The glimmering lights of Oporto spotlighted the Douro River’s gentle waves, just after sunset. I viewed this majestic scene from a bathtub designed to resemble a wine barrel; filled with warm water and a soothing concoction made from grape extracts. Minutes earlier, I had enjoyed a relaxing head massage so effective; I feared I’d fall asleep right then and there. This was the second of my treatments for the day – one that had started with the modest

mission of reviving my travel-weary skin.

The Caudalie Spa at the 5-star Yeatman Hotel is one of two ‘wine therapy’ facilities in Portugal. The first center was founded in 1999 in Bordeaux, France by Bertrand and Mathilde Thomas, a couple who had a few years earlier discovered the merits of using grape extracts to combat the signs of aging. Although most of the Caudalie spas are located in Europe, two North American notables include facilities at the Plaza Hotel

in New York City and the Shangri-la Hotel in Toronto.

The spa in Oporto is spacious 2000 square meters (21,528 square feet) consisting of ten private treatment rooms, the barrel-bath area, a pool, Vichy showers, a Roman bath, sauna, gym and more. Clearly, painstaking detail was enlisted to energize your five senses. During the first of my treatments (aptly named the ‘Grand Facial’), the sound of calming music was a