Rocío Márquez
When she’s not singing up a storm, the flamenco star loves to
relax at the Arab baths of Seville, Aire de Sevilla
AS TOLD TO
TREVOR BAKER
PHOTO
ALBERTO G PURAS
“
when i have a
free afternoon, I go to
AIRE DE SEVILLA
[
airedesevilla.com
]
for a couple of hours. I always leave
feeling like a new person; it’s like having a mini-holiday.
Sometimes I try all the treatments, the sauna, the
massage and the various rooms. Other times, I just like
to go with a friend to the
teteria
[
tea room] and have a
cup of tea, but they also serve coffee and beer.
“
I love the décor and the ambience – they ask guests
to only speak in low voices to enhance the experience.
For me, silence is fundamental. I always have music in
my head – that’s part of my life – but I go there
to get rid of the music and let my mind go
blank for a while.
“
You can go to a place like this in
another city and you might enjoy it,
but you don’t feel like you’re a part
of the city’s culture in the same
way that you do at the Aire de Sevilla. When you’re there,
you feel you’re living the history of the city, starting with
the Romans and the Arabs. I think that’s what helps
restore your equilibrium.
“
Another thing I love in Seville is the
peñas
[
small
flamenco bars]. They’re less touristy than the big
tablaos
[
concert halls].
TERTULIA FLAMENCA CANTES AL
AIRE
[
tel: +34 675 535 932
]
is a really nice one.
“
For a good meal, I go to
TABERNA COLONIALES
[
tabernacoloniales.es]
–
there are two of them. The food
is cheap and the
salmorejo
[
tomato, bread and
garlic sauce] is fantastic.
“
At
HELADOS RAYAS
[
1
Calle
Almirante Apodaca; tel: +34 954 221
746]
they have home-made ice
cream and frozen yogurt. In the
summer it’s a necessity.”
I always leave
feeling like a new
person; it’s like having a
mini-holiday
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