It may seem like something reserved for the ultra luxury hotels of the world but your very own private spa is now a reality when you rent this vacation apartment in Rome, just steps from Piazza Navona.

We sat down with the engineer and project manager, Antonio Zanca to learn more about this private oasis in Rome. Here’s what he had to say.

J: I’ve never heard of a vacation apartment with its own private spa before! Where did you get the idea to create a Wellness Area in a vacation apartment?

A: I’ve always thought that all businesses need innovation, evolution and adaptation to the needs, tastes and trends that change over time. The stressful and dynamic life of our guests today mean more and more requests to relax and escape the daily grind. Comfort in travel periods has materialized with the birth and development of wellness centers and spas in the best hotels and cities around the world. This is why I thought the vacation rentals could accommodate an additional service, and thus was born the idea of creating a small wellness area in one of our apartments. (Apartment AP08 CORONARI).

J: I understand the apartment is around the corner from Piazza Navona. I always imagined the houses there being so cramped and small. How did the project develop? Did you run into any problems?

A: The greatest difficulty was to seal the environment sufficiently and prepare it to install all of the necessary equipment. The entire area had to be waterproofed and then covered in a special natural cement that we used on the walls and ceiling vaults. The hydro-massage tub, of considerable size and weight since it’s designed to accommodate two people, was difficult to transport and bring into the house because it’s a single, modular piece. The sauna, made with natural Finnish wood was easier since it was mounted on site. Additionally, we constructed a new shower with a seat and a multi-jet hydro-massage system. To complete the private spa experience we included a lounge chair in faux leather and console with electric tea kettle.

J: That sounds lovely! Who do you think will most appreciate the Wellness Area?

A: We have such a widre variety of guests, but our guess is that customers who are used to this kind of luxury in their travels will enjoy the wellness area the most; but we are convinced that even those who are unfamiliar with the spa experience will be pleasantly surprised and end up spending many hours here. Whether it’s used to warm up on a cold winter or rainy day or simply to escape the chaos of the city for a while, we imagine any of our guests will appreciate it.

J: Interesting. So what’s the experience like in the Wellness Area?

A: The hydro-massage Jacuzzi has a built-in function to maintain the temperature of the water during long massages made with jets of air, without the worry of the water cooling. In just a matter of minutes you can soak in the tub or hop in a cold or hot shower to alternate temperatures and expel toxins from the skin. The tub and sauna are equipped with music and color chromo-therapy to create ambience and provide you with complete relaxation.

J: Sounds like just what you need to take the edge off a long day.

A: Haha, exactly the point.

J: Now, I’m not foreign to technology, but I can easily get confused when there are too many buttons. So I should ask honestly, is it easy to use the all the equipment in the private spa?

A: There’s a requirement for minimum familiarity with standard electronic devices, but to facilitate every guest’s use of the Wellness Area we’ve provided illustrated directions translated in all languages to easily manage everything without issue.

J: What about cost. Is there a fee to use of the Wellness Area?

A: Absolutely not! We wanted to include this service without any extra costs to the guests and offer everyone this bit of luxury.

J: I know spas require a lot of maintenance since they’re full of wet areas, so it’s important to keep things clean and functional. How do you plan to maintain the Wellness Area?

A: Our in-house maintenance staff inspects the functionality of the Wellness Area before and after each guest. Additionally our cleaning staff has been instructed on the particular maintenance and hygienic requirements for this area. We request a deposit from our guests, used only in the event there is any damage to the equipment, which is fully refunded at check-out. For any replacement pieces needed, we are in contact with the product manufacturer of the sauna and tub should we need to intervene immediately.

J: I can imagine that once I stay in a vacation rental with private spa once, I’ll never be able to stay in another place without one! Is the prototype destined to expand into other ROMAC vacation apartments?

A: That’s a very good question. We’ll give the experiment 6 months, at the most 1 year, to evaluate closely what our guests think about it, before we replicate the model in other apartments and propose a turn-key package to the owners of our vacation apartments. Last year we transformed one of our apartments into a perfectly family-friendly apartment, duly called our Dolce-Family Apartment, with plenty of amenities for children. We’ve had a great response to this specialty apartment, so it’s worth looking into replicating it.

So there you have it, some vacation rentals come with their own private spas now. So if you’re really looking to relax during your vacation in Rome, this holiday apartment at Piazza Navonawith its own private spa will probably do the trick.

For more information about this apartment and all of their vacation rentals, visit the ROMAC website.

What do you think about a private spa day in the comfort of your vacation apartment. Share your impressions in the comments below!