Six Senses is soothing – it’s right there in the alliteration, a quiet little meditation built into the name. The brand’s reputation was built on wellness-focused resorts in far-flung destinations, where being away from it all, ensconced in the calm walls of an impeccable hotel is the point. Six Senses Rome, which opened in the spring of 2023 smack in the middle of the Eternal City’s Centro Storico, is the sparkling exception.

The brand couldn’t have chosen a more central location for their first urban property, both within the city itself, and within the greater cultural world landscape. On a narrow street between the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, the creamy façade of the 15th century palazzo that houses the hotel has been impeccably restored, the only hints of the luxury hotel hidden inside a small bronze placard and the well-heeled visitors trotting in and out across the cobblestones.

Once through the doors, though, the buttery streetscapes of Rome melt into an urban oasis, with lush layers of greenery sprouting from terracotta pots and cascading from skylights. Like the city itself, the spaces are clad in local travertine and Triclinium marble, and the foliage softens the geometric surfaces, providing an almost too-perfect analogy for what the Six Senses’ brand ethos brings to the Roman hotel market – a breezy break from the norm, with roots in the city’s history but an organic spin on luxury hospitality.

Rooms are sleek and understated, with a deft mix of textured neutrals and architectural flourishes (plus the usual luxe Six Senses touches, like a pillow menu.) Categories starting from the Terrace Junior Suite have private outdoor space, tucked into the undulating rooflines of the surrounding buildings, which include the adjacent San Marcello al Corso church (the brand is restoring the UNESCO site as part of their sustainability mission in the city.)

Our favorite spot on property, though, is open to everyone – NOTOS Rooftop, the open air bar and restaurant, feels like a floating garden, one of those places where golden hour softens into dusk to a soundtrack of laughter and popping prosecco corks. Olive trees and grapevines twist and turn, framing intimate collections of seats guarded by ecru umbrellas. It’s a little bit Tuscany and a little bit Los Angeles, but just past the rustling foliage and the clinking high balls are the dome of Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano and the columns of the Vittoriano, reminding you that you couldn’t truly be anywhere but Rome.

Several floors below this breezy eden, you’ll find another perfect encapsulation of the marriage between Six Senses and the history of Rome: the centerpiece spa. Roman Baths are inextricably tied to the history of the city, having served as social and political gathering places for centuries. For a brand as synonymous with wellness as Six Senses, the spa offerings are always paramount, but here they feel especially apt. The three baths – hot, tepid, and cold – are a balm after a long day of ogling monuments and slurping spaghetti; spafficianados looking for the more cutting-edge treatments may want to go in for a service from the bio-hacking menu, like Cellgym Hypoxic Training, which uses a breathing mask and oxygenreduced air to improve longevity and athletic performance. Reverence for history and looking toward the future – the analogies continue to write themselves.

Hotels and hospitality rank highly on the (long) list of reasons to visit Rome, somewhere between unlimited pasta all'amatriciana and the Borghese Gallery – there is no shortage of places to lay your head between days full of tasting and touring. But the Six Senses’ unique sensibility means the brand has carved its own niche in millennia worth of marble. While there’s no one fanning you and feeding you grapes, the rustling monstera leaves and a crispy rooftop cocktail are Roman luxury for today.

Six Senses is currently offering two booking specials through 2024:

Rome Hideway

Receive up to 10% off the best flexible rate, Guaranteed upgrade to the next room type at time of booking, up to a junior suite, early check-in and late check-out upon availability, Daily breakfast, a Cocktail Making experience during the stay, and 10 percent off Spa treatments and retail at the EMPORIUM Spa Boutique

Family Time + Family Time Plus

Book a Deluxe Junior Suite and receive an adjacent or connecting Deluxe Room with over 25% discount; Book a Deluxe Suite and receive an adjacent or connecting Deluxe Room with over 50% discount. Inclusions: Daily breakfast, Daily ice cream and mocktails for kids, Kids activities: pizza or mocktail making and Earth Lab sessions

Hotel Feature: Six Senses Rome