A 2.7m euro (£1.8m, US$3.8m) spa has opened in the Porto Palacio Congress Hotel in Porto City in northern Portugal.

The hotel is part of the Sonae Group, a company which covers distribution, shopping centres and communications as well as the hospitality industry.

The 16,145sq ft (1,500sq m) Porto Palacio Spa by L'Occitane covers three floors and has strong Mediterranean and Provencal influences while signature treatments from L’Occitane include grape as the city of Porto is at the entrance of the Douro Wine Valley.

Consultant for the spa was Valerie Jaminet-Reysset, who worked with Baunilha Bourbon, the exclusive distributor of L'Occitane.

The spa has five individual polyvalent treatment rooms –including one couples’ Lavender Suite, one individual suite (bathtub and treatment bed) and one room with a Vichy shower.

The Porto Palacio facility is the first Spa by the L'Occitane brand in Europe.

Another L’Occitane spa is due to launch soon in Italy.