Greece’s Euphoria Retreat pampers as much as it pushes you

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“Are you more aggressive or passive-aggressive?” Hmm, what do the kids always tell me? Right. I ticked the appropriate box.

“Are you more congested and phlegmy or dry and constipated?” Well, I was a bit stuffed up after the long haul flight. I ticked another box.

I kept on ticking boxes as the questionnaire for my Five Element Balancing treatment probed further into my physical and mental state. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but I was already under the spell of the seductively serene holistic wellness spa at the heart of Euphoria Retreat in Mystras, Greece.

The spa and hotel are found in the southern end of the Peloponnese peninsula – home to many Greek myths and legends – and right beside the Byzantine Mystras city ruins, now a UNESCO heritage site. It’s a heady location for one of Europe’s biggest (at more than 30,000 square feet) and most serious spas.

At Euphoria, staff sincerely and tenderly ferret out unhealthy habits to lead guests on a healthier path. Founder Marina Efraimoglou has combined her favourite healing philosophies from Eastern and Western approaches – and a hefty dose of optimism – into what she calls the “Euphoroia Methodos.” I’d never heard of such a thing, but I was curious and game for anything.

Why you should visit

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Efraimoglou hopes all guests arrive with an open mind. “We do manual and emotional work. We are planting seeds of spiritual growth with our programs,” she said one day over lunch on the hotel’s expansive restaurant patio.

In Mykonos, quiet luxury comes with a cost (and a fantastic infinity pool)

But even forgoing any of Euphoria’s intensive programs – some include an examination of blood and urine samples to create spa and exercise plans and customized meals – this is an impressive destination resort spa. It has just about every type of wellness treatment out there: hammam, tepidarium, watsu pool, sensory deprivation pool, water massage pool, cold plunge pool, ice bath and showers, Kniepp waterwell therapy, outdoor infinity pool, sauna, steam room, salt room, outdoor cedar hot tub, not to mention a large gym and Pilates reformer equipment.

Incredibly, almost all of it is included with your stay. (The soapy hammam scrub on heated marble, however, is an extra €200.) Still, it’s tempting to simply lay by the infinity pool, watching bumblebees lumber between delicate wildflowers and breathing in heady scents of rosemary and thyme as breezes blow through enormous herb bushes. But it’s worth getting off the chaise longue for the weekly schedule of complimentary activities such as yoga, meditation and fitness classes – if only to work up an appetite for Gaia, the hotel restaurant.

There, every meal begins with herb-infused water (rosemary, thyme or oregano). This can take some getting used to but, we’re told, it helps with digestion, and pretty quickly I actually started looking forward to it. There are always two menus, the healthy one (sign up for a focused health program and this is your culinary road map) and the seasonal menu that focuses on Laconian Greek and Mediterranean dishes. (At breakfast I ordered the yummy cheese-filled Laconian pastry every morning.)

In fine weather eat on the stone patio, as views of the Evrotas Valley and surrounding mountains make every meal one you’ll want to linger over, maybe sharing any scraps with the hotel cats that wander by.

The genius of Euphoria’s approach is that you can go as hard or as gentle on your wellness journey as you’d like. Cocktails and wines are served, just not necessarily encouraged.

Room for improvement

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One morning, I signed up for a hike through the forest of the Taygetus mountains above the resort. An uncommunicative guide turned what could have been a fun learning opportunity – about the region, the view, even the benefits of hiking in an area I was later told had healing energy – into an exercise in frustration.

It was only when someone asked why we weren’t following the marked trails that we learned the intention was to hike laps to boost our heart rate. Great idea, bad execution. It was the only off note in an otherwise incredible stay.

Since you’re in the neighbourhood

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Euphoria overlooks the village of Mystras; it’s only a two-minute walk downhill to family-run restaurants and shops (handy when you just want a bag of Greece’s outstanding oregano-flavoured chips).

It’s also a five-minute drive to the UNESCO archeological site of Mystras. Have the resort drop you at the lower gate and walk up through the Byzantine ruins – it’s an unforgettable, if hot and strenuous, climb through history. Mid-mountain, black-robed nuns still live and worship at the 15th-century Pantanassa Monastery, so stop and admire the church’s fresco ceilings, fill up your water bottle at the village tap and meet the sisters, who sell iconography, local olive oil and handmade goods. At the top, an ancient cedar tree offers the only blessed shade you’ll find, beside the Church of Hagia Sophia.

The takeaway

Euphoria’s five-star wellness facility pampers as much as it pushes you. Rooms are described as “luxuriously monastic,” which is as humorous as it is accurate. Design is simple and uncluttered with all the usual bells and whistles of a hotel that charges about €400 a night: fine fabrics and sheets, robes, slippers, marble bathroom furnishings and grand views from a shaded patio.

And my Five Element Balancing treatment? It was a massage like no other. The pushing of pressure points miraculously cleared up sinus congestion, but when the therapist spent too long pinching my toes (and to what end I could not figure out) I was more irked than content. And yet, I left the Five Elements session more relaxed than I’d been in a long time.

Whether you commit to the resort’s intensive, pricey treatments or simply learn to appreciate your privilege poolside, Euphoria may be the best spot in the country to thoughtfully live your best life. The resort is a 2.5-hour drive from Athens, far enough into the Peloponnese peninsula to explore the countryside and admire the many kalamata olive groves.

Euphoria Retreat is open year-round. Rooms include breakfast, with full and half board also available. Children older than 14 are welcome. Tesla transfers can be arranged from Kalamata or Athens airports. www.euphoriaretreat.com

The writer was a guest of Euphoria Retreat. It did not review or approve the story before publication.