Florence has long been a city associated with restoration, not only of masterpieces and monuments, but of perspective. Beyond the bustle of the historic centre, the encircling hills have offered mindful spaces for centuries, from monasteries and olive groves to Renaissance villas built for secluded retreats away from the world. It is a tradition that continues today at <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/florence/belmond-villa-san-michele/wellness” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel Florence, where a wellness programme draws on the property’s monastic past and contemporary approaches to holistic wellbeing.
The former Franciscan convent, one of the city’s most distinctive luxury hotels, has introduced two new experiences that reflect the growing appetite for slower, more intentional travel. The first is the opening of the Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain, bringing the French maison’s heritage of beauty and wellness to the Florentine hills. The second is a partnership with Milan-based lifestyle brand La DoubleJ, whose meditation, breathwork and immersive retreats offers guests an opportunity to reconnect with themselves as much as with their surroundings.
Where history meets contemporary wellness
Long before wellness became a travel trend, Villa San Michele was a place dedicated to reflection. The convent’s gardens, first cultivated by Franciscan friars in the 15th century, remain among the defining features, with terraced lawns, towering cypress trees and a remarkable 200-year-old wisteria believed to be the only one in Florence to bloom twice each year
Beyond the gardens, the Energy Woodland traces a path to Monte Ceceri, the hill associated with Leonardo da Vinci’s experiments in flight back in the early 16th century. According to tradition, the polymath tested an early flying machine here, inspired by careful observations of birds soaring over the Florentine hills. Whether fact, legend or somewhere in between, the story has become part of the landscape itself. Walking these shaded trails today offers a reminder that this corner of Tuscany has always been a place where contemplation, nature and innovation go hand in hand.
The Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain
A flight of centuries-old steps leads to the newly opened Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain, where a jewel-box reception, embellished with the French maison’s signature golden bee, artisan-crafted bottles and a secret-garden corridor hand-painted with irises, birds and Florentine vistas, welcomes both hotel guests and external visitors. Three treatment suites await, including one dedicated to couples, each conceived as a tribute to Tuscan craftsmanship through terracotta tiles, Florentine scagliola and intricate marquetry.
On the afternoon The Florentine visits, spa manager Gloria introduces us to the experience, beginning with the Bee Bottle, designed exclusively for Villa San Michele, and the story behind Guerlain’s enduring heritage. The maison’s success dates back to 1853, when founder Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain created the Eau de Cologne Imperial with bergamot, neroli and lavender as well as a petitgrain fragrance for the wife of French Emperor Napoleon III, intended to ease her headaches. The commission marked the beginning of Guerlain’s appointment as His Majesty’s Official Perfumer.
After a glass of non-alcoholic Pinot Bianco and a house-made tomato cracker, our editor settles in for Floral Delight in Tuscany, a 90-minute face and body treatment designed for deep relaxation. The ritual begins with a choice of three Aqua Allegoria fragrances, each evoking the scents and colours of a Renaissance garden in Florence. We choose Flora Bloom, which lends its name to the treatment suite
Settled into an exceptionally comfortable bed, with softly illuminated onyx marble providing a warm visual glow, the treatment unfolds in an atmosphere far removed from the busy soundtrack of Florence below. The gentle resonance of crystal bowls adds another sensory dimension, helping body and mind surrender to the experience
The ritual concludes with a make-up retouch, accompanied by a reminder of Guerlain’s long history of beauty innovation: in 1840, the maison created Crème à la Fraise pour le Teint, a strawberry cream complexion product associated with Empress Sisi, while in 1870 Guerlain introduced what is widely regarded as the world’s first refillable lipstick. On departure, a card lists the products used throughout the treatment alongside personalized recommendations, a thoughtful detail that extends the experience beyond the spa itself.
Two further treatments have been created exclusively for Villa San Michele. The Art of Renaissance takes inspiration from Florence’s artistic heritage, combining a face and body ritual with stones and a white-musk fragrance inspired by white Carrara marble. Iris di Grazia, meanwhile, pays homage to one of Florence’s most emblematic flowers in a hydrating anti-ageing facial
Villa San Michele is also currently home to the only Longeviskin programme in central Italy, bringing together advanced technologies including radiofrequency, plasma, LED therapy, ultrasound and cryotherapy. Treatments are tailored to individual needs and generally structured over four to eight sessions. Couples’ rituals, beauty treatments and spa experiences complete the offering, balancing cutting-edge skincare with the restorative tranquillity of the Tuscan hills
At the heart of Guerlain’s approach is a philosophy that extends beyond skincare, embracing beauty, preventive wellbeing and longevity. The maison’s treatments draw on decades of research into two of its most emblematic natural ingredients: the regenerative properties of the bee and the extraordinary resilience of the orchid. Therapists are trained in signature techniques rooted in generations of French beauty and spa expertise
La DoubleJ brings energy practices to the Florentine hills
While Guerlain offers a refined interpretation of physical wellbeing, Villa San Michele’s collaboration with La DoubleJ explores another side of wellness, one rooted in mindfulness, emotional awareness and community
Founded by California-born, Milan-based creative J.J. Martin, La DoubleJ has evolved beyond fashion into a lifestyle platform centred on creativity, optimism and personal growth. Through its Sisterhood community, the brand has developed a programme of energy practices that now finds its fit within the gardens and terraces of Villa San Michele
Guests can take part in guided meditation, yoga, breathwork and sound healing sessions, many held outdoors in the dedicated space created in the Energy Woodland, consisting of the Energy Chapel harnessing the vibes of the old church belonging to the friars, the Yoga Deck and Sun Gazing Lounge. Rather than presenting wellness as something to achieve, the experiences encourage participants to slow down, reconnect with the body and cultivate greater presence through simple, intentional practices
The programme reaches its fullest expression in the Raise Your Vibrationretreat, developed by the La DoubleJ Sisterhood with transformational facilitator Stephanie Canavesio, founder of Presence Embodied and Inner Intelligence. Blending meditation, somatic movement, breathwork, compassionate inquiry and reflective workshops, the retreat is designed to unfold at a gentle rhythm, allowing space for both structured practice and quiet integration. Taking place from September3 to 6, the retreat will be led by Canavesio together with J.J. Martin. Over four days, participants will combine daily wellness sessions with carefully curated experiences inspired by Florence and Tuscany, while enjoying accommodation at Villa San Michele, seasonal cuisine and a signature treatment at the hotel’s spa.
Wellness through a sense of place
Perhaps what distinguishes Villa San Michele’s approach is that wellness feels inseparable from its surroundings. The treatments, rituals and practices are not simply added to the destination; they are shaped by it. Whether following the woodland path, beginning the day with meditation or retreating into the stillness of the spa, guests are invited to experience wellbeing through the landscape itself. In a city celebrated for its artistic heritage, Villa San Michele prompts another kind of renaissance, based not on masterpieces, but on restoration, balance and the simple luxury of taking time for yourself.
Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain
spa.vsm@belmond.com
+39 055 5678280
For more information about the Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlainand La DoubleJ retreats, see www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/italy/florence/belmond-villa-san-michele/wellness
