After the spa business area has been neglected for a long time in Romania, many projects have sprung up lately.

This year alone 10 million euros have been invested in Romania in opening new spa facilities, with players on the market announcing they will continue to allocate money for developing the existing locations. May appears to be the month of spa businesses, considering that the record for the largest spa on the Romanian market has been broken twice in a week’s time. At the beginning of the month Eden Spa announced a 4 millioneuro investment in The Spa within the future Hilton Sibiu hotel, a 2,000 square-metre location.

One week later, the Cocor Turism group launched Cocor Spa in Neptun Black Sea coast resort, a 6 million-euro investment in a 3,000 square-metre area, which has become the largest such centre in Romania. ”The spa covers the 3 floors of a newly-built area and occupies 3,000 square metres, whilst services include four different segments – clinique medical spa, wellness aging, spa suite and thermarium & pool,” says Lacramioara Moroianu, general manager of Cocor Spa.

The spa, the only Romanian spa affiliated to the International Spa Association, occupies 3 floors of a newly-built wing, and is part of the 18 million-euro investment in renovating the hotel. The former 2-star Galati hotel has been turned into the 4-star Cocor hotel. As for the spa, it offers spa services, traditional treatments, facial therapies, exfoliations and wraps. The third floor accommodates the pool that overlooks the sea, a jacuzzi, showers and saunas. Representatives of the spa say they target 25 to 60 year-olds with higher education, average and above average incomes looking for health, relaxation and wellness services. Additionally, they want to turn Romanians using spa services into clients of the Neptun spa, and also make foreign tourists perceive Romania as a potential destination for a spa holiday.

Apart from Cocor Spa, the Cocor hotel also includes an underground two-level club, Club Vision, a 350-seat conference hall and a restaurant that can accommodate 500 people. ”We plan to expand Cocor Spa in Bucharest with a Day Spa on the 3rd floor of Cocor Luxury Store, which will open on November 15th 2009,” the general manager concluded. The other investment, officially launched in May is in Sibiu – the future Hilton Sibiu hotel has seen the opening of The Spa, managed by Eden Spa, which also operates a spa in Bucharest, after closing down the one in Monte Carlo Palace. The relaxation offer includes hot stone and essential oil massages, milk and honey baths, rose, lavender and honey wraps, facial treatment with organic ingredients, Finnish and steam sauna. The Spa is part of a five-star complex with 115 rooms and apartments, four restaurants, a bar, five conference rooms and an executive lounge.