Let’s be honest: the British railway system is a mess. It’s overpriced, overbooked, riddled with delays and signal failures and embroiled in infighting and industrial action. Getting on a train in the UK is hellish right now.
But, there is an alternative. An alternative that radiates extreme luxury, traversing the hills of the Scottish highlands with ease, class and... a Diorspa.
That’s right, Belmond has revealed a longterm partnership with Dior that will service its Royal Scotsman train with a bespoke spa experience situated within one of the carriages.
The Dior spa carriage, decorated with Dior’s iconic burgundy toile de Juoy motif, will have two chic, laquered treatment rooms and three bespoke treatments on offer, each inspired by Scotland and devised by Dior’s wellness experts.
In one treatment, semi-precious stones are placed on the back of the weary traveller, followed by massage strokes aimed to emulate a “cooling breeze” and a misting of Dior products combined with hot oshibori, to end the hour long full-body treatment on a calming note.
Other treatments aim to counteract the impacts of train travel, offering specially tailored massages which release muscle tension and reverse the effects of muscle fatigue. There’s also a facial which uses Kobido inspired techniques to visibly lift facial volume and resculpt facial contours, reducing ageing and redefining the landscape of your face.
The spa carriage, which Belmond describes as a “cocoon of serenity on the rails”, is a partnership inspired by Christian Dior’s longstanding love of Scotland (he once snubbed London and Paris to hold his 1955 fashion show in The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire).
If Christian Dior’s endorsement isn’t enough to tempt you, Belmond has formulated multiple methods of temptation on its Royal Scotsman trains. There’s a new adrenaline-boosting journey in partnership with luxury adventure travel experts WILDNIS that runs from June 30 to July 3, with help from ex-Royal Marines and survivalist guides who will help travellers to embrace their “primal” side in the Scottish hills.
Or, if gastronomic adventures are more your type of thing, you can experience fine dining at the hands of Michelin star chef Tom Kitchin in the Royal Scotsman’s “A Taste of Scotland” which runs from September 4-6. This journey also offers an exclusive wine masterclass with local wine merchants, L’Art Du Vin, in the train’s Observation Car during the first day of the trip, as well as an expert-led whisky tasting and gala dinner on the final night.
