How apothecaries became hospitality's hottest accessory - CN Traveller

Apothecaries are magical and mysterious things. They evoke visions of elixirs in a candlelit storefront with sash windows, walls lined with pestles and mortars, and a multitude of glass bottles. “There is something beguiling, even enchanting, about what might lie within those bottles: potions that bewitch us, cure us, kill us,” says Sarah Penner, author of The Lost Apothecary. There’s a unicorn sign above the doorway of the Alchemy Bar at Six Senses Spa, London. Head alchemist Charlotte Pulver explains that unicorns are a traditional symbol of apothecaries throughout Europe, dating back to pre-Roman times. "In medieval stories they often spoke about unicorns dipping their horns into poison and turning it into medicine. They are the symbol of healing, alchemy and transformation." The word ‘apothecary’ is younger than the practice itself, which Babylonian medical records place among the earliest recorded, and rooted in the ancient Greek apothḗkē, meaning storehouse. The Alchemy Bar's appeal, Charlotte believes, is people taking healing into their own hands by learning about the medicinal power of plants, with guests transforming herbs into tinctures and tonics. Her team conjures seasonal hydrosols – floral waters – a lavender version of which is dowsed on the hot rocks of the hotel’s dry sauna. "People are yearning for ways to reconnect with nature," she says, "which the system of alchemy and medicine making can offer." Alchemy is golden right now. Jessie Buckley left LA with an Oscar for her portrayal of Shakespeare's herbalist wife Agnes in Hamnet. Circe, known in classical scholarship as a goddess of transmutation and named by Pliny as an early investigator of plants, takes to the big screen in The Odyssey, played by Samantha Morton. The role of the medicine woman is being normalised, according to Charlotte, and is one clue that the conversation is becoming more embraced. A book list can include Wild Alchemy by Jemma Foster and The Apothecary Chef, with contributions from The Newt in Somerset's Allan Altschul. The beauty space both name-drops the word (see Aussie brand Grown Alchemist) and puts in the legwork; Ramdane Touhami, founder of Buly 1803, made research trips across France and Europe before designing the flagship store at 6 Rue Bonaparte, Paris. "I spent two summers travelling around on the back of a motorbike. I visited around 130 apothecaries, notebook in hand." The apothecary has long served the traveller. The earliest examples grew from monastic hospitality houses built to care for pilgrims; the inn and the dispensary were the same place. In Nice, at Hôtel du Couvent, pharmicist and herbalist Greg Unrein says, “At its best, an apothecary isn't an accessory at all. It is the soul of the property.” At the 17th-century convent, the Sisters cultivated medicinal plants, prepared remedies and cared for the sick. “The jardin des Sœurs still exists within these walls,” says Greg. “When we walk through it with guests and I speak about a plant that the Franciscan nuns cultivated here for centuries, we are not just talking about chemistry. We’re talking about memory, continuity, about what it means to care for another human being. That sensibility, at once scientific and poetic, is what the Hôtel du Couvent stands for.” Alchemy is fashionable but also misunderstood, according to Michael Isted, founder of The Herball. “Alchemy is a transformative process, turning plants, vitamins, minerals or mushrooms into something magical, which can be imbibed, adorned or worn. It was a philosophy centred on transformation, of materials, of nature and ultimately of ourselves. That's the part that feels incredibly relevant today.” While some hotels are creating physical apothecaries, he doesn’t think every property needs one. "What every hotel can embrace is the philosophy behind it; recognising that every destination already possesses its own living apothecary, we just have to tap into it.” At Six Senses Dubai, The Herball is developing herbal tinctures, tisanes, botanical drinks and immersive guest experiences rooted in the medicinal plants of the Gulf Peninsula. In Mexico, a botanical drinks programme for Siari, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve to celebrate the nature and culture of Nayarit. Plans for 2027 include Portugal, an alchemical laboratory with chef João Rodrigues at Na Praia to capture the surrounding dunes and Atlantic landscape through distillation and flavour. Michael says guests are asking how extracts are made, or why certain plants are used. “They're looking for experiences that feel rooted in place, rather than imported or generic.” He sees the future as botanical alchemy becoming part of the entire hospitality ecosystem; its techniques quietly influencing a hotel from a welcome ritual and beverage programme, through to scent throughout the property and educational experiences connecting guests with the surrounding landscape. "Instead of wellness existing in one corner of the hotel, it becomes deeply woven into the fabric of the guest journey. The destination itself becomes the apothecary." While Europe is rich with apothecaries, from Antwerp to Florence, travellers can turn to other continents for their take on alchemy. Shangri-La Hambantota is on Sri Lanka's southern coast, once part of the ancient Spice Route that supplied apothecaries with cinnamon, cardamom and pepper. At Chi, The Spa, Ayurveda Doctor Piumi Madhushani practises Rasaśāstra, an Ayurvedic take on alchemy. In partnership with Siddhalepa, a Sri Lankan family healing tradition, treatments are built around herbs including Ashwagandha, Amalaki and Gotu Kola. "The real transformation is internal," she says, "converting depletion into vitality, fatigue into energy, imbalance into harmony." Wherever you find an apothecary, both the old and new are far from the quick fix. As Isted says: “In an era defined by speed, technology and disconnection from the natural world, alchemy reminds us that transformation is a process; slow, sensory and profound.” The best hotels with apothecaries to visit Six Senses London, Queensway At the Six Senses Spa Alchemy Bar, head alchemist Charlotte Pulver and her team forage seasonally, including in Hyde Park, transforming the likes of elderberry and lavender into hydrosols, tinctures and balms, with the same botanicals on the cocktail menu and the hot rocks of the dry sauna. This working contemporary apothecary is, says Pulver, "not just for the hotel but for London itself". Address: 1 Redan Place, London W2 4SA Website: sixsenses.com Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, Belgium The restored 19th-century apothecary in this beauty of a hotel is a protected heritage space, with every original shelf, cabinet and jar exactly where it stood centuries ago, now stocked with Saint Charles. The former 13th-century monastery has a botanical garden next door, supplying medicinal plants, and a herb garden for the hotel’s two new restaurants. "What will never change," says Sven Klockaerts, Marketing & Partnership Manager, "is the historical character of the apothecary itself." Address: Leopoldstraat 8, 2000 Antwerp Website: botanicantwerp.be Hôtel du Couvent, Nice The Franciscan Sisters cultivated medicinal plants in this cloister for centuries and their jardin des Sœurs still exists within the walls. Guests book one-to-one consultations, take botanical walks and leave with personally blended tisanes. "They don't want something generic," says Greg Unrein. "They want something that could only exist here." Address: 6 Rue du Couvent, 06300 Nice Website: hotelducouvent.com The Place, Firenze This is the nearest five-star hotel to the living museum of The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, founded by Dominican friars in 1221. They worked with the Medici family to invest in chemistry and pharmaceuticals, and it still sells its first distilled rose water. Hotel guests can skip queues for skincare, home perfumes and all its ornate glory. Address: Piazza Santa Maria Novella 7, 50123 Florence Website: placehotelfirenze.com Siari Riviera Nayarit, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Mexico The Há Yeka spa at Siari Riviera Nayarit leverages Huichol Indigenous botanical traditions for its treatments, and The Herball is curating a botanical drinks programme to celebrate the nature and culture of Nayarit. All within the exclusive Nauka enclave on Mexico's Emerald Coast. Address: Punta de Mita, Riviera Nayarit, Mexico Website: ritzcarlton.com Shangri-La Hambantota, Sri Lanka On Sri Lanka's southern coast, once part of the ancient Spice Route, Shangri-La offers one of the region's most serious Ayurvedic spa programmes. Chi, The Spa partners with Siddhalepa and their 200 plus years of botanical and herbal medicine expertise, and treatments include what the spa’s doctors order. Address: Siripura, Hambantota, Sri Lanka Website: shangri-la.com Sterrekopje, Franschhoek, South Africa In the kitchen of the original 1694 Manor House, an apothecary works its magic on herbs and plants harvested from the surrounding gardens, with teas, tinctures and oils made on-site. The farm, with 11 sanctuaries and suites, cultivates over 100 indigenous and heritage plants. Guests Breakfast with a Bucku tea cuppa and start a botanical journey from there. Address: Excelsior Rd, Franschhoek, 7690, South Africa Website: mrandmrssmith.com Na Praia, Melides, Portugal The greatly anticipated Na Praia will open in 2027 amid Atlantic dunes and pine forest on Portugal's wildest coastline. Michael Isted of The Herball is its alchemical director, envisaging botanicals from the surrounding landscape running through drinks, scents and rituals throughout the space. In his work, he says:"The destination itself becomes the apothecary." Address: Herdade da Comporta, Melides, Portugal Website: napraia.com