Our Story

Located in the heart of Harvard Square, at The Charles Hotel, Corbu offers a luxurious spa experience and a harmonious escape from the stresses of urban life and showcases farm to spa table treatments in alignment with the property’s long dedication to this movement. Corbu’s name pays homage to renowned architect and designer, Le Corbusier, who only designed one building in North America, which is just steps away from the spa – the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard.

The 4,000 square foot venue houses seven treatment rooms including one “Room for Two” equipped with a Swiss shower as well as a complete salon. Following in the success of The Charles’s Chef Peter Davis of Henrietta’s Table and Chef Jody Adams of Rialto, both industry leaders in the farm‐to‐table movement, Corbu is bringing the movement from the restaurant world into the spa, using the freshest locally sourced ingredients to craft seasonal scrubs and lotions.

The French‐inspired treatment menu features ingredients handpicked from the hotel’s gardens, and the space incorporates touches of nature into the architecture seamlessly.

At Corbu, guests enjoy seasonal treatments inspired by Chefs Davis and Adams. Chef Adams worked closely with the Corbu staff to create the Hot Herbal Poultice Journey featuring herbal poultices and traditional massage techniques, as well as the Vanilla Mocha Slimming Treatment, utilizing a stimulating blend of coffee and cocoa. Chef Davis, a true champion of sustainability, also partnered to craft a menu which features locally harvested seasonal ingredients.

“The Charles has always fostered a culture focused on regional products and seasonality,” said General Manager Alex Attia. “Both of our restaurants have always been dedicated to local and sustainable products, and we bring that same dedication to Corbu.”

In addition to the farm to spa table concept, Corbu has crafted a comprehensive treatment menu including an innovative new program entitled “Spa with a Heart.” As part of Corbu’s commitment to the community, the spa has partnered with local organizations to design this program. These packages donate five percent of the proceeds to select charitable organizations like Partners in Heath, MSPCA, the EcoLogic Development Fund, and the Steppingstone Foundation.

Corbu is also the first spa in New England to employ the mySkin skincare system. Corbu is the perfect spa to introduce mySkin to this new market as developers Sava Marinkovich and Rahul Mehendale met at Harvard Business School. Utilizing scientific principles and highly sophisticated algorithms, mySkin analyzes multiple
variables to determine the perfect products for one’s unique skin type.

Working with Interior Design Firm, Bill Rooney Studio, and local Architecture Agency,
Cambridge 7 & Associates; the spa is a modern expression of “Organic Form,” utilizing pure modernist design principles that balance form, function, and human scale.