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European spa hotels are amongst the best in the world. From medical treatments in the Alps to holistic escapes in the Med, there’s never been a wider choice of options when it comes to exceptional places for a physical and mental boost. The UK is helping to raise the bar, with iconic hotels like Gleneagles investing millions in pampering places and new country house retreats offering ice sheds and hot tubs hidden amid wildflowers as part of their dedication to wellbeing. Demand is up for advanced hi-tech, anti-aging treatments across the continent, but there’s also a growing trend for a dose of spirituality too, with crystal healing, sound baths and chakra balancing now firmly in the mainstream.
So whether you’re seeking a Zen weekend somewhere sun-kissed with yoga and thalassotherapy on tap or want to invest in a month-long complete body overhaul, we’ve picked Europe’s leading spa hotels guaranteed to send you home feeling rested and revitalised. The thing they all have in common? Beautiful locations as uplifting as the facials. These are the best spa hotels in Europe.
How we review
Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.
Italy
Other than its famous ‘floating pool’ in lake Como, the hotel’s T-Spa features a heated indoor infinity pool with five hydro-massage areas and an attached outdoor whirlpool tub. The panoramic relaxation lounge with sunbeds has floor-to-ceiling windows commanding lovely lake views. It offers traditional Hammam treatments, pro-radiance facials and holistic foot and leg massages with hot stones. The private T Spa Suite is especially designed for couples or friends, with its own whirlpool tub, sauna and steam room.
From
£
708
per night
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Situated on Lake Garda, Lefay combines Chinese medicine with modern Western therapies to reactivate our internal energy system while saving the environment. Their approach to dieting is to make changes to eating habits that are psychologically as well as nutritionally sustainable. The “light menu” is tasty low-cal Mediterranean fare that takes the strain off the digestive system. Fill your time having anti-cellulite massages, body wraps, doing tai chi and cycling round the lake.
From
£
342
per night
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The Four Seasons has the only hotel spa worthy of the name in central Florence. Housed in an ochre-yellow pavilion giving onto an 11-acre park, it has 10 treatment rooms – two of them doubles – and in a nice touch, uses the products of historic (but these days state-of-the-art) body care and beauty lab Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. Signature treatments include a Chianti wine massage, and a full-body treatment based on iris root powder.
From
£
575
per night
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Capri Beauty Farm is an award-winning medical spa offering a range of holistic treatments, staffed with 25 doctors, therapists, dieticians, beauticians and chefs. It attracts celebrities from the world over thanks to its innovative “Leg School” that aims to improve circulation and lymphatic flow, as well as prevent cellulite and boost metabolism. Other treatments include weight loss programmes, posturology, medical services and nutrition alongside more traditional spa treatments, from deep tissue massages to reflexology.
From
£
653
per night
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The Borgo’s lovely spa is basically a whole Tuscan farmhouse in the garden, with exposed stone walls and an exclusive, intimate feel, helped along by the fire which burns in the grate of the warmly elegant reception area on cooler days. There are only two individual treatment rooms, plus an al fresco ‘room’ on the terrace, but in this 15-room hotel there’s rarely a booking bind. They specialise in holistic treatments based on organic ingredients, including several Ayurvedic therapies. Spa manager Tracey Mallallieu is one of Tuscany’s top wellness professionals, and the Borgo has an Italian exclusive (so far) on products by UK firm Heaven Health & Beauty, as used in the spa’s signature ‘Bee Sting Facial’.
From
£
676
per night
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Greece
This is the second-most expensive resort built in Greece (it took a bit of cash to dynamite cliffs in 2010 to create the amphitheatre structure), and the complex has a luxe feel everywhere. Guests can keep active at two tennis courts outdoor pool or beach, and for adults there is a meticulously maintained spa, with a Finnish sauna, indoor pool, hydro-massage facilities and a vast range of treatments (these aren’t cheap; facials start at €125/£108 for an hour). Guests can enroll in fitness programmes that have corresponding meals from the resort’s nutritionist.
From
£
271
per night
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• The best hotels in Tuscany
This imposing, no-nonsense spa resort is part of the Andronis luxury brand that currently dominates Santorini’s hotel scene. It’s surprising to find such spaciousness on such a cramped island, and the breadth and depth of treatments bring Switzerland – rather than Greece – to mind. This is unmistakeably a spa hotel with seven special treatment rooms and a yoga space where you can practise your asanas inspired by the view. You can choose from 10 massages, including an Aegean couples romantic massage during sunset, facials, collagen treatments by Valmont and body treatments by Thalgo.
From
£
488
per night
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A holistic Hellenic spa hotel with contemporary comfort, ancient spiritual teachings and best-in-class wellness therapies at a pine-forested perch in the Peloponnese. The dedicated four-floored spa centre is a compelling invitation to slow down and relax or invest in targeted therapies. Start your stay with a 3GL assessment and the nutritionist measures levels of glucose, glusthasiame and glucogens in the blood which leads to a wealth of digestive and respiratory advice to set you on a powerful path to wellbeing. Most UK and European guests come for five- or seven-night programmes, to manage stress, detox, boost fitness and the immune system.
From
£
382
per night
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• The best hostels in Europe
It’s easy to chill out at the adult-only F Zeen with its simply furnished but luxurious rooms and suites, wellness centre and natural healing spa. There are three freshwater pools, an outdoor gym and yoga space (see the blackboard in reception for a list of daily classes), the Raw Retreat’s shiny new Idor wellness centre (for massage and beauty treatments) and an outdoor cinema. Bikes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards are available free of charge and you can hire a fitness trainer or take part in cookery masterclasses.
From
£
259
per night
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• The best hotels in Italy
The very stylish spa offers treatments based on the healing philosophy of Greek medicine (such as facials with a liberal application of local organic honey) and a range of holistic therapies, including Pilates, yoga and aquatic bodywork. The latter, a combination of Watsu (water shiatsu), Alexander Technique, Craniosacral Therapy and sound therapy devised by a genius called Steve Karle, has been known to make grown men weep like babies. The spa also offers a number of excellent wellness retreats led by experts in their field. This is a spa to make Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine, proud.
From
£
999
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
Switzerland
A refreshingly clean-lined exterior set in a traditional, Alpine Bond-style setting. The spa is big and Zen, yet intimate and cosy, a clever, rare balance to strike. The fusion food also works a treat – Bircher for breakfast, dim sum for dinner. Yoga classes precede hot/cold plunge, steam and sauna, while the muscle-weary shouldn’t miss the Alpienne Mountain massage. There are twice-daily, 90-minute mountain walks to feed your soul and visits throughout the year from Loten Dahorstang, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, who teaches divine yoga, chanting mantras and sacred meditations.
From
£
485
per night
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• The best Lake Como hotels
The Swiss have arguably the best health-care system in the world and this acclaimed thermal and medical spa sits alongside a historic hotel. It has more or less every medical expert going – get a new set of teeth, a full-on gynaecological screening complete with mammogram and ultrasound, or MOTs for eyes, heart and lungs, and oodles of dietary advice (or “metabolic optimisation”, as they call it here). Even insomniacs are catered for: to improve your kip, experts will rig you up to sensors and note your every nocturnal nuance. Plus, there is also a relationship-restoring, stop-snoring package. Sound familiar?
From
£
518
per night
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Encompassing cutting-edge medical treatments drawn from the expertise of the Nescens brand and the Centre for Ageing at the country’s Clinique de Genolier, you can expect results here, from figure shaping through Zeltiq CoolSculpting, to lipo massage, facial tissue regeneration, or help in radically changing your lifestyle for continued results. Beauty products come courtesy of La Prairie and their firming caviar treatments. A sauna, Hamman and hairdresser are on site.
From
£
520
per night
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France
All-white orchids against calming white walls, the spa mixes serious anti-ageing facials (ask for the Abeille Royale which plumps up wrinkles with youth serum) with restorative massages for aching muscles after a day on the slopes. A contrast of hot and cold sensations are used to reoxygenate the tissue, with a cold glass snowball used to massage the arches of your feet resulting in a new spring in your step. Skilled therapists and champagne by the glass complete the picture.
From
£
1,219
per night
Beautifully designed to make the most of light filtering though the black and white mosaic spaces and over the large indoor pool, the spa is a haven which delivers results. Domaine de Manville’s own products consist of slimming treatments (caffeine and oil of pink peppercorns) and firming treatments (maritime pine, age-defying, stimulating Royal Jelly). You can also work out at in the kinesis technogym, or chose one of the outstanding Ivo Pintanguy treatments, legendary for their lifting and hydrating properties.
From
£
253
per night
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Caudalie pioneered the notion of vinotherapy, with treatments combining the anti-ageing properties of polyphenols contained in grapeseeds and the spa’s own natural hot-water spring. Occupying a wooden building inspired by the region’s old tobacco drying sheds, there are 20 treatment rooms, a room for relaxing over tea and beamed indoor pool. Bubble away in a barrel of Grape Marc, before enjoying a crushed cabernet scrub. Other star treatments include the Pulp Friction massage and merlot, honey, wine and vine flower wraps.
From
£
213
per night
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The Royal is up there with the crème de la crème of France’s exclusive 23 palace-hotels. A private lift on each floor whisks guests discretely to Spa Evian Source, the hotel spa with indoor pool, hammam, sauna and outdoor hydro-contact trail, which translates as a series of toasty-warm, bubbling hot tubs – all open 7am to midnight. Beauty treatments, including the spa’s signature Royal Caviar body scrub and massage, use luxurious La Prairie products. There is also a hairdressing salon, fashion boutique, weight-training and fitness room, and free keep-fit and aqua-gym classes. In summer, guests gravitate to the outdoor heated infinity pool with whirlpool and 10-star lake views.
From
£
301
per night
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The highly anticipated addition to the Paris hotel scene offers colour-filled interiors with 72 rooms, four restaurants, a Dior Spa and the longest swimming pool in Paris. The 30m swimming pool (pictured) where laps are enhanced by virtual frescoes from Oyoram is surrounded by a well-equipped gym, a hammam, sauna and snow shower as well. The beautiful Dior Spa promises ‘happiness in the heart of Paris’ and delivers it too with their clever 30-minute ‘happiness shots’, providing the necessary boost to heels or lips or eyes to be the belle of the ball. There is also a Rossano Ferretti Hair Salon adjoining the spa.
From
£
1,508
per night
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United Kingdom
In the sybaritic Herb House Spa – airy, encased in glass and surrounded by greenery – there are private bathrooms with deep copper baths in the changing rooms; sensuous swimming, hydrotherapy and steam pools; a pioneering raw food café, Raw and Cured; a tempting shop, Curated; a mud house, relaxation rooms and state of the art gym leading to a beautiful rooftop garden, all with sylvan views. Spa treatments are by Bamford, Voya, Pai, Tri-Dosha and Aromatherapy Associates.
From
£
495
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
Designed to reflect the flow of energy through the body, ESPA Life at the Corinthia hotel is a sinuous space where sharp edges are banished. Wave-style corridors hand-cast in resin lend a fluid, futuristic feel; in the relaxation room, sleep pods replace traditional daybeds. Facials are a forte here, and for immediate results an enzyme peel is recommended. Gentle enough to allow for a dinner date afterwards, but effective enough to show results, a deep cleanse and exfoliation is followed by a cooling mask of argan oil and menthol, leaving the complexion noticeably plumped and fresh.
From
£
785
per night
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This property is the epitome of an elevated, modern country hotel. It offers plenty of luxuries, from private hot tubs and saunas to Michelin-starred dining, as well as special dedicated Spa Lodges. These are chic, standalone glass-and-wood affairs with private spa facilities including saunas, steam rooms and sunken hot tubs. The swishest options are apartment-sized and profligate with their luxuries – picture in-room circular stone baths, double showers, high-tech automated massage chairs and bedrooms suspended over a pond.
From
£
305
per night
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Combining old school, classic elegance and impressive grandeur with a contemporary, holistic approach, Chewton Glen’s award-winning spa includes Europe’s largest hydrotherapy pool. There’s also a 17m ozone-treated indoor pool lined with blue mosaic tiles and surrounded by Grecian columns and outdoor hot tub (as well as outdoor swimming pool). There are aromatherapy saunas and crystal steam rooms in the changing rooms and treatments on offer include Ananda and Ila.
From
£
435
per night
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Sprawling over several floors and in its own wing, the Scandinavian-chic House Spa leads directly off the reception lobby, so you are in no doubt that it’s centre stage at this ‘reinvented rustic’ country house hotel. There are gyms for work outs, classes and personal training session, as well as a thermal suite, salt- therapy room, rhassoul mud room, and outdoor hot tub. Treatments are by Temple Spa. Other impressive facilities include the fabulously comfy Greenhouse lounge with bar and floor-to-ceiling windows; a nail parlour lined with bottles of Veuve Clicquot (the idea is that you drink champagne through a straw while receiving a manicure); a 16m infinity pool with mood lighting; and a thermal suite with salt-infusion steam room and lavender sauna.
From
£
399
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
Possibly the best spa in Scotland; a sublime haven of sybaritic delights with an added health dimension, offering alternative therapies delivered by professional practitioners and therapists. The range of ESPA offerings cover every conceivable face and body treatment. For sheer blissed-out, all-over well-being, indulge in one of the signature treatments. With saunas, steam rooms, a hydrotherapy ‘vitality’ pool and superb relaxation areas, you may never want to leave.
From
£
350
per night
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The Newt is exceptional. In the making for six years, it opened in August 2019 with admirably little fanfare since the owners, South African Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos, prefer to share their creation rather than boast about it. Since then, further accommodation and attractions have been added such as its spa with its indoor-outdoor pool, steam room, sauna, hammam and treatment rooms. You can try couple’s mud therapy, have manicures and pedicures or simply breathe in the pretty herb garden.
From
£
383
per night
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Mr & Mrs Smith
In the airy, multi-level Scarlet, the air is one of sybaritic relaxation. The womb-like spa specialises in Ayurvedic ‘journeys’, with tented treatment rooms and pods suspended in the dark for ‘deep relaxation’ and an all-glass sea-facing roof for ‘light relaxation’. The reed-fringed, rock-strewn outdoor pool extends from the indoor one, punctuated by two bright scarlet wood-fired hot tubs perched between boulders overlooking the sea.
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Ireland
Lough Eske has been garlanded with praise – and no wonder: this five-star hotel offers marvellous service, hospitality and a splendid setting. The hotel and its grounds lie on the shores of beautiful Lough Eske, surrounded by some of Donegal’s most rugged landscapes. The excellent Spa Solis, which looks out onto the hotel gardens: it’s modern and sleek, with indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, infinity pool and eight treatment rooms. Outside, the hotel can arrange surfing on the nearby coast, plus horse riding, hill-walking – and golf at a range of exceptional Donegal courses, among many other activities (you can even try fish-smoking, and tweed-weaving).
From
£
221
per night
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With a peerless Lough Corrib setting and innate grandeur, centuries-old Ashford Castle has long been known as one of Ireland’s best hotels. Extensive renovations have imbued the property with sufficient modern comforts to ensure it can stake a claim as one of the most characterful and successful hotels in Europe. The spa is just as celebrated as the main hotel, with arm-loads of awards and lots of recognition as one of the best spas in Ireland partnering with brands such as Elemis, Voya and Natura Bissé.
From
£
297
per night
A momentous 19th-century mansion transformed into one of the world’s most wonderful countryside resorts, spectacular Adare Manor wows with one showstopping feature after another. Facilities, meanwhile, are exceptional: they rank among the best you’ll find at any of the world’s most prestigious countryside retreats. The Padel Club wellness facility unsurprisingly includes padel courts, alongside an excellent pool, well-equipped gym and a fun, high-tech golf simulation room. The spa itself is supremely inviting (with adjacent plunge pool). Guests effusive feedback about their treatments is a testament to how brilliant the therapists are here.
From
£
280
per night
This hotel clings to a cliff on the south side of Ardmore Bay and has wonderful views of sand and sea. Enjoy the fine gardens and outdoor rock pool, and in the summer make full use of an outdoor ‘summer spa’ treatment in these pleasant surroundings. The full spa experience is indoors and it’s pretty special, complete with vast windows, infinity pool and a full range of treatments, plus in-house beauty products available for purchase. The hotel can arrange outdoor activities from archery, sea kayaking and surfing to golf and equestrian activities.
From
£
257
per night
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In lively Kenmare, enveloped by some of Ireland’s most spectacular scenery, this storied hotel is one of Ireland’s grande dames.The sophisticated SÁMAS Spa incorporates treatment rooms, relaxation facilities and an open-air vitality pool, alongside a small gym and 25-metre lap pool. A generous schedule of complimentary activities includes regular yoga, meditation and fitness classes, while the tranquil grounds provide space for tennis, croquet, garden walks and falconry.
From
£
279
per night
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Austria
Few hotel gyms have sheet-glass windows offering panoramic views of snow-covered mountains to motivate you through your workout. This restful apple-and-white Alpine retreat specialises in detox, medical MOTs and musculoskeletal wellbeing and takes fitness super-seriously. Exercise is gentle but fiendishly effective – classes in balance, stability, co-ordination and core stability are key. Meals are modest (500-800 calories per day for detoxers), but nourishing – porridge with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, tasty veg soups, a simple diet designed to cleanse the palate and stimulate sluggish digestion. Add in daily massage, hydrotherapy, detoxifying mud wraps, Nordic walking and mountain air to embrace a more energetic version of yourself.
From
£
107
per night
A stay here is about results. The Mayr “cure” is an efficacious diet plan combined with pioneering holistic treatments which enable guests to regain their vitality, based on the idea of giving your digestive system a break while other parts of your body heal. Many come here to lose weight, others just to press pause. The vast medical department spans over 15,000 sq ft and is where you will spend most of your time — enjoying everything from traditional massages to intravenous drips, Oxygen Therapy and Bone Density Measurements. This is more of a chic medi-clinic than a pampering spa indulgence.
From
£
127
per night
One of the world’s best medical spas, Lanserhof Lans is the detox of choice for millionaires and anyone who fancies spring cleaning mind and body in sublime Alpine surrounds. A stay of up to three weeks is optimum for best results, but a week is the bare minimum. After an initial consultation with your assigned doctor, you launch into an individually tailored, holistic programme of detox regimes, fasting, therapies and relaxation, based on the revolutionary approach of Austrian physician FX Mayr, who believed that a clean gut is the key to good health, as well as plenty of rest and exercise.
Stays from
£
1,573
per week
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A tonic for mind, body and soul, a stay at the family-run Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof is as uplifting as the surround views of the Austrian Alps. Come to clean your chakras, detox and tank up on good energy, and leave as if walking on air. Colour-changing mood lighting, slate, wood and candles make the AyurvedaCentre spa a deeply relaxing place to spend an afternoon. Besides a quiet indoor pool, fitness, meditation and relaxation rooms, there are moon and sun saunas, infrared rooms and dosha-inspired steam chambers (kapha detox, pitta herbal clay and vata gemstone). The treatments (immune system-boosting Himalayan salt scrubs, intuitive hot oil massages and shirodhara – warm oil poured in a continuous flow across the forehead) are utter bliss.
From
£
230
per night
Portugal
The Six Senses European debut brims with the wellness and sustainability that this spa hotel group is reputed for, and here adds wine to the mix. With an emphasis on its setting, tastings of Douro Valley wines are just rewards for a day spent meditating among ancient cedars in the surrounding woods. The healthy food from the organic fruit and vegetable garden, the peaceful, muted décor by Clodagh Design, which draws the outside in, the aerobic yoga or yogic sleep all combine to induce a feeling of stillness and contentment.
From
£
554
per night
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Straddling the divide between health and beauty, Vila Vita Parc’s recently renovated spa offers a multitude of treatments including an airy, light-filled, Hypoxi Studio where machines efficiently target stubborn fat. There are specialists in osteopathy, cranio-sacral therapy, reflexology and physiotherapy. Beauticians use Kanebo and La Sultane de Saba products for facials and body treatments. Margaret Dabbs manicures and pedicures are the cherry on the cake.
From
£
228
per night
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Pine Cliffs Resort, long regarded as a family favourite, continues to pull in the crowds with its wide range of facilities. This includes an excellent spa and a brilliant kids’ club, which all adds up to a grown-up pleasing holiday. The sleek Serenity Spa (with Ila, Margaret Dabbs and more) includes a Gentleman’s Tonic barber shop and a Kerastase hair salon. Ask for head therapist Catarina for a restorative massage.
From
£
170
per night
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The flagship opening of this acclaimed wellness group, which already has two clinics in the Algarve, brings renowned osteopath Ricardo Rosa and Dr Joanna Santos together to head up Portugal’s most advanced clinic dealing in preventive, regenerative and personalised medicine, featuring state-of-the-art technology. A stay begins with a biophysical, heavy metals and general cardiovascular evaluation, a thermographic and vertebral dysfunction evaluation, a fitness evaluation and an integrative medicine evaluation. A meal plan is then tailored by the nutritionist and a programme worked out by the doctor.
From
£
126
per night
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This grand hotel opened in the 1930s on the Portuguese Riviera. Still swathed in the glamour of those days, it has hosted royalty, movie stars and statesmen, and was the setting for the James Bond ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ film. A lovely swimming pool in the gardens adds to its charm. There is an excellent Banyan Tree Spa, with a holistic approach to both physical and spiritual wellbeing and massages which draw on Asian traditions that date back centuries. There is also the Estoril Wellness Centre with an indoor swimming pool and studios for Pilates, yoga and more and treatment rooms which offer various hydrotherapy treatments.
From
£
131
per night
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Germany
This former royal residence’s makeover has tapped into the zeitgeist of the frazzled guest, from rooms decked out in calming tones to de-stressing treatments. Embark on full-body analysis with Hans-Peter Veit, the peppy spa manager, qigong with a former kick-boxing champ, personal training, yoga, first-class physio massages and a hammam with a shipped-in specialist. The 400-calorie menu is not as deprivational as it sounds: beef consommé, Black Forest trout with spinach and potatoes, and apple cake and warm berries. Even the rooms allow you to switch off – literally. One button turns off the electricity; the other blocks out Wi-Fi signal, so you really can get away from it all. Clever.
From
£
386
per night
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Mealtimes are muted at Lanserhof Tegernsee: guests must chew each mouthful of their meagre meals 30 to 40 times. A core tenet of the late Dr FX Mayr, intestines expert, the practice claims to regenerate overburdened digestive systems; supplementary medical exams, massages and tailored tests and treatments tackle individual health concerns and needs. An accumulative benefit is that (for most) the weight drops off. It’s hard going at times, but compensation comes through the setting – the Bavarian Alps retreat is encircled by woodland and chocolate-box villages – and the property itself is a surprisingly chic sanctuary, tastefully and soothingly finished in pale woods and calming white. One week (minimum stay) at the Lanserhof Tegernsee, including the basic medical programme from £2,760.
From
£
476
per night
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The first – and only – Guerlain Spa in Germany is located on the fifth floor of the hotel, and is almost certainly one of the best in town. Spanning a whopping 1,000 square-metres, this ‘beauty universe’ features no less than eight therapy rooms, a pool shaped like a cloud (of course), sauna, steam room and Vichy shower. There’s also a 24-hour fitness centre. Naturally, there are also lots of lovely Guerlain products for sale.
From
£
235
per night
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Schloss Elmau is an all-encompassing retreat with corking outdoors action from summer hiking to winter skiing (20 minutes away by car). The first spa here was outgrown fast and so turned into a children-only spa (genius move) allowing family frolics in the big, warm-as-a-bath indoor pool, less-intense steam rooms and saunas. Badehaus Spa became the main three-storey adult-only spa, including a small ladies’ spa area and superb hammam (the largest west of Istanbul). Being scrubbed and massaged on the warm marble slab is a must. As is the Physio Floating Massage, created by the spa’s director, Dr Imke König and conducted in the blood-temperature outdoor saltwater pool.
From
£
692
per night
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Spain
The Natura Bissé spa at the Urso is everything an urban spa should be, with no fussy nonsense. Wood walls and floors create a cosseting vibe. You need a lot of energy in Madrid so pep yourself up with a citrus scrub or a bitter orange mask. For something really special, try the magnetic mud treatment with diamond dust. Lolling in the seven-metre hydromassage pool feels good after shopping, while the sauna comes in handy for a quick detox the morning after the night before.
From
£
188
per night
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This sprawling five-star resort on Ibiza’s west coast opened amid much fanfare – and with reason. Exceptional facilities, impeccable service and spectacular views of Ibiza’s most famous landmark, Es Vedrà, means that this hotel more than lives up to the hype. There’s Pure Seven Spa, a spectacular space bathed in light where all manner of first-rate treatments and classes are available, including massages, facials, full-moon yoga classes, and weight-loss retreats. The entire spa aims to be completely sustainable, so essential oils are sourced locally and no plastic at all is permitted on the premises.
From
£
303
per night
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The Andalusian tiles, arches and columns lend a Moorish look to the Six Senses spa, which opened in July 2015. You can have a treatment using local herbs with sea salt and olive oil in the sensual setting of a canopied cabana, or have a manicure at the outdoor nail bar as you gaze at the Mediterranean. Ice-experience showers zing you back to life in the wet area, where the light filters through woven screens onto limestone tiles. Products are by The Organic Pharmacy and QMS Medicosmetics.
From
£
369
per night
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• The best hotels in Malaga
Nestled into the rocks in the much-loved bohemian north of the island, Six Senses Ibiza offers an oasis for luxe-conscious travellers. Considerately designed to blend into its surroundings, blink and you could miss it: this is an understated five-star gem with wellbeing and sustainability authentically at its core. On the spa front, the facilities here are globally in a class of their own. Every treatment – even the usual ones – has a sprinkle of science and/or spiritual fairy dust and personalisation. Highlights include the age-defying RoseBar, biohacking treatments and breathwork. There’s also an infrared sauna, boxing ring, daily fitness and wellbeing classes and they’re running different retreats throughout the year.
From
£
295
per night
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• The best hotels in Menorca
The large yet serene Open Spa is a bit of a magnet for high-profile visitors to the island, who are after the very best treatments and facilities. The After Party Detox – with mineral mud treatment and an orange and mimosa oil massage – is unsurprisingly very popular. If it has been a particularly long night, you might want to consider a rejuvenating eye treatment with diamond dust or even submit yourself to the Cinetic Lift Expert technique, which uses microcurrents to tone the skin.
From
£
235
per night
Contributions from Sophie Benge, Annie Bennett, Mary Bemis, Linda Bird, Kiki Deere, Suzanne Duckett, Fiona Duncan, Natasha Edwards, Anthea Gerrie, Neil Hegarty, Teresa Levonian Cole, Abigail Lowe, Mary Lussiana, Linda Macdonald, Lee Marshall, John O’Ceallaigh, Terry Richardson, Charles Starmer-Smith, Catherine Turner, Tom Yarwood, Nicola Williams
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Queen Victoria and Churchill have both sojourned at this fantasy Victorian mansion on the fringes…
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Splendid Ballyfin is one of Ireland’s finest country houses, now restored to elegant and graceful…
From
£
700per night
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A tonic for mind, body and soul, a stay at the family-run Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof is as uplifting…
From
£
230per night
- View our best Spa & Wellness Retreats