 10-treatment-room spa was brought to life by wellness consultant and designer Heinz Schletterer.
Schletterer’s brief involved crafting an elegant space featuring natural, uncomplicated and sustainably-built interiors. The finished article is an inner-city escape bathed in natural light and finished with natural stone, wood and glass design detailing.
The spa features a pool and relaxation spaces, as well as infrared loungers, a fireplace, waterbeds, a botanical shower experience, a whirlpool, vitamin and herbal bars and the Spa Bistro. Additional facilities include a historically-inspired steamroom, a panoramic Finnish sauna, a textile sauna, a salt and mineral sauna and a Kneipp walk.
History shapes the present Naturopathy, herbalism, phytotherapy and alternative medicine guide the healing philosophy of the spa. Plant-based treatments, herbal products and nutritional supplements provide solutions to help prevent lifestyle diseases.
The focus on herbal healing stems from the monastery’s history when the convent’s brothers and sisters would grow vegetables and herbs for food and to create remedies for the sick.
Furthermore, in the 16th century, renowned chemist Pieter Coudenberg established a medicinal herb garden next door – considered the precursor of the city’s modern-day Botanical Garden.
IRET Development worked with AIDarchitecten to sensitively preserve the location’s identity and create an urban retreat that brings together a sense of the building’s history with contemporary sensibilities and sustainable design.
As part of the major restoration project, the monastery’s former pharmacy has been brought back to life and established as a flagship store for herbal apothecary skincare and spa brand Saint Charles Apothecary. As well as supplying products for treatments, it promotes holistic wellbeing by curating herbal pharmaceutical remedies and developing exclusive products and scents inspired by the hotel.
Traditional European medicine The Botanic Sanctuary Spa’s healing approach is also guided by a combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and traditional European medicine (TEM). This sees spa therapists working with European herbs within the parameters of eastern healing methods.
The spa menu offers guests anti-ageing facials, medical skin solutions, performance assessments, massages, body rituals, retreats and beauty services.
TCM diagnostics, full-body scans and in-depth consultations are also offered by the spa’s dedicated holistic medicine and experienced TCM practitioner – Xavier Le Clef.
The team told Spa Business that, since opening, the average spa guest spend-per-visit has hit €160 (US$158, £139) and the customer base has been split between 40 per cent locals and 60 per cent international tourists. Roughly 50 treatments are performed each day, with massages and facials remaining the most popular.
The Botanic Health Club offers nutrition, fitness and lifestyle coaching services to complete the selection of facilities on offer. The club has chosen Technogym to fit out its workout spaces.
Workshops, yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes complete the bill to re-energise guests’ bodies and minds, while retreats are due to launch early in 2023.
Spa suppliers
Consultants:
Schletterer Consult and Marketing Deluxe
Equipment:
SPA4, Wattec NV and Dauwco BV
Wellness partners:
Saint Charles Apothecary, EviDenS de Beauté, Methode Physiodermie, Skin Vital Concept, Jet Peel, Technogym, InBody Scan, OMNIA3 and Ercolina Rehab
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa People: Marc Cohen
Leading medical, research, science and educational activities are all part of the new medical director’s role at the Peninsula Hot Springs Group in Australia
Menu engineering: At your service
Get inspired by the latest wellness services including a high-tech diagnostic circuit at SHA and a Zita West fertility programme at Bürgenstock
Interview: Stephan Wagner
As Saudi Arabia taps into tourism, the man heading up wellness at Amaala talks to Spa Business about what the major development is looking to bring to a previously undiscovered part of the Kingdom
Interview: Aradhana Khowala
The chair of the advisory board of the Red Sea – a Saudi development the size of Belgium – shares her passion for regenerative tourism with Spa Business
Sponsored: RKF: Dressed to impress
Following exciting new launches at Equip Hotel in Paris, including the new DresSoft line, RKF Luxury Linen is gearing up for an eco-friendly and fashion-conscious 2023
Everyone’s talking about...: Cold water immersion
A new scientific paper warns of the significant risk of cold water therapies. Spa Business investigates how operators can protect those taking part in extreme bathing programmes
Event report: Healing summit
Self-help and self-love were the key messages from this wellness event in Portugal, says Spa Business’ Lisa Starr
Sponsored: Comfort Zone: Effective by nature
Comfort Zone has revealed three new
products, including a new neck and
décolleté fluid, leveraging the power of
botanical bioactive extracts
Interview: Alex & Sue Glasscock
Editor-at-large, Jane Kitchen is put through her paces at The Ranch's new outpost in Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy and catches up with the owners
Event Report: Global Wellness Summit
The 16th annual GWS, held in Tel Aviv, Israel, homed in on the sector’s biggest issues following the pandemic. Spa Business reports on the highlights
Research: Wellness for all
A new study by the Global Wellness Institute provides a framework for businesses and governments to make healthy lifestyles accessible to all
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin Snowroom
The TechnoAlpin Snowroom made our Grand Aufguss Masters event extra special, says Robert Heinevetter
Finishing Touch: Cold call
Tumor suppression and boosting ‘good fat’ are two potential benefits of exposure to cool temperatures and swimming in icy waters, scientists reveal
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
