From mountain retreats to beachside beauties, these spa hotels have passed the test to be considered some of the best in Europe.
1. ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, Italy
The latest venture by spa specialists ADLER is on the sun-drenched island of Sicily. ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA is a serene space of contemporary architecture and innovative, sustainable design perched on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of its stunning countryside location, which also features a private beach, the resort boasts 90 stylish rooms, each with a private terrace overlooking azure waters below.
With three pools, endless parkland, flower and herb gardens, two restaurants and a beach-front lido, there is much to immerse in during a holistic stay. Spa therapies and well-being treatments harness the power of local flora and include local herbs, wildflowers, extracts, oils and fragrances harvested from the Sicilian hills and valleys.
The resort also boasts a high-tech gym and yoga lessons with qualified trainers.
2. Six Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey
Six Senses has teamed up with respected neuroscientist and mind-body expert Dr Claudia Aguirre to launch the Holistic Anti-Ageing Clinic at Six Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey. Focusing on the connection between the brain, gut and skin, the clinic applies Dr Aguirre’s science-based approach to help people look and feel younger from the inside out. Addressing premature ageing and common skin problems such as acne, dryness and oily skin. Located on Turkey’s glistening Aegean coastline just north of Bodrum, Six Senses Kaplankaya offers a wide range of expert-led, holistic services. As well as a Watsu pool, hammams, salt grotto, crystal steam room, experiential rains, igloo, Finnish sauna and foot therapy basins.
Keep reading: Wellness on the water: 7 idyllic spas by the ocean
3. Ion Adventure Hotel, Iceland
Located in one of the best spots to view the beauty of the Northern Lights, this ultra-modern hotel is designed to make the most of its surroundings. With floor-to-ceiling glass walls looking straight out at the dazzling sky.
And that extends to the spa. Which has glass-walled saunas and a dramatic 10-metre outdoor pool perched over the lava rocks underneath the resort. Treatments inspired by Icelandic nature include hot masks, volcanic ash scrubs and mud baths.
4. LA SPA Helvetia & Bristol Hotel, Italy
Tucked with the grandeur of Helvetia & Bristol hotel in central Florence, LA SPA opened in April 2022 on the site of ancient Roman baths, bringing this historic wellness ritual to the Tuscan capital. Thermal Baths use alternating hot with cold to purify and tone the body and balance energy. You’ll pass through various wellness rooms: the Calidarium, Sudatorium, Frigidarium, Tepidarium, Aquae and Lacus Quietis, to the heart of the SPA with two swimming pools with hydromassage. Treatments – from a facial detox to reborn massage – are designed to destress. And as it’s just a few steps from Palazzo Strozzi and the chic shopping on Via de’ Tornabuoni, it makes for an exceptional, and secret, Renaissance retreat.
5. Corinthia Hotel Budapest, Hungary
In a city where the top tourist attractions are its baths, the Corinthia Hotel doesn’t disappoint. Housed in a beautiful Art Deco Building, the hotel’s Royal Spa has its very own indoor pool, surrounded by stunning Corinthian columns. All dating back to 1886. The ESPA treatments, steam rooms and Jacuzzis are an added bonus.
6. The Eden Spa Rome, Italy
Offering a wide range of facials, body treatments, and massages, The Eden Spa prides itself on using the highest quality products. Including renowned Italian skincare range Officina Profuma – Santa Maria Novella. And the luxurious Anmin Cosmetics, which contains precious ingredients such as 24-carat gold and amber extract.
7. Raffles Istanbul, Turkey
A traditional Turkish hammam experience is a must-do for any traveller to the capital city. And you don’t even need to leave your hotel. The Raffles Istanbul’s spa sprawls over more than 3,000-square-metres, and includes an impressive three hammams. Plus, treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, Jacuzzi, saunas, steam rooms and private yoga and Pilates studios.
Guests can book treatments like the Rose, Sugar and Honey Hammam that incorporate the hammam experience and showcase local ingredients.
8. Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy
One of the world’s most recognisable hotels has to be the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Its pontoon pool floats out over Lake Como and puts your average hotel pool to shame. As does the spa.
The T Spa sits on more than 1,000-square-metres inside the hotel’s Villa Emilia. The spa has its own hammam, nail bar, relaxation rooms, Mediterranean baths, infinity pool and gym. And all outfitted in fabulous Italian materials – fresco ceilings, Lasa marble, even Venetian mosaic floors.
9. The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall, England
England is not often associated with seaside bliss, but that’s what awaits all the way down in Cornwall. This boutique hotel is a hidden gem with a focus on eco-friendly experiences.
The Scarlet Spa focuses on holistic experiences. Offering traditional treatments but also branching out to mud bathing, star gazing and suspended relaxing.
Guests can soak in open-air cliff-top hot tubs then hang from a cocoon pod in a relaxation room. Or swim surrounded by nature in a stunning indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the ocean.
10. ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti, Italy
There are plenty of Alpine Spa resorts scattered through the mountains. But ADLER Spa Resort Dolomiti stands out for its year-round spa experiences.
Spend your summer days hiking and biking before easing aches with a remedial massage. Or, in winter, soak those tired post-ski or snowboard legs in the 35° celsius outdoor pool, salt grottos and saunas.
11. Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal
Overlooking the sprawling Douro Valley, this Six Senses property exudes a sense of calm and quiet before you’ve even stepped foot in the spa. Housed in a 19th century Manor House, the hotel’s traditional exterior gives way to a modern marvel.
The spa itself is a study in minimalist design, with 10 treatment rooms where the rooms let the view do the talking, looking out over the lush valley below.
Workshops in herbal properties take place in the Alchemic Bar, aerial yoga occurs in a private studio, relaxation cocoons are suspended in the garden and the nail bar offers manicures along with a glass of local red wine.
12. The Gainsborough Bath Spa, England
For centuries, Bath has been a centre of health and wellness – the historical Roman Baths highlight the importance even the Romans placed on taking the city’s thermal waters.
These days The Gainsborough’s Spa Village is the place to go for a rejuvenating dip in the original thermal springs. The spa’s stunning bathing pools sit underneath a glass atrium, with a series of natural thermal pools, saunas and steam room available for guests to enjoy pre-treatment.
The hotel sits just across the road from the Thermae Bath Spa, which also has massages, spas, saunas and a special rooftop pool available for day guests.
13. Cheval Blanc Courchevel, France
Cheval Blanc is a brand that’s synonymous with luxury, and it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the spa of its French alpine property.
Partnering with luxury French brand Guerlain, the spa’s treatments center around high-altitude living. With treatments catering to cool-climate health, winter sports and anti-ageing carried out in five lavish treatment rooms.
14. Aman Venice, Italy
When George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin in Venice, Italy, there was simply no expense spared. Where did the bride spend her last single night in one of the world’s most romantic cities? The answer is Aman Venice.
Located right on the Grand Canal, just a few gondola poles away from the Rialto Bridge, this former palace dates back to the 16th century. There are just 24 rooms, decorated with original frescoes, stunning chandeliers and enormous gilded mirrors.
The spa’s three treatment suites are the best spots to let the worries of the world ease away, with treatments based on Aman Spa’s traditional Asian therapies and plant-based products. The fitness room’s views out over Venice make a trip to the gym much more appealing.
15. The Lanesborough London, England
The Lanesborough, located right at the historic Hyde Park Gate, underwent an £80 million renovation in 2015, bringing the stunning Greek Regency building back up to scratch. The renovation included an overhaul of the spa and fitness club. Now a sprawling series of chic thermal suites, treatment rooms, hydro-therapy pool, Pilates studio and fitness area.
The Painting Room’s giant lounge chairs are for manicures and pedicures, while the spa changing rooms have individual dressing stations. The hydro-therapy pool is designed for pre-treatment relaxation.
Treatments feature international brands like La Prairie and Ila, for everything from traditional facials and massages to Rasul mud bathing. Post-treatment, the spa’s restaurant offers a nutritionally balanced menu designed by Michelin-star chefs.
16. Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is known as a city bursting with energy. Tucked into the vaults of a historic bank dating back to the 1950s, the Mandarin Oriental’s 1,000-square-metre spa is a world away from the bustle of Las Ramblas and Gaudi’s colourful buildings.
Decked out in tones of grey, black and dark green, the spa’s indoor pool, eight treatment rooms, beauty studio, steam room and fitness area offer a space to reset your senses before heading out into the big, bold Barcelona waiting above.
17. The Peninsula Paris, France
Pampering is taken very seriously at The Peninsula. More than 1,800 square metres of space is given over to Paris’s largest hotel spa. Which combines the classic French approach to beauty with Asian healing therapies.
There are six treatment rooms, two private suites, three pools, and a hammam. Plus, several saunas and a healthy range of juices and dishes for post-treatment sustenance.
18. Hotel Villa Honegg Ennetburgen, Switzerland
Without a doubt, it’s the infinity pool at this Swiss hotel that is its most striking feature. Perched above Lake Lucerne, the property’s spa pool at times seems to sit in the clouds and is a warm 34 degrees celsius year round.
Hop over to the indoor pool, which plays music underwater. Before blissing out with a massage, facial, or beauty treatment in the spa.
19. Amanzoe Resort Porto Heli, Greece
Far, far away from the tourist hotspots of Santorini and Mykonos, Amanzoe sits atop the rolling hillsides of the Peloponnese peninsula.
The whopping 2,800 square-metre spa looks out across the olive groves to the ocean. The best views are from the open-air treatment rooms or perhaps the glass-walled yoga pavilion.
Full moon yoga takes place in the resort’s Amphitheatre. But there’s also hydro-therapy pools, hammam, indoor treatment rooms, pool and studio dedicated to manicures.
20. Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, Monaco
The building itself may date back to 1889. But the Spa Metropole by Givenchy is outfitted with the latest in spa therapy, including Givenchy’s Le Soin Noir products.
Taking notes from its beautiful Belle Epoque building, designer Didier Gomez has created a sophisticated space that exudes luxury. The embossed treatment room walls are designed to evoke the lace of haute couture dresses. And there’s even a digital plant wall to help you reconnect with nature.
21. The Dolder Grand Zurich, Switzerland
Perched on a hilltop overlooking Zurich, The Dolder Grand is majestic in size and presence. This grandeur goes beyond its stunning facade and into its Spa. With European and Japanese influences, the palatial 4,000 square metre spa possesses panoramic lake, mountain and city views, and myriad offerings for guests to unwind.
Sink into a sunaburo sand bath, a traditional Japanese treatment of heated pebbles. Or steam in the meditative mosaic sanarium.
There is also numerous saunas, kotatsu foot baths, aroma pools, steam pots, cold-water basins, sunbeds and a sizeable 25-metre swimming pool. An outdoor terrace with a whirlpool is perfect for quiet relaxation.
The best spa hotels in Europe article was first published in 2017 and updated in July 2022.
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