InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

The sky is the ceiling

The interContinental hamburg offers exclusive summer massages. Relax on the health spa Terrace under blue skies.

These days, we mostly associate ‘massage’ with fitness and relaxation, it is a lifestyle treat. this is and isn’t true. Massage is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment in the world. there is evidence that massage techniques were practised in china aslong ago as 2600 Bc. hippocrates, the famous Greek doctor and founder of the hippocratic oath which all doctors must now swear, introduced massage into european medicine. He recognised that massage encouraged wounds to heal (... something the gladiators benefited from later on), relaxed the muscles and improved circulation. Stress reduction, psychological relaxation and the positive impact on the vegetative nervous system all add up to ensure that massage is an important element of any health spa’s treatments.

But it is not just the massage but the ambience in which it is practised which plays an important role in whether it will achieve its objectives or not: the temperature needs to be relaxing, with pleasant aromas, a calm environment and no loud noises. You can get all this and more in the health and Beauty complex at the InterContinental hamburg, a little world of relaxation covering 650 square metres. But the complex also boasts a little room which is the only one of its kind in hamburg. Its walls are strips of white material, its ceiling is the sky and its air-conditioning is the gentle breeze wafting over from the aussenalster. In other words, it’s on the terrace. As soon as it is warm enough, the InterContinental hamburg offers massages on the terrace. Guests lie under a canopy and select from different options. For example, a Garshan Massage with raw silk gloves. Garshan is a massage which stimulates the metabolism and is carried out using raw silk gloves. It stimulates the blood supply to muscles, the skin and, in particular, the connective tissue. Or a body release massage, otherwise known as a “make everything good massage”. It stimulates the energy circuits and releases blockages. Or there is the traditional reflexology massage. It relaxes, improves circulation and stimulates the defences and the body’s ability to heal itself. It also has a positive effect on the spirit and soul.

Incidentally, most modern massage techniques were developed in a country we do not really associate with this kind of treatment. Not thailand, Japan or china, but sweden! Gym- nastics and fencing teacher Pehr henrik developed them in the early 19th century. But it took another 60 years before German doctors discovered the benefits of massage.

A massage on the InterContinental hamburg’s health spa terrace is a treat not just for the body, but also for the eyes. As you watch the white sails of the boats drift past on the aussenalster, the lush green of the trees glittering against the blue sky and the flowers coming out in bloom, time seems to stand still.

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InterContinental Hamburg Phone: +49 (0) 40 414 20
InterContinental Hamburg