By Marlene Goldman
Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts And eloquence native to famous wits Or hospitable, in her sweet recess, City of suburban, studious walks and shades – John Milton, Paradise Regained (bk. IV, l. 240)Paradise regained may be a bit of a stretch in describing the transformation of twenty-first-century Athens, but there has been a push in recent years for this ancient city-state to keep step with the rest of Europe while retaining its own identity. Athens is finding a way to integrate its animated Greek flare and endearing touch of chaos with a chic, worldly flavor. Today, upscale boutiques, high-end spas, and international restaurants mix with the city’s traditional tavernas, corner cafes, cookie-cutter apartment blocks, and souvenir shops.
Many of Athens’ recent changes have been in preparation for the return of the Olympics in August. Two thousand and four marks the first time Greece, where the games started, will host an official Olympics since the late nineteenth century. The ancient games actually began in Olympia in 776 B.C.E. and were conducted every four years until being abolished by Byzantine emperor Theodosius I in 393 C.E. The French resurrected the Olympic Games in 1896, when French baron Pierre de Coubertin chose Athens as the first host city. In 1906 an unofficial Olympics was held in Athens between regular games.
Greek lifestyles are also changing. As the stresses and strains of fast-paced living increase in this overcrowded, traffic-clogged city, some Athenians are slowly becoming more health conscious; however, the consensus among people I met within Athens’s alternative health field is that Greeks still eat too late, smoke too much, and eat too much meat. Many from the older generation protest that their diet is healthy – filled with vegetables. Yet, non-organic supermarket produce has supplanted the fresh stock that once came from Greek villages.
But as I saw during my visit in February, yoga studios are infiltrating the landscape, organic food stores are spreading across the city, and many of the top hotels in Athens are adding spas to their facilities.
Spas are a booming business in Greece, though it’s still very new for us as a country,” says Eleni Paraskevopoulou, public relations and marketing executive with the Divanis Chain Hotels, including the Divani Athens Spa and Thalasso Centre at the Divani Apollon Palace and Spa. The Divani stakes its claim as the only facility offering thalassotherapy in the Athens region. Located along the coast, about twelve miles south of Athens, the spa utilizes local seawater, seaweed, and sea mud in its treatments.
“We’re trying to educate [people of]the difference between a thalassotherapy center and a spa,” Paraskevopoulou says. One of the Divani’s highlights is the spa’s nearly 3,000-square-foot indoor seawater pool. Seawater is also used for hydromassage baths and in the water jets for the Thalaxion treatments.
Other spa options include Ayurvedic massage, consultations with an staff nutritionist, aquagym exercise sessions in the seawater pool, and use of the hamman and sauna.
Hotel Grande Bretagne, one of the oldest and most elegant hotels in Athens, debuted its exquisite spa facility in fall 2003. Adorned with Roman tile mosaics and a grand fountain in the entryway, the Bretagne’s spa stands as the epitome of luxury. Facilities include a warming Laconium, amethyst steam room, herb sauna, foot massagers, and pool with waterfall and hot tub. One of the treatment rooms also has a Belle Epoque water table massage in the form of a thermal capsule.
The spa offers a full range of body treatments and massages as well as full- and half-day retreats. The Grande Bretagne’s Signature Escape, for example, is a four-hour and twenty-five-minute indulgence that combines a full-body sugar and oil exfoliation, a body massage, a Greek yogurt and honey body wrap, a deep scalp massage, and a firming and toning facial.
Not to be left out, the Hilton Hotel, official hotel of the 2004 Olympic Games, opened its spa this spring after some delays. “In Greece we are known for having good estheticians and gym instructors, but what’s missing is organization – that’s the black hole of the Greek planet,” jokes Yanna Katsageorgi, assistant manager of the Hilton’s Sport and Wellness Academy. “We start something, do it at the last minute, and fortunately it comes out with good results.”
The Academy definitely turned out well. The heart of the complex is the sprawling therapeutic pool, which includes a resistance workout area, massage region, hot tub, and waterfalls. The spa offers Thai massage, reflexology, acupuncture, and Shiatsu, while the fitness center offers such workout options as yoga, Qi gong, Tai Chi, Pilates, body balance, and body sculpting.
In addition to the big-name hotel spas, several day spas have been popping up in and around the city. La Prairie, the Swiss-owned skincare company, has two Athens spa locations. The sophisticated white and wood décor underscores the luxurious treatments, including the Caviar Firming Treatment and the Cellular Detoxifying Back Treatment, each making use of La Prairie’s famed products.
One of the most respected day spas among locals is the American-owned Cocoon Urban Spa, with five treatment rooms. The atmosphere is calming and guests are greeted with an herbal tea before and after the massage.
Cocoon offers a number of Asian-based therapies, such as the Thai Salt Glow, with lemongrass and coconut oil; the Hatsumomo, with rice-bran and wasabi exfoliation; Ayurvedic treatments; and the Indian scalp massage. Lulur, a Balinese-based massage traditionally performed the night before a marriage ceremony, is also on the menu. The Academy also offers an array of fitness classes, including Tai Chi, African dance, belly dancing, and yoga.
Yoga itself is growing into a small industry in Athens. One of Athens’ pioneers in yoga teaching and alternative therapies is Jenny Colebourne’s Illium Center of Light, which has been in its Lycavettus Hill location since 1981. Located in an old townhouse, Illium offers yoga, Pilates, Shiatsu, reflexology, and Reiki, among other healing practices. Illium’s popularity has spread by word of mouth. “Ten years ago maybe there were four places in Athens offering alternative practices. But it’s increasing,” says Susan Apostolaki, one of Illium’s administrators.
I took a hatha yoga class with my eyes closed, which is how many of the hatha classes are taught at this studio. The idea is to focus within yourself. But the biggest challenge for me was trying to follow instructions from a Greek-speaking teacher, though her English was far better than she credits herself.
Several yoga students and instructors in Athens claim that yoga styles taught in Athens tend to be very quiet and calming. Exceptions, however, like Cocoon, which offers the more challenging ashtanga classes, do exist. Ashtanga is also available at the new NYSE studio, which opened this spring and occasionally features guest teachers from abroad.
Another yoga outlet, the Center for Harmonious Living, has been around twenty-seven years and has reached a membership of 3,000 students, with 600 regulars. While some students take yoga classes, others attend self-knowledge seminars – some of which are part of a six-year learning process.
Robert Najemy, who runs the center, is a volunteer who receives room and board in exchange for his teachings. Najemy believes selflessness is an important aspect of spiritual growth and has organized once-a-week outings to feed the homeless. Classes are donation based. The Center for Harmonious Living also runs a summer retreat center only fifteen minutes from the beach.
Another popular yoga outlet, Diodos, has been around since 1992. The studio offers hatha and Raja yoga classes as well as Tai Chi, Shiatsu massage, reflexology, Reiki, and aromatherapy. From mid-July through mid-September Diodos packs up and moves its center to a summer retreat four hours from Athens. It is, however, considering staying open for the Olympics.
The Lotus Yoga Center has hatha yoga classes in Greek and English, many taught by studio owner Linda Kapetaniou, who integrates her own yoga experience with basic Iyengar and flow postures. One hour of the class is devoted to the physical exercise, ten minutes to breathing, and twenty minutes to deep relaxation.
Kapetaniou was exposed to yoga while living in Los Angeles for ten years. “I fell in love with it, practiced everyday,” she expounds, “It changed my life.” Kapetaniou returned to Greece to teach yoga and started her own school with about ten students. She currently averages around 200 regulars a year.
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