Sublime Spas to Have on Your Radar for 2022

From medi-clinics and high-tech treatments to holistic nature escapes and ancient bathing rites, we’ve steamed, soaked and stretched ourselves at the world’s slickest spas to find out which ones are worth visiting this year

What's your wellness crutch? Spreading yourself in spirulina every night? Drinking endless cups of nettle tea? Or are you a dedicated meditator, seeking serenity in an incense-infused cavern hollowed out beneath New York's nerve centre?

One thing's for sure: we're all on the beautifying mind-and-body bandwagon, and there's never been more energy-infused, mushroom-packed, Wim Hof-whacked wellness spaces ready and waiting for worshippers. Once a darkened, sweaty room offering a mani, massage and hot tub (if you were lucky), spas are now specialised and serious, divided into categories that can be anything from crystal healing to CBD, Ayurvedic to adaptogenic, hammam to thermal to thalassotherapeutic. From the naturally occurring to the whispered secrets of the 1 per cent, these are some of the coolest spas in the world right now.

Seventh heaven: the world's most sublime spas

Steam room at Six Senses Spa

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Six Senses Ibiza

Ibiza, Spain

Pack your chicest activewear for the spa launch of the year. Melding "high-tech" with "high-touch", the Six Senses Spa offers tailored experiences based around you. Spanning some 1,200sq m, the space includes a steam room, caldarium hot bath, hammam, state-of-the-art fitness area, seafront yoga deck, outdoor boxing ring, relaxation room and more. For those revellers taking five on the White Isle, the After Party Detox package (great after a night drinking at The Beach Caves) is a (heaven-sent) 90-minute re-energiser. Beginning with a tangy citrus body scrub, a stimulating full-body massage follows, "paying special attention to tired dancing feet". The treatment is rounded off with a soothing facial massage.

Address

Camí de sa Torre 71, 07810 Sant Joan de Labritja, Ibiza, Spain

The indoor pool at One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro

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One&Only Portonovi

Kumbor, Montenegro

Opened last year, One&Only Portonovi sits gracefully at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor. While we could wax lyrical about the hotel's umpteen wowing elements, the pioneering wellness centre by Chenot takes top prize, with 28 treatment rooms dedicated to high-spec, high-tech wellbeing wizardry. A curated programme of treatments includes everything from hydro-colon flushes and cryotherapy to IV drips. Short on time? Sign up for a two-day package; otherwise, the four-day De-stress and Recharge offering is our programme of choice. Resort guests have complimentary access to the indoor pool, steam room, sauna and relaxation pavilion, but you'll need to book any additional programmes.

Address

Herceg Novi 85340, Montenegro

A pool and loungers beside a historic building

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Chablé Spa at Chablé Yucatán

Yucatán, Mexico

The Yucatán is a mesmeric place. Naturally beautiful and with an air of mysticism, it's easy to feel connected here. Those looking for a place to base themselves where good vibes are guaranteed should look to Chablé Yucatán, a five-star property composed of 38 luxurious stand-alone pool casitas. A beautiful cenote lies at the resort's centre, with 12 wooden cabins (where spa treatments take place) floating just above, reachable via a vegetation-laden staircase. At the base is a wooden deck on which daily meditation and yoga sessions are held. From hydrotherapy to wellness retreats, or "journeys", there's a lot to occupy your time while here. The Mayan Renewal Ceremony, where you "tune into the cosmic vibrations of the inner self", is a particularly powerful and healing experience.

Address

Tablaje 642, Chocholá, Yucatán 97816, Mexico

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Immerso

Ericeira, Portugal

When this wave-splashed sanctuary on Portugal's surfing coast opened in July, we were first in line to experience its nature-first proposal. Developed with the belief that wellness can sit in everything, Immerso promises to be not so much a spa break as a step-change in your lifestyle. Sure, there's a spa - complete with sauna, steam and sensory baths, hot-stone treatments and gym - but staff will always be ushering you beyond the door to explore the rugged surrounding landscape, on nature-based yoga sessions, biking tours and surf sessions. The 37 airy, sea breeze-swirled rooms are a tonic in themselves, dressed in raw wood, soft marine hues and bleached-seashell-coloured walls.

Address

Rua Bica da Figueira, Marvāo, Sto Isidoro, Ericeira, Portugal

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AIRE Ancient Baths

New York City, US

Clinical spa experience this is not. One of New York City's most under-the-radar spas, this Tribeca-based subterranean retreat is as atmospheric as you'll find in the Big Apple (though avid travellers should note that AIRE outposts have also sprung up in other locations, including London, Seville, Chicago and beyond). Fusing traditions from the Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Arab empires, the spa champions the ancient custom of hopping from frigidaria to caldaria, dipping your way between cold and hot pools on the path to improved wellness. Slippers are provided, caverns are flooded with candles (the only source of light) and all you'll need to bring is your swimsuit. For something unique, book the signature Wine Bath experience and submerge yourself in the antioxidant properties of Spanish grapes.

Address

88 Franklin St, New York, NY 10013, US

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The Ranch

Malibu, US

A programme advertised as having "no options" is indicative of The Ranch's hardcore approach to wellbeing (but the daily massages do sweeten things a little, we promise). Many starry names have come to sweat it out at this week-long luxury boot camp in the mountains of Malibu - and now you can also be put through your paces at The Ranch Italy. With an MO that is all about personal awareness and life transformation - physically, mentally and spiritually - The Ranch is a results-driven destination. Trainers wake guests at 5.30am each morning for their daily four-hour hike. And that's just a warmup. But just rewards, in the form of a pool and Jacuzzi, Buddha Barn and massage "village", await.

Address

12220 Cotharin Rd, Malibu, CA 90265, US

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Lanserhof Lans

Lans, Austria

This woodland compound in Austria marries salubrious practices with medical prowess. "Naturopathy" and "modern medicine" are words you'll hear frequently, murmured down minimalist corridors. Here, the emphasis is on intense detoxification (from colon cleansing to lymphatic draining). Whether your ailments are desk-related or you suffer from digestive issues, the medical consultation on day one will get down to the nitty-gritty and set about resetting your mind and body throughout a week or 10-day stay. As intense as the programme reads (and it's not to be entered lightly), it's evened out with plenty of spa time, while meal plans are toothsome (if modest) and keep hungry tums content. Londoners can also access Lanserhof's cutting-edge medical health and wellness services at Lanserhof at The Arts Club in W1S.

Address

Kochholzweg 153, 6072 Lans, Austria

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Amanemu

Shima, Japan

Luxury resort and spa Amanemu (one of our favourites in the hotelier's roster) is situated three hours by train from Kyoto. Ryokan-inspired, the retreat is surrounded by Unesco-listed pilgrim trails and sacred forests, making for an ultra-Zen wellness experience. Built (and designed) around a vast hot spring, the spa takes a holistic approach, with treatments spanning hot-stone therapies to signature facials and reiki. While the outdoor swimming pool is understandably alluring, the yoga studio and a quartet of treatment suites fringed by forest will beckon any bathing beauty out of the water. Meals spotlight the region's izakaya-style seafood offerings and, come lunchtime, bento boxes of sashimi and tempura are coveted commodities.

Address

2165 Hazako Hamajima-cho, Shima, Mie 517 0403, Japan

The pool at COMO Shambhala Estate

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COMO Shambhala Estate

Bali, Indonesia

Get your body going with free guided walks and daily yoga sessions at COMO Shambhala Estate. With an emphasis on holistic wellness, a week at this retreat is likely to include lots of Pilates, ashtanga and mountain biking along trails on Mount Batu Karu. A 15-minute drive away from Ubud, COMO brings things back to nature with a luxurious slant. The spa fuses the best of Eastern and Western therapies: move seamlessly from Swedish massage to Ayurveda over a day of back-to-back appointments. In between activities, grab a pressed juice or organic salad from the all-day restaurant, Glow. Come dinner, guests can design their own three-course menu to cook with the chef. Bespoke bliss.

Address

Banjar Begawan, Desa, Melinggih Kelod, Payangan, Gianyar, Bali 80571, Indonesia

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Tierra Santa Healing House

Miami Beach, US

Don't come here if your idea of Zenning-out involves all-white surroundings. Tierra Santa is awash with rainbow-hued rugs, an elaborate pom-pom chandelier and floral-clad pouffes. Located on the third floor of Faena Hotel, the spa boasts one of the largest hammams on the East Coast. Indulge in a wet-spa experience - think herbal steam room, sauna and ice parlour - then book in for the Hammam Rose Ritual or an oxygenating Biologique Recherche facial. Tierra Santa also has a doctor-led preventative medicine programme, which has testing, exams, detox and digestive health offerings. Weekly spa treatments are far more justifiable when they're listed under "doctor's orders".

Address

Faena Hotel, 3201 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140, US

This article was updated 22 September 2022.

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