The art of pampering begins, and in some cases ends, with aesthetics. Space and design contribute greatly to our mood and energy, so it only stands to reason that the setting where we let our guard down—disrobe and bare it all to be indulged with healing touch and therapeutic treatments—should set an appropriately sublime tone. Simply put, entering a beautifully designed spa elevates the entire experience, lending it an air of enchantment and, in some cases, inspiration.
Some luxury hotels and resorts do this exceptionally well, crafting an entirely new world for their guests in which they can achieve total relaxation and bliss. The effect can be like stepping into a bubble of serenity through a portal of elegant silhouettes, gracefully arching doors, textured walls, or ethereal installations. From volumes of traditional Mozambican thatching to tranquil barrel-vaulted ceilings to carved stone jaali, these nine hotel spas around the world offer as much in the way of feel-good happiness as they do harmonious architectural influence.
Perks: Complimentary Steinbergbahn cable car transfers; fitness classes; complimentary bikes and e-bikes; tennis courts and putting greens; kids club and youth entertainment; private Hermann Nitsch art collection
At least half the wonder of the Austrian alpine spa atmosphere at Hotel Krallerhof is in its exterior: a low, dramatic silhouette built into the hotel’s sloping terrain, with a sloping green roof split in two, one holding a (in the snowy wintertime) Frozen-worthy staircase up and over. A nearly 5,500 square-meter natural bathing lake sprawls out in front of it, with a 50-meter heated infinity pool almost invisibly stretching through, fed by a spring, and Kebony wood decking encircling it all. Architect Hadi Teherani’s masterful use of curved forms extends inside, too, in generous timber—locally sourced linden, ash, and oak—arching in ribbons, softened concrete, and plenty of glass and mirror to let the outdoors in during panoramic sauna sessions and steam baths, therapies ranging from red light to cryo to oxygen, and ice grotto and waterbed hangouts. From $820 per night. Spa pricing begins at $53 for a partial body massage.
Perks: Tennis and padel courts; hydrotherapy hall; Pilates; overwater meditation decks; diagnostic services; overwater bungalows; private Jadugar butler; six dining outlets, including a dedicated tea lounge; herbology center
As the first Maldivian resort dedicated to well-being, this 68-villa retreat with unmissable biophilic design is a comprehensive expression of that intention, with elements of spa spread about the entire island. Each space, evoking the crest of a wave or whorl of a seashell, was designed and built for a particular type of treatment, from the watsu (shiatsu water massage) pool wrapped in a coral-esque, mosaic-tiled motif and starry ceiling to the glass-walled Thai massage hut, with a bamboo-framed floor bed and woven rattan ceiling. There are curves, contours, and crests galore amid the Seda sound therapy hall strung with instrumentation, the voluptuous wood-clad Russian banya, and the monumental Areka spa reception building, which feels almost like a giant refined sandcastle. From $2,142 per night. Spa pricing begins at $250 for a 60-minute massage treatment.
Perks: Beach butler service; Orla by chef Michael Mina; ocean-view rooms and suites; event space; seasonal complimentary programming; poolside dining; spa and fitness membership; e-bikes; soaking tubs
In partnering with Guerlain for its wellness spa, Regent Santa Monica—designed by Wimberly Interiors—achieved a pitch-perfect blend of effortless California cool with a glamorous French Riviera sensibility. The decompressing destination spans 10,000 square feet and 12 treatment rooms, which center on a gentle array of warm and fluted wood, stone, and cream tones, with marble and travertine exuding quiet luxury, apt for an escape that’s as well lit as it is drenched in natural sunlight. Still, there are slightly “louder” moments too, courtesy of mosaic marble tile work in the whirlpool, for example, and Holly Hunt’s Cloud handblown pendants. In the relaxation-area-cum-Champagne lounge, diaphanous sheer panels offer privacy for those in repose atop sculpted chaises after an exclusive Skin Surfing radio frequency facial. From $950 per night. Spa pricing begins at $240 for a 60-minute tailor-made facial treatment.
Perks: Private beach; adult-only pool; Tata Harper’s Multi-Sensory Wellness Journeys; synthetic grass and Har-Tru tennis courts; archery; horse stables and polo field; zipline; kids’ club; Bastien Gonzalez podiatry studio
Shapely, rustic, and low-density, the earth-toned village of a spa at this Riviera Nayarit resort is cooly contemporary yet warm and indigenous. The layout, which weaves around the rainforest, is based on an eight-point star, referencing Huichol sacred geometry and incorporating four elements: fire in the mound-like, copal-scented temazcal, water in the hydrotherapy areas, earth pointing to the entrance, and air, which fills the soaring pitched roof volumes of the six individual earthen-walled treatment rooms, constructed with locally sourced wood and featuring custom Colorindio textiles. A gargantuan higuera tree shades the relaxation garden, with a mud therapy grotto placed at its roots. The treatments are as genuine and reverent as the architecture, and they range from sessions with traditional native healers and spiritual guides, to gemstone massages, oracle readings, and sound bath therapies. From $805 per night. Spa pricing begins at $320 for a 60-minute massage.
Perks: Dedicated butler service; pizza tuk-tuk private dining; complimentary personalized minibar; unpacking/packing service; unlimited room service; curated dining experiences; private swimming pools; included sunset dhow sailing and aquatic activities like SUP and snorkeling; Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies
Kisawa Sanctuary’s maestro of thatch, Cristiano Pedro Machel, is the hero of the 741-acre Bazaruto Island resort’s Natural Wellness Center, made up of a collection of soft, conical, and almost cuddly-looking masses coated top to bottom in local majeka thatching. Nearby, amid sand dunes, the Kisawa gym provides contrast in its tougher skin of shingles, reminiscent of dust brooms or pine cones, representing a different Mozambican building tradition. These compelling, rhythmic domes—furnished with drool-worthy African antiques, Kenyan Masai cloths, tropical modern settees, and Rwandan Tutsi screens layered atop lime plaster walls and cork flooring—are the site of personalized therapies and integrated wellness rituals drawing from a world of methods grounded in Ayurveda, referencing the country’s age-old monsoon trading routes that have long connected it with India. Sound healing, performed in its own ceramic-tiled skylit dome, is transportive. From $3,268 per night, per person; all-inclusive. Spa pricing begins at $165 for a 30-minute foot reflexology or aromatherapy treatment. (All-inclusive guests receive a complimentary 60-minute Iyashi Dome Welcome Treatment.)
Perks: Exclusive Aman Club; butler service; infinity pool; Medical Wellness by Hertitude Clinic; complimentary fast-track and limousine transfer; complimentary minibar; seven food and beverage outlets, including intimate teppanyaki and omakase counters; cigar bar; boutique
Within an oasis-like urban retreat, Aman Spa & Wellness is even more escapist in nature from the very opening of the elevator doors, which reveal an intricate, seemingly floating architectural model backdropped by hand-painted acrylic clouds on textured walls. This leads to a sweeping installation of fine porcelain lotus flowers, wrepresenting beauty. The beautiful first impression continues across more than 16,000 square feet of holistic healing—and also sweat-inducing fitness within a Pilates studio and well-equipped gym, whose walls feature the outlines of Muay Thai boxers painted by local artists. With a wabi-sabi undertone, Jean-Michel Gathy’s vision for the expansive spa is both grounded and otherworldly, with a luminous Thai massage specialty room, simple yet highly detailed treatment spaces, hot tubs and ice pools, and a private suite dedicated to Russian banya immersions. From $1,336 per night. Spa pricing begins at $170 for a 60-minute grounding, purifying, or nourishing massage ritual.
Perks: Afternoon tea; indoor and outdoor swimming pools; private boat dock; rooftop restaurant overlooking Bosphorus River; waterfront location; luxury boutiques
Gloriously Turkish even in its austere elegance, The Peninsula Istanbul Spa & Wellness Center was designed by native Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, herself a spa aficionado and expert, to flow intuitively through both grand and intimate spaces rooted in tradition. There are many forms of homegrown craftsmanship (known as Eser-i İstanbul or “work of Istanbul”) at play, including a woodworking method called kündekâri featured in doors and dividing screens, with liberal doses of mother-of-pearl inlay, delicate filigree known as telkâri and muqarnas stonework throughout—the latter most fabulously on the indoor pool ceiling’s domes. The spa’s take on the all-important Turkish hammam, inspired stylistically by the Selçuklu-era Divriği Mosque and Mimar Sinan’s Piyale Paşa Mosque, is fashioned entirely from Marmara marble, with its veining creating mesmerizing patterns on the floor and walls beneath a twinkling domed ceiling. From $1,105 per night. Spa pricing begins at $217 for a 45-minute Turkish Hammam Bath treatment.
Perks: Aerial yoga pavilion; indoor and outdoor swimming pools; sustainability and artisan workshops; kids’ club; GEM butler service; three restaurants
The truly one-of-a-kind, 30,000-square-foot spa at Rajasthan’s Six Senses Fort Barwara was discovered rather than manufactured within the women’s palace (called Zenana Mahal) of the elegant 14th-century fort. A careful restoration and preservation led to the reimagining of a space with centuries of history—take the 600-year-old Radha Krishna Temple, now used for meditation sessions and aarti ceremonies—into a healing mecca specializing in Ayurveda and Eastern medicine. The architecture draws from Mughal, Rajasthani, and European influences, and features prolific processions of scalloped arches, fanciful hand-carved sandstone columns, intricate jaalis, quirky brass pulls, and dramatic shaped ceilings for an awe-inspiring—if subtly mysterious—tone. From $470 per night. Spa pricing begins at $20 for a 15-minute Swedana treatment.
Perks: Living room with daily cultural programming; 82-foot outdoor pool; five dining venues including Japanese omakase and Cantonese; private pool suites; concierge-meets-butler culturists; Technogym fitness center
All soft curves and glowy neutrals, illustrious designer Andre Fú’s design for the first Capella Wellness spa could easily serve as divine inspiration for one’s own primary bathroom. It’s gracefully monastic—the visual version of a deep sigh release—and it riffs off the lunar cycle with its subdued moonlike color palette, solid mahogany-toned furniture, chunky archways, and high barrel-vaulted ceilings that play on sacred architectural forms. Gossamer drapes privatize nooks with plump seating and miniature zen sand gardens for the hushed moments before following the arches to sculptural, matte, cathedral-like treatment rooms for a New Moon Massage involving gua sha, cupping, and marma point facial massage, or Floating Meditation Therapy in a sensory deprivation pod. From $617 per night. Spa pricing begins at $158 for a floatation therapy.
Craving an escape? From colorful carry-ons to cleverly designed packing cubes (how did we ever travel without them?), shop everything you need to make the journey in style—and as streamlined and stress-free as possible.
