Far more architectural than their outdoor counterparts, indoor hotel pools act as aquatic sanctuaries in both urban centers and extreme environments, but also windows into how much a property emphasizes aesthetics. Not to knock the experience of swimming under a brilliant blue sky, but there’s only so much design that can go into an alfresco pond where often it’s the view that primarily informs the shape and style. Indoors, however, there are more surfaces, more volume and more limitations, which tend to result in more exciting design, even when it comes to something as seemingly straightforward as a swimming pool.
Under an oftentimes lofty ceiling, these heavenly stunners tend to be long, rectilinear stretches of topaz water and are oftentimes an element of the spa or wellness center. But that’s where their similarities end. From Osaka to Marrakesh, Paris to Sydney, some of the world’s most attractive hotels and resorts took great care to ensure their indoor pools more than stand up to the rest of their stunning spaces. Across six continents, these nine natatoriums are something special, with expansive murals, glamorous lighting, awe-inspiring ceilings, and lush surrounds that compellingly elevate the fluorescent-lit pools of yore.
Perks: Comprehensive spa and biohacking HealthTech, vinyl listening lounge, five dining and drinking outlets including an intimate teppanyaki restaurant, standup paddle yoga, fermentation workshops
It’s not every day you can swim laps with a Japanese castle in sight, nor is it common to float beneath a trio of oversized wood slat coffers 30 feet high with copper backlighting that cascades onto the turquoise water. But both these are a given at new-in-2025 Patina Osaka, where only a lengthy wall of glass separates swimmers in the heated pool from the fanciful ancient Osaka Castle outside. A wall of glinting granite evokes the castle’s fortifications, while plush jade-green towels match its oxidized copper roof. The experience of being in it—and the hot tub boasting the same wide panorama—is inspiring and dramatic, much like the exquisite hotel itself. From $525 per night.
Perks: Custom Frette bedding, daily Capella Rituals, Aboriginal artwork, three dining destinations, a fitness center and Fluidform workouts, Auriga Spa, cultural experiences
With a strong emphasis on original, commissioned artwork, much of it made by Indigenous Australians—see the wall by Otis Hope Carey in McRae Bar, named for the circa-1912 Department of Education building’s original architect—it’s no surprise the aquatic experience in this Sydney hotel is equally thoughtful. The 20-meter heated combo chlorine-salt swimming pool is suspended on the sixth floor in what was originally an art gallery, lit naturally and brilliantly by clerestory heritage roof lanterns rising above ornate exposed beams. It’s a magical starlit wonder after dark. The Aboriginal artist Max Berry painted a beautifully subtle mural depicting Australia’s ocean and desert on one end with a yoga platform, enhancing the pool’s serene energy. From $520 per night.
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Perks: Three-floor wellness center with hammam and Banya, exclusive Jazz Club, complimentary house car, butler service, a functioning fireplace in each of the 83 suites
To achieve the voluminous 22-plus-foot ceiling height above gracious-meets-contemporary Aman New York’s 65-foot pool a portion of the floor above was actually removed in the 1921 Crown Building, which Aman’s frequent collaborator Jean-Michel Gathy reimagined as an urban sanctuary. The vastness of the natatorium is enhanced by floor-to-ceiling mirrors behind enormous wind chimes that make it appear almost infinite, while the Asian influence often seen in Aman properties is represented by a trio of titanic copper dome lights that give off sublime warmth and nod to Indonesian temple architecture. Fluted copper fireplaces by the tall timber lattice–shaded windows add to the dramatic scale and leave a lasting impression. From $1,950 per night.
Perks: Tennis courts, a tea room, an exhaustive spa with indoor and 10 treatment rooms and 6 outdoor spa cabins, a boules pitch, 17-acre park and vegetable garden
Grand is not a word used lightly in Morocco, where baseline design tends to be intricate and extravagant, so to describe the iconic indoor swimming pool at La Mamounia as such really means something. With vivid stained glass at its tip top and mosaic tilework at the very bottom, the expansive body of water—heated precisely to 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 Fahrenheit)—is an ode to some of the most striking signatures of traditional Moroccan design: soaring archways, colorful tiles, gilt, luminous lanterns, marble and murals. There may be no more privileged perch than on the daybed set atop a marble plinth between Moorish arches and golden columns at one end of the pool, where the symmetrical impact of the entire room—painted ceiling to azure water—is felt most viscerally. From $700 per night.
Perks: Uma Spa including steam room, all-inclusive Chilean and Patagonian meals plus open bar, guided half- and full-day excursions, outdoor hot tub
From the soft curve of its shingle-clad ceiling to the jagged Patagonian peaks outside its two sizable glass walls, the mirror-like swimming pool at Chile’s famously luxurious eco lodge is nothing if not dramatic. Constructed, like the rest of the property, with sustainably sourced local lenga (southern beech) wood and Chilean slate flooring, it’s a pure expression of its environment, one that is simultaneously incredibly wild and also wildly peaceful. Cazu Zegers’ design draws inspiration from the wind, which shaped the topography outside and the pool’s infinity edge with smooth river stones was conceived to give swimmers the impression that Lake Sarmiento beyond is simply an extension of it. From $2,450 per night for two, all-inclusive (3-night minimum).
Perks: Winter garden, cocktail bar, 61 rooms and suites with Aubusson-style Art de Lys tapestry canopy beds, secret cabaret, Technogym fitness room, Oh My Cream beauty bar
It’s rare to find a swimming pool in the Marais, and the one at the exuberant history-filled gem designed by Martin Brudnizki is unmissable. Hidden underground, beneath the 14th-century building that is now the vibrant Le Grand Mazarin—after significant architectural stabilization of the structure—is an in-ground pool that defines divine, with an indelible striped mosaic interior, a pattern that extends to the separate circular jacuzzi in its own half-domed niche. The barrel-vaulted ceiling above begs bathers to glide about on their backs in order to gaze up at the joyful Jacques Merle mural inspired by Jean Cocteau’s poetry. From $747 per night.
Perks: The exhaustive 107,600-square-foot Alpine Spa, Cliff Walk and Europe’s highest outdoor elevator, the 500-foot Hammetschand Lift; Diamond Dome tennis courts, 10 restaurants and bars, cinema, kids club
Pioneering hospitality, Hollywood history, and engineering feats swirl about to create Bürgenstock Resorts, 1640 feet above Lake Lucerne, with a Bond-like catamaran to funicular arrival that imbues the entire place with an air of intrigue. Hovering high amid ephemeral clouds, fog, and mist, it’s fitting that the 65-foot indoor pool is a reflection of this incomparable scenario. The watery dreamscape is set in a soaring space with a slanted timber ceiling, single stone wall and glass on three sides, one of which offers a portal to the outdoor infinity pool that wraps around it. Most beautifully, water flows off the far edge creating a seamless transition between pool and mercurial sky. From $796 per night for The Heritage or $1,715 for The Contemporary.
Perks: Private beach and beach club, private butler, Hermès amenities, nine restaurants including Michelin-starred Al Muntaha, helipad, Talise Spa
This landmark of a Dubai hotel is instantly recognizable for its sail-like silhouette, but Tom Wright’s exterior architecture is far from its only distinguishing feature. The indoor pools—one co-ed, the other only for ladies—inside the award-winning spa are cheerful and spirited with their timber-accented turquoise ceilings and gargantuan mosaic-tiled columns bearing zig zags of saturated color. Floor-to-ceiling windows let swimmers peek at the Arabian Gulf from their 18th-floor roost, but the real excitement is in the labyrinthine mosaics referencing regional motifs that wind around the heated freshwater pools, engraining sense of place. From $1,048 per night.
Perks: Rooftop terrace, outdoor pool, Balinese-Nordic spa and wellness center with steam room and sauna, fitness classes, pet-friendly accommodations
Copenhagen isn’t exactly the first place one would place a jungle-y pool ensconced in hanging vines, monstera and flowering trees, but it seems the spectral setting has no geographic bounds. Instead of directing guests’ gaze outward, the indoor swimming pool at 87-suite Manon Les Suites is a luscious world in and of itself inspired by Bali of all places. Verdant foliage matches the tiles that clad the Junglefish pool, which sits at the center of six floors, beneath a glass ceiling from which sunlight pours in. The tropical vibe continues at the cabanas and poolside bar which, like the entire property, welcomes only guests above the age of 15. From $328 per night.
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.
