Health and wellness hotel specialist Henri Chenot is opening a five-star retreat in Azerbaijan near Gabala lake, marking the brand’s first venture outside the Italian border.

Based on the holistic detox and revitalisation Chenot methods, the Chenot Palace Health Wellness Hotel Gabala will be both a medical spa and a medical clinic dedicated to improving the health, wellbeing and natural appearance of guests. It is set to open in November 2016.

The medical spa facility is 6,000sq m (64,583sq ft) and is dedicated to medical check-ups and state-of-the-art diagnostics that enable the medical team to assess the wellness status of the guests.

Guests will undergo the Chenot method, which includes a combination of health check-ups and a detoxifying diet, along with spa treatments, such as hydro-aromatherapy, phyto-mud therapy, hydrojets, massage and cupping. There will also be advanced medical aesthetic treatments and fitness facilities.

A new Human Performance Department will feature a metabolic laboratory, a -110-degree C (166 Farenheit) cryo chamber for whole-body cryotherapy, and a sports lab for fitness screening, antigravity technologies and normobaric hypoxic (oxygen-reduced) training for physical wellness.

Set on a 26-hectare (64-acre) park in the pine woods overlooking Gabala Lake, the landscape includes ponds, lakes and waterfalls, and low-intensity walks or runs are encouraged.

Designed by architect Michel Jouannet of Architecte d’interieur, the hotel will include 72 bedrooms and three villas with private spas and with panoramic views of the Nohur Lake and the Caucasian Mountains.

Chenot has frequently visited the region, as many of his clients in Italy are from the area, said Lorenzo Amaglio, general manager.

“Dr Chenot recognised the potential hidden in Azerbaijan for such a project to materialise,” Amaglio told CLAD. “During his visits in Azerbaijan, he remained astonished by the country’s hospitality, remarkable growth, progress and innovation. The region of Gabala struck him as the most beautiful part of Azerbaijan, filled with a rich and ancient history.

"The nature, pure air and tranquility made Gabala the perfect retreat in which our guests could conduct the detox and revitalisation programmes in perfect harmony with the environment.”

The complex will also include a Kids Zone with an outdoor playground and children’s activities, as well as a 350sq m (3,767sq ft) indoor and 2,361sq m (25,414sq ft) outdoor pool.

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