The 153-year old Galle Face Hotel in Sri Lanka – one of the oldest in Asia – will open a L’Occitane-branded spa later this year.

The 1,115sq m Spa L’Occitane En Provence – operated by the French skincare and perfume giant – will have eight therapy rooms, including doubles for couples and Ayurveda rooms, as well as a nail spa, indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, a fully-equipped gym, steamrooms, dry saunas and spa pools.

Due to open mid-2017, the opening of the spa follows a 30-month restoration, which has brought the hotel’s rooms and suites, restaurants and bars back to their original grandeur.

Treatments on offer at the spa will include massages, facials and scrubs based on L’Occitane’s natural ingredients – such as lavender from Provence in the south of France and shea butter from Burkina Faso in west Africa.

The first L’Occitane spa was launched in 2001 and the portfolio currently consists of 80 luxury spas in 26 countries.

Deni A. Dukic, the hotel’s general manager, said the spa would stay true to L’Occitane’s traditions, yet be distinct in character, inspired by “the grandeur of the hotel’s historical association with some of Hollywood’s most recognizable icons”.

“This is a spa that strives to transport you to an early Hollywood era, a gentler, more luxurious time when glamour reigned and time moved slower,” Dukic said.

“We want to ensure that the services offered at the spa are equal to the standards guests from around the world have come to expect of The Galle Face Hotel.”

Owned by the Galle Face Hotel Group, the historic hotel has hosted some of Hollywood’s biggest stars during its time – as well as other VIP guests visiting the Sri Lanka. Mahatma Gandhi, Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space – and Richard Nixon are among those to have stayed at the hotel.