There is something about the transition from summer to autumn that naturally makes us want to slow down. At ESPA at Pical in Poreč, wellness is designed as much around the mind as the body. The only ESPA Wellness in Croatia takes inspiration from the landscapes, scents and traditions of Istria and the historic Parenzana trail, combining them with ESPA’s holistic approach to wellbeing.
Adriana Barlafa Kruhonja, Director of Wellbeing, Health & Spa at Valamar, shares five experiences at ESPA at Pical that are particularly tempting at this time of year.
So where should you begin?
ESPA Parenzana Journey: a sensory journey inspired by nature
The 90-minute ESPA Parenzana Journey is an immersive treatment designed to bring body and mind into a state of deep relaxation and balance. It begins with a sensory consultation, allowing the therapist to tailor the experience to how you would like to feel. This is followed by a warm oil full-body massage, using flowing and stretching movements inspired by the rhythm and movement of water.
What makes the treatment particularly special is the addition of sound therapy. Carefully selected instruments complement the massage, creating a deeply calming sensory experience. Depending on your needs, this may include Koshi chimes, evoking the gentle Adriatic breeze; an Ocean Drum, recreating the ebb and flow of the nearby sea; or a Crystal Singing Bowl, whose soft resonance encourages grounding and serenity.
Inspired by the sea, forests and natural energy surrounding the Parenzana trail, this signature treatment combines touch, scent and sound to encourage relaxation, renewal and a deeper sense of connection.
Ideal for: anyone looking to slow down, release tension and experience one of ESPA at Pical’s most distinctive sensory treatments.
LYMA by ESPA Advanced Bio-Cellular Facial: advanced care for post-summer skin
Our skin experiences a lot during summer. Sunshine, heat, salt water, air conditioning and long days outside can leave it feeling as though it could use some extra care once the season begins to change. For a more advanced approach, Adriana recommends the LYMA by ESPA Advanced Bio-Cellular Facial.
This advanced facial combines LYMA’s clinic-grade cold laser technology with ESPA’s expert massage techniques to help stimulate natural collagen production while lifting, sculpting and revitalising the skin. Fascia release, lymphatic drainage and lifting movements are complemented by professional skincare, a smoothing mask and cooling globe massage for a hydrated, refreshed and more radiant complexion. An ideal post-summer treatment when skin needs extra renewal and care.
At ESPA at Pical, advanced facials are also supported by professional skin analysis, allowing treatments and products to be adapted to individual skin needs.
Ideal for: post-summer skin in need of hydration, revitalisation and a more advanced, results-focused facial.
ESPA Inner Calm Massage: switch off after a busy summer
Summer can be wonderfully energetic – but after weeks of travelling, socialising, swimming, exploring and squeezing as much as possible into every sunny day, sometimes what you need most is simply to stop. The ESPA Inner Calm Massage is designed for exactly that feeling.
This deeply relaxing aromatherapy massage combines breathwork with a full-body massage, scalp massage and rose quartz crystal techniques. The aromatherapy blend is personalised to individual physical and emotional needs, while the massage itself focuses on easing muscular tension and creating a sense of calm and balance.
It is the treatment to choose when your mind is still moving at summer speed, but you are ready for your body to shift into autumn mode.
Ideal for: deep relaxation, releasing everyday tension and anyone who finds it difficult to fully switch off.
ESPA Geothermo-Therapy Massage: embrace the return of warmth
When the evenings begin to cool, warm spa treatments suddenly become even more inviting. The ESPA Geothermo-Therapy Massage is one of Adriana’s picks for precisely this moment in the year. Built around the comforting sensation of warmth and therapeutic massage, it is the kind of treatment that feels particularly soothing as the seasons change.
The 120-minute ESPA Geothermo-Therapy Massage is a deeply restorative treatment built around the benefits of contrast therapy, combining heat and cold to revitalise both body and mind. The ritual includes body exfoliation, a mineral-rich mud wrap, a marine stone facial and a soothing basalt stone body massage, with warm volcanic stones and cooling marble pebbles used to ease muscular tension, support circulation and leave the skin feeling refreshed and renewed. Especially inviting as the weather turns cooler, it offers a grounding, cocooning reset for the start of autumn.
Ideal for: tired muscles, deep relaxation and a restorative seasonal reset.
Aufguss: turn a sauna session into a ritual
Not every memorable spa experience takes place in a treatment room. For autumn, Adriana also recommends experiencing an Aufguss ceremony, one of the highlights of ESPA at Pical’s thermal area.
The ceremonies are led by trained Aufguss masters, according to the standards of the European Aufguss Championship & Academy, combining heat, aromatic infusions and carefully choreographed movements. Morning sessions use uplifting citrus blends, while evening rituals turn towards soothing lavender, with themes changing throughout the year.
It transforms an ordinary sauna visit into something much more immersive. The setting makes it even more special. ESPA at Pical’s thermal experience includes six different saunas inspired by Istrian landscapes – from olive groves and salt fields to forested hills and village gardens – together with four relaxation areas including the Aqua Sensory Room, Herbal Lounge and Quiet Room.
On an early-autumn afternoon, moving between the warmth of the sauna, quiet relaxation rooms and the fresh Adriatic air outside feels like exactly the right way to mark the change of season.
Ideal for: sauna lovers, thermal wellness enthusiasts and anyone looking for an experience beyond a traditional spa treatment.
Your autumn wellness ritual starts in Poreč
Late summer does not need to end abruptly. In Istria, it simply changes pace.You can still begin the morning beside the sea, take a walk or cycle through the pine-fringed landscape and spend the afternoon somewhere warm and wonderfully quiet.
Whether you choose the locally inspired Parenzana Journey, surrender to an Inner Calm Massage, give your skin an advanced seasonal reset with LYMA by ESPA, warm up with a Geothermo-Therapy Massage or experience the heat and aromas of an Aufguss ceremony, autumn offers the perfect excuse to make wellbeing part of your stay.
And at ESPA at Pical, slowing down may just become the highlight of your holiday.
