first set up a small massage room at the Silvretta in 1985 - and even back in those days our hotel was one of the first in the whole of Switzerland to feature a hot whirlpool. Since I’ve always been absolutely passionate about spas and fitness we went ahead and built a beauty and massage centre on the first floor of our hotel in the summer of 1987. From then on our guests were able to enjoy the Silvretta Beauty and Fitness Weeks with all the benefits: detox and purification diets, fitness schedules with sports instructors, autogenic training, massages and much more besides. But my dream was to have all the beauty and spa facilities together on one level, and above all to really have lots and lots of space for designing the rooms with harmonious interiors and ensuring they would meet the very latest requirements. At the start it was only a dream, but the dream became a concrete idea which continued to go round and round in my head. So in recent years I visited the best spa and beauty hotels to take a look around in search of inspiration. After all, only the best is good enough for our guests, whether in terms of treatments, baths, cosmetics, interior design, Feng Shui, revitalised water based on the ideas of Johann Grander, mental training, a healthy diet replete with vitality – just to mention a few ideas – and in each case I found myself asking the same simple questions: How and where do you get a sense of well-being? And what’s good for people, anyway? I discovered that the answer to the ‘where’ is just as simple: wherever you find the peace and quiet to pause for a moment and reflect on life in our hectic, fast moving times. I have always tried to set aside a part of the day for myself – simply to get away – to draw new strength from our splendid Samnaun mountains and woodland… and in a ‘vitaleum’ for the body, mind and soul. All that remained was to convince my husband Hans Gugganig, my son Enrico and my daughter Rebecca (who had to manage without her mum every now and again when I was on my ‘study trips’) of my ideas, and so my dream became reality thanks to the support I received from the whole of my family.

I hope you find thee time to enjoy our Vitaleum: a world of attractive fragrances and well-being, of peace and quiet, an interplay of colours, light and shapes. And last but not least, I have had the enormous pleasure of creating the Vitaleum for you based on the principles of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese doctrine of harmony.

In December 1999

…7 years later …
The Vitaleum has proved highly popular with our regular guests and is a genuine insider’s tip for all spa enthusiasts. We’ve gone and added to our range of treatments. But since we have no desire to become a mass processor of those in search of spa bliss and wish to concentrate deliberately on quality instead of quantity we prefer to offer our guests a little, exclusive haven of peace and quiet – a refuge we all long for in these increasingly hectic times. For all those wishing to derive the maximum amount of enjoyment from the Vitaleum I hope you allow plenty of time for your visits there and above all regularly set aside one day in your weekly schedule once you return home for your personal relaxation and regeneration. Your body, mind and soul will thank you for it!

In March 2006

And two years later again:
This is now our third edition. Once again we have added some great new features to our programme and withdrawn others which did not prove as popular as we had hoped with our guests. After much consideration and visits to certain trade fairs we have decided to go for Cellcosmet Switzerland and Power-Plate. Cellcosmet and Piroche Cosmetiques are very special product lines with their own philosophy and commercial history. Above all, Power-Plate and the outstanding results it offers in just 10 minutes have been on everyone’s lips in recent months. As of right now you can use this latest addition to the Vitaleum and benefit from enormous improvements to your fitness, muscle power and your figure. Further information is available by writing to info@powerplate.ch Complementing Power-Plate at just the right place in our hotel is our first little sauna where our spa philosophy first revealed itself in all its modesty 25 years ago. Today, our spa facilities are in great demand. In the meantime I have become the proud grandmother of three adorable granddaughters: Yara – 14 years old, India – 9 years old and Joelle – 4 years old. My daughter-in-law Katharina, my son Enrico, my daughter Rebecca, who has now turned 18, my husband Hans Gugganig and of course myself together with all our staff have become passionate fans of the Vitaleum and enjoy using it regularly. What little Joelle likes best is going with her dad Enrico to the Engadin earth sauna. My personal favourite remains the Ottoman steam bath and the rock crystal grotto.

I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful stay with us and take the time to enhance or recover your good health and joy of life in our beautiful Vitaleum!!!

Elisabeth Gugganig-Zegg
January 2008