Babylonstoren, a historic converted Cape Dutch farm estate with a boutique hotel, spa and winery, has launched a brand new Hot Spa.

Set at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountain in South Africa’s Franschhoek valley, Babylonstoren is owned by South African telecoms billionaire Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos.

Known for its eight-acre fruit and vegetable garden inspired by the mythological hanging gardens of Babylon, the destination is the sister property of The Newt in Somerset, England – the couple's second nature-centric countryside retreat and luxury spa.

The Hot Spa
Thanks to an expansion of Babylonstoren’s Garden Spa, the wellness offering has been extended with a new large indoor-outdoor pool, salt room, sauna, steamroom and two vitality pools, in addition to an authentic hammam and traditional Rasul chamber.

Surrounded by picturesque mountains, and with views over the farm’s garden and vineyards, the Hot Spa has been realised with a simple yet sophisticated design.

The light-filled space leads guests through to two circular vitality pools united by a large pool to form an indoor-outdoor heated water experience that can be enjoyed before or after treatments.

Mosaic-lined alcoves with ice-cold running water offer a refreshing contrast in temperature, claimed to encourage blood flow to give the body an energising and refreshing boost. Nestled between the alcoves, a warming hearth has been added to provide heat during colder winter months.

The Hot Spa also offers a steamroom, sauna, halotherapy room crafted from blocks of raw Himalayan salt, hammam and rasul chamber.

The hammam offers a modern interpretation of the ancient Arabian public baths that have offered both physical and spiritual rejuvenation for centuries. The space’s vaulted blue mosaic ceiling is a nod to this tradition, while the scale has been reimagined to accommodate two guests at a time, offering total privacy.

Meanwhile, the new rasul draws inspiration from Babylonstoren’s gardens, with the curved walls tiled in mosaics in calming botanical green tones. Here guests can indulge in a wellness journey that combines heat, steam and mud for skin nourishment.

Additional treatments at Babylonstoren include a selection of wraps, facials, hand and feet treatments, nail services and massages. Spa product partners include Esse, QMS and Mediheel.

As well as the new Hot Spa, the existing Garden Spa offers access to an outdoor pool, available exclusively for hotel and spa guests.

After treatments, guests can relax in the spa’s chill room, at the pool or in the bamboo garden, with a healthy lunch from the Greenhouse Restaurant and fresh farm juice.

In addition to the spa facilities, Bablyonstoren guests can also find a contemporary Farm Hotel, a Farm Shop, a winery and farm-to-fork restaurants; Scented Room and Bakery.