Hotel of the Week: The New Imperial Hotel, Kyoto Unveils Its Stunning Spa
Located within a restored 1936 landmark, the boutique hotel features this exceptional amenity that balances Japanese tradition with the latest in high-end skincare
Japan ranks high on every traveler’s must visit list and with the recent spate of luxury hotel openings, Kyoto is particularly alluring. Adding to the impeccable list of high-design additions is the Imperial Hotel, an exciting newcomer to the city that occupies the former Yasaka Kaikan, a nationally registered Tangible Cultural Property in the heart of the Gion district, first introduced in 1936. The fourth location following Imperial Hotel openings in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kamikochi, this 55-room boutique destination marries graceful Japanese tradition with the latest in wellness offerings and high-end spa treatments.
In the subterranean sanctuary, guests are immersed in the calming rituals of Kyoto’s spirit of hospitality. Procedures begin with an immersive celebration of incense with deep breathing and restorative moment of stillness. The ringing of Japanese bells adds to the sensory experience that includes the heady aromas of fragrant wood and soothing body oils.
“When shaping the spa at the Imperial Hotel, Kyoto, our focus was on attentiveness and pacing,” says general manager Reiko Sakata. “We wanted guests to feel supported by the space itself, where materials, sound, and light help guide the body into a more composed state. The experience is designed to unfold gradually, allowing guests to engage with it according to their own rhythm.”
Additionally, visitors can experience body and facial treatments using products by British brand Oskia, soak in the serene swimming pool that’s surrounded by soft lighting that only adds to its restorative atmosphere.
The rejuvenating wellness space is just one of many transformations that inform the updated property. To rework the historic building, the hotel group called on the original constructors of Yasaka Kaikan, the Obayashi Corporation, which preserved many of the structure’s rarified materials, including 16,387 original exterior tiles that were salvaged and reinstalled. Terracotta reliefs nearly a century old were maintained or faithfully reproduced by the same artisans who contributed to Frank Lloyd Wright’s circa-1923 Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. Further cementing the site’s place in history is its soaring height—exceeding 100 feet, which far outpaces the district’s current standards for a maximum of 40 feet for new builds.
Interiors were dynamically reworked by architect Tomoyuki Sakakida, the director of the New Material Research Laboratory, the firm cofounded by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto that utilizes traditional Japanese materials and techniques in decidedly contemporary forms. At the Imperial Hotel, Tamina-ishi stone, Japanese marble, ōya stone, and zelkova wood are sculpted into tranquil environs that balance longstanding aesthetic choices with notes of Art Deco flair.
Guests of the hotel will discover a calming array of accommodations with the 2,000-square-foot Imperial Suite the most distinguished. Those overnighting in the space can revel in the sumptuous surroundings or take in sweeping views of Gion and Higashiyama from the 700-square-foot terrace or under the artfully preserved 1936 rooftop gazebo.
The hotel’s inspired assortment of restaurants offers a sumptuous mix of flavors—from the French cuisine served at the 18-seat Ren to the heartier fare prepared in the wood- and charcoal-fired oven at Yasaka. Meals are best enjoyed before a Mount Hiei cocktail in the Old Imperial Bar, which takes its design cues from Wright’s original, or before a delicious sweet treat from the on-site pastry shop.
This latest hotel offering only adds to the intoxicating flavor of Kyoto, where creative institutions like the Gion Kagai Art Museum (a celebration of the region’s geiko and maiko tradition) and Kyocera Museum of Art lure jetsetters in search of beautiful vistas and inspiring cultural influence.