The Best Destination Spas in the US & Around the World: 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards
It isn’t possible for the Condé Nast Traveler team to see and do everything, everywhere, all at once—though we try our best! Fortunately, we also have you, our readers. This year you cast an astonishing 757,109 votes in the 38th annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey, sharing your opinions on the very best in travel. You told us you were enchanted by Italian hotels, went on safari in Botswana, took to semiprivate aviation, and advocated for newcomers to the top American cities. We loved poring over the results to find out what’s sticking with readers and editors and spinning the data into a snapshot of the current moment in travel. Ahead: your manual for planning that next adventure, whether it's to a top-rated hotel or resort, or centered around a worthy cruise, spa, or island. These are the best spas in the US and across the globe, as voted by our readers.
View these Readers' Choice Award winners for best spas in the US as a list with scores here.
Courtesy Ten Thousand Waveshotel30. Ten Thousand Waves — Santa Fe
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Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025We’re soaking up some serious ryokan vibes from this spa-centric sanctuary, headquartered just four miles outside Santa Fe. Inspired by the great Japanese mountain hot spring onsen, the property practically looks like it was lifted from the Hokkaido mountains, with fragrant piñons and juniper bushes surrounding the outdoor soaking tubs, and the fresh, characteristically clean lines of Japanese design framing each space. There are two communal tubs with sauna and cold plunge features—one for mixed bathing, and one for women only—four private tubs, and ample opportunities for such treatments as salt scrubs, thai massages, hot stone massage, and foot soaks. Outdoor wooden walkways and stairs, alight by the glow of lanterns, lead to three different kinds of suites, all equipped with classic Japanese cabinetry and comfortable beds. In keeping with the theme, there’s Izanami restaurant, an upscale izakaya experience, that serves small plates crafted from sustainably raised wagyu beef, pork, and chicken, and organic produce. Leave the kiddos at home and head here for a weekend that you (and your tired body!) won't soon forget.
Courtesy Rancho La Puertahotel29. Rancho La Puerta — Tecate, Mexico
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025Located on 4,000 acres in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, just a few miles from the US border, Rancho La Puerta has been a wellness destination since 1940, when founders Deborah and Edmond Szekely set out to open a summer health camp near San Diego. Today, the original mission continues, “to guide those who are interested in a sane, well-balanced program of living.” The spa offers holistic therapies (like acupuncture, Reiki, and WATSU), massages, facials, wraps, and more. Many of the treatments use herbs and plants grown onsite. The facilities include a hot tub, sauna, steam room, relaxation lounge, and cold water immersion. Physical exertion is a pillar of the Rancho La Puerta experience, with a daily line-up of optional activities like hiking, running, kickboxing, cycling, salsa, yoga, and more. Guests stay among 86 casitas, cozy sanctuaries with vibrant Mexican textiles and terra cotta tile floors.
Courtesy Aro Hāhotel28. Aro Hā Wellness Retreat — Glenorchy, New Zealand
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Hot List 2015 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025Overlooking the otherworldly expanse of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Aro Hā is an intimate 20-room lodge offering holistic practices (such as yoga and meditation) meant to invigorate the body and recalibrate the spirit. The self-sustainable property’s biggest draw is its epic setting between colossal sapphire lakes and snowcapped peaks—all of which the minimalist-chic cabins seamlessly blend into. Mindfulness is a core mantra here, and, with a setting like this, you'll get plenty of practice at it.
Courtesy IHHR Hospitalityhotel27. Ananda in the Himalayas — Narendra Nagar, India
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025You can't get much closer to nirvana than Ananda in the Himalayas, which sits in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas near the birthplace of yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda (a form of alternative healing that stresses the connection between body and mind), and the place where the Beatles met the Maharishi. The resort takes this legacy seriously, with a holistic approach to wellness that combines Eastern and Western healing methods—Ayurveda and aromatherapy treatments are at your disposal, as is a 24,000-square-foot, 24-treatment-room spa that near guarantees a restorative experience. The fresh air and 100 acres of forest don't hurt, either.
hotel26. Red Mountain Resort — Ivins, Utah
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2020, 2025Shrouded in the craggy, sienna peaks of Utah’s red rocks, St. George’s Red Mountain Resort carries an air of serene otherworldliness. The desert landscape is an ever present companion, whether it’s getting up close and personal with the terrain on hikes through the region’s slot canyons, flowing through a Vinyasa routine as the sun begins to peek over the horizon, or simply taking it all in during a quiet moment to yourself. If you’re looking for expert hands to guide your experience, make your way to on-site Sagestone Spa & Salon. Treatments ranging from massages and facials to body treatments and salon care are inspired by naturally restorative elements of Utah’s desert biome. Highlights include the Turquoise Sage Salt Glow, a full body exfoliation scented with sage, lavender, and spearmint and the Ayurvedic Desert Journey Ritual that works out the kinks from your head right down to the toes.
Marc Llewellynhotel25. COMO Shambhala Estate — Bali, Indonesia
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Gold List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Christina Ong is much loved for introducing COMO’s flagship brand on 23 acres in Bali—and when she did, she launched her own sophisticated interpretation of wellness. Hindu water blessings and chakra healers are just as accessible here as spells in a sauna, steam room, or infinity pool. Eyebrow-arching views greet you as you arrive at the estate, a jungle-hugged designer health retreat perched on staggered hilltops above the Ayung River. For two decades, it has reigned as a five-star refuge for luxury travelers seeking to say farewell to stress and hello to spiritual development. East meets West at each of the five residences, which house a total 30 suites, each with its own pool. Stand-alone villas have private pools, and one-bedroom Retreat Villas have their own treatment rooms.
hotel24. Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa — Tucson, Ariz.
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025There are older spas and wellness retreats in North America (to say nothing of Europe), but none popularized the idea of a spa break the way that Miraval did. Miraval, which used to have the phrase “life in balance” attached to its name, is one of the places that took wellness mainstream. (Thank you, Oprah.) Now it might not be so cutting-edge, but it’s confident and competent at what it does. The rooms are lavish casitas with plush beds, and the culinary program focuses more on what healthful foods you can add to your diet than on which “sinful” (a banned word) food to delete. As a result, it’s delicious, whichever end of the menu you choose, and the experience overall comforting.
Cal-a-Viehotel23. Cal-a-Vie — Vista, Calif.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025At Cal-a-Vie, in Vista California, you could mistakenly believe you were somewhere in the bucolic French countryside. Suites are simple and rustic, with washed-out wooden floors, fresh flowers, and comfy, bounce-worthy beds. This is a place that offers much to do—you can wake to a sunrise hike and follow it up with any combination of spinning, water volleyball, or restorative yoga. Soothe your sore muscles with a trip to the world-class spa; past patrons rave about the massages, but also look for their Vinothérapie options, which incorporate Cal-a-Vie’s organic wine grape seeds, skins, and pulp extracts. Pair these pampering treatments with an on-site nutritionist, and you’ll leave feeling like a million bucks.
SHA Wellnesshotel22. SHA Wellness Clinic Mexico — Riviera Maya
$$$ | Hot List 2024 Readers' Choice Awards 2025When the original Sha Wellness Clinic opened its doors in Alicante back in 2008, it immediately stood out from other destination spas, taking a holistic, in-depth approach to the often vague concept of “wellness.” This follow-up property includes the same comprehensive treatments and cutting-edge medical techniques—only this time, the address is on a prime stretch of beachfront in Costa Mujeres. The rooms and suites all come with private balconies and studio-size bathrooms, but the health clinic—complete with six stories and a hundred treatment rooms—is obviously the star attraction here. On the top floor there’s a fully equipped gym and a terrace for yoga or sound baths; in the basement there is a hydrotherapy circuit with a sauna, steam room, Roman bath, and cold plunge around a lovely pool; and in between are numerous areas with a dedicated purpose, from aging well to traditional Chinese medicine. Cutting-edge tech abounds, from machines that give you an intense core workout to a bed for advanced cell regeneration therapy. The vibe is calm, cool, dim, and science-y without being overly medicalized. The food is expectedly nutritious but surprisingly flavorful: Following the recommendations of the Harvard Medical School, as well as centuries of Eastern thought, dishes at Shamadi, the main restaurant, emphasize vegetables of various colors, whole grains, proteins (including fresh local seafood), and alkaline foods. If you need a reminder to take care of yourself, a visit to Sha Mexico will flawlessly do the trick.
Mark Adams Pictureshotel21. The Ranch Malibu — Calif.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025Tough love is the order of the day at this health retreat. The core program is seven days of rigor, and nothing is optional: not the 5:30 a.m. wake-up knocks (they will persist until you answer), not the 6 a.m. yoga or stretching sessions, not the hours of morning hiking, nor the afternoons spent in the gym or the near-vegan eating plan. If you wonder why people pay for this, you aren’t alone. But if you’re among the people who get it, then it’s the sort of yearly wellness tune-up that you'll look forward to. The Ranch tends to attract type-A personalities, so there can be competition on the hiking trail, but the guides are supportive and encouraging for guests of all levels. And the payoff is better muscle tone, glowing skin, and a well-earned sense of accomplishment. It helps that the lodgings are sublimely comfortable, there are daily massages, and the food—pared down as it may be—is made from the best organic ingredients and beautifully presented.
Courtesy Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucernehotel20. Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Lake Lucerne — Lucerne, Switzerland
$$$ | Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025The area has been popular since the hotel was first built here in 1873, so much so that Audrey Hepburn married in its chapel in 1954, and Sophia Loren and husband Carlo Ponti lived in a chalet here for some time. After a £440 million ($626 million) renovation unveiled in 2017, the appeal still holds: You'd be hard-pressed to find a better, true wellness resort at the nexus of luxury and location.
Courtesy The Lodge at Woodlochhotel19. The Lodge at Woodloch — Hawley, Penn.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Ninety miles from New York City, this lodge in northeast Pennsylvania may just be the perfect weekend getaway for stressed-out city dwellers who need an escape. The quiet and serene resort has more than 500 wooded acres and a private lake, and spaces that force you to exhale: Guests enter under a porte-cochère into the plant-filled Garden Hall, which has a 14-foot glass cupola and a balcony looking onto the lake. And, all rooms have private verandas and oversize marble bathrooms. There are plenty of ways to keep busy, too. Excursions include fly-fishing and trail biking trips, or you can stay on-site for a soothing river stone massage at the spa.
Courtesy Sundara Inn & Spahotel18. Sundara Inn & Spa — Wisconsin Dells, Wisc.
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025In a pine forest in Wisconsin Dells, Sundara was one of the first destination spas in the Midwest and one of just a few to offer Ayurvedic-inspired spa treatments. Sanskrit for “beautiful,” Sundara says they interpret beauty as both an inner and outer quality. The spa offers an extensive menu of treatments, from CBD massages and Reiki to salt bath treatments and Cryo T-Shock facials, which use periods of cold followed by heat to reactivate collagen and stimulate elastin. This year, Sundara added a Wellsystem Wave massage, which uses the heat and pressure of water to relieve stress. Guests can take a dip in one of the heated outdoor pools (including a swim-up bar stirring up craft cocktails) or an indoor pool area with walls cast from the rock formations along the Wisconsin River. Suites feature spa baths and views of the surrounding woodland. The premises is all adults, with no electronics—to fully disconnect and recharge.
Banyan Tree Valle de Guadalupehotel17. Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe — Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
$$ | Hot List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2025Located in the vast northern Baja California peninsula, Valle de Guadalupe has long been a favorite for in-the-know West Coast travelers. But now the Napa of Mexico has stepped into the global spotlight thanks to the July 2024 opening of Banyan Group’s wellness hotel Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe—the first international luxury property in the area. Designed by acclaimed Mexico City–based architect Michel Rojkind, it features 30 earthy pool villas, five restaurants, and a slew of regionally inspired spa treatments. But in true Valle de Guadalupe fashion, the shining star just may be the property’s private winery, Pictograma. Purists might wonder whether a wellness retreat is the right place for a winery. One glass of post-hydrotherapy red will erase any doubts.
Joali Beinghotel16. JOALI Being — Bodufushi, Maldives
$$$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025The bone-white beaches and crystal-clear lagoons are the ultimate soothing backdrop for self-improvement, and, thankfully, wellness resort Joali Being delivers its sophisticated philosophy with a pampering attitude and no-news, no-shoes barefoot aesthetic. Shaggy thatched roofs ripple like the ocean waves beyond, oversized hand-carved doors resemble tree bark, walls are textured like wind-riffled sand, and the Tiffany color palette of the 68 villas, each with its own pool, brings the lagoon right into your light-filled sanctuary. The world-class spa is sprinkled with glass-fronted saunas, steam rooms, ice fountains, and hydrotherapy pools. Each villa comes with a butler called a jadugar, which means “magician” in the local language—and, happily, they live up to the hype: eager, efficient, and engaged.
Randy Galligan/Canyon Ranch Woodsidehotel15. Canyon Ranch Woodside — Woodside, Calif.
Readers' Choice Awards 2023, 2024, 2025Traditions around the world have considered trees to be symbols of strength, individuality, and growth. At Canyon Ranch Woodside, trees are an integral part of the stay, whether you’re sleeping in a luxury treehouse (with silky bed linens) or hiking the majestic Northern California Redwoods surrounding the property. Paths to growth include the “Find Inner Calm Pathway,” a three- to four-day experience designed to help guests cultivate self-compassion; dozens of mind-body activities accompanied by fitness classes and creative workshops; and plenty of spa treatments. The spa features an indoor saline pool and whirlpool, steam room, dry salt wall sauna, a labyrinth, and five treatment rooms for facials, massages, exfoliation, and more. Dining options at the Hideaway and The Hearth put an emphasis on local farmers and artisans, and humanely raised meats—dishes like beef from Marin Sun Farms with tomato chimichurri, blistered broccolini, and pickled shallots.
Courtesy Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spahotel14. Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa — Lenox, Mass.
$$$ | Hot List 2021 Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025It was a complicated time to open a hotel, but the arrival of the Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa in summer 2020 felt unexpectedly right. And Miraval’s “Life In Balance” motto, a nod to the brand's measured approach to wellness, continues to appeal. Unlike much of the competition in the wellness retreat space, the Hyatt-owned Miraval doesn’t tout starvation diets or extreme exercise regimes, nor does it position itself as a “dry resort” (a glass of pinot after a full day of beekeeping, yoga, and gua sha does round it all out nicely). Rather, the brand has created a sprawling retreat—102 rooms and suites across 380-acres—in western Massachusetts’s bucolic Berkshires that touts a nuanced view of wellbeing. The Berkshires, about 150 miles from both New York City and Boston, have long been a wellness destination ranging from earthy-crunchy holistic retreats to luxury hotels, and the Miraval spa (one of the largest in New England with 28 treatment rooms) benefits from a rich, experienced pool of massage therapists and aestheticians; the Deep Mountain Massage with arnica and rosemary is exactly what you want after a day diving into the retreat's activities. Hiking, kayaking, ropes courses, and encounters with rescued horses and birds of prey all become lessons in self-discovery and sustainability. And the epic pool area, just right for lounging, drives home that this place is indeed all about balance.
Ken Hayden, Courtesy of Mii Amohotel13. Mii Amo — Sedona, Ariz.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Consider Mii Amo the mothership of all spas. Surrounded by rusty red mountains and rock formations, the renowned and recently revamped terra-cotta-hued sanctuary is the ultimate spa destination for inner transformation and self-care. It's a secluded hideaway set within the Boynton Canyon vortex, known for spiritual and healing energy, and away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Sedona. The vibe is serene, calm, and quiet. There are no rowdy groups here, and with an age requirement of 16, there are no children allowed. The recently redesigned refuge features 23 rooms and suites; a two-story movement and fitness studio; a new signature restaurant and culinary garden; a refreshed outdoor swimming pool and deck; a sunken living room space with built-in sofas; a designated consultation wing; and a juice bar.
Courtesy Six Senses/Photo by John Athimaritishotel12. Six Senses Douro Valley — Samodães, Portugal
$$ | Gold List 2018, 2020, 2026 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025The European debut of the Asia-centric Six Senses group caused a sensation when it opened in northern Portugal in 2015, its particular brand of wellness cleverly seen through the prism of this world-class wine region. It’s set in a 19th-century manor house among vines that roll down to the wide Douro River. Inside, Irish-American designer Clodagh created a more contemporary minimalist vibe, and now a new wing has rooftop and vineyard rooms, each with private hot tubs. Naturally, there is a strong emphasis on local wines: tastings in the wine library; an enomatic machine operated by room key-cards (try the elegant white Guru). Beneath it all lies a huge pool, framed by gardens abundant with ripe fruit, including peaches that will be grilled and served with burrata, and lemons that are squeezed into scrubs in the spa’s potion-whipping Alchemy Bar. The spa is one of Portugal’s most serious, with programs to help improve sleep and age more holistically. From design to outlook, Six Senses has given the wine-country hotel a thoroughly 21st-century update.
Courtesy The Retreat Costa Ricahotel11. The Retreat Costa Rica — Alenas, Costa Rica
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025When celebrity chef and best-selling author Diana Stobo founded The Retreat Costa Rica, her goal was to create a Costa Rican version of “heaven on Earth”—which, in this case, translates to a wellness located deep in the rainforest. The 13 rooms are simple (no phones or TVs) and feature balconies and patios with views of the surrounding vegetation and the Pacific Ocean. The spa, Vida Mia, offers treatments such as Ayurveda massages, Costa Rican coffee scrubs, and crystal healing facials; Boca Dulce restaurant has outdoor seating overlooking the mountains, and all dishes are free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars.
Courtesy Six Senses Kaplankaya/Joan Guillamat Castellshotel10. Six Senses Kaplankaya — Kaplankaya, Türkiye
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025When you arrive at this Turkish outpost of the respected wellness brand, you’re greeted with a ritual: You’ll be handed an evil eye bracelet—part of a tradition tracing back 5,000 years—and asked to close your eyes and set an intention for your stay. Think of it as a reset button. Now you’re on this place’s slowed-down wavelength. Across the bay from party-central Bodrum, this stretch of the Aegean coastline is all about reconnecting with nature, on hillsides dotted with cypresses and wild olives. When you’re not kayaking in the turquoise waters or strolling along the rocky coast, the aromas of that landscape make their way into the nearly 108,000-square-foot spa where, for instance, your hammam experience might include a sea salt and olive oil scrub. As part of your stay, you’ll also have access to a Finnish sauna, a crystal steam room, hydrotherapy pools, a salt grotto, and even an icy igloo, meant to stimulate circulation and oxygen intake. Equally stimulating? A visit to nearby Ephesus to walk among its Classical Greek ruins.
The Ranchhotel9. The Ranch Hudson Valley — Sloatsburg, N.Y.
$$$ | Hot List 2025 Readers' Choice Awards 2025It is five o’clock in the morning and a Tibetan chime is ringing just outside my door. The usual bleary nausea of such early rises is absent, shooed away by sobriety, exercises, and fruits and vegetables. By 5:30 I’m joining the group downstairs for a guided stretch, and as the sun rises I share breakfast around a long table before setting off to hike. This is the Ranch Hudson Valley, which opened its doors last spring in upstate New York, an East Coast outpost of the famed Malibu original. Housed in JP Morgan’s former slate-and-stone mansion, the retreat sits on 200 acres of wooded lakefront. The highly regimented five-day mind and body reset program is built around health treatments, plant-based eating, and extensive hiking—guests get about three hours of it each day. Ranchers work out together and suffer together, cold-plunging in a single file and schvitzing in a windowed sauna. I had expected to reward myself at the end with a burger and cigarette, but found I could not stomach them. My brain had been dipped in change, and I wanted to maintain what I’d started to build.
Ha Phong/TIA Wellness Resorthotel8. TIA Wellness Resort — Da Nang, Vietnam
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2024, 2025On a beachfront centered between Da Nang and Hoi An, the TIA Wellness Resort is a retreat that combines inspiring wellness with lavishing its guests with the luxury of a premium Vietnamese resort. All visits start with a welcome tea ceremony, and from there TIA guides its guests through a progressive approach that gradually increases the regimen of therapies and treatments targeted at an elected focus area (the resort has a three-night minimum). The Wellness Inclusive, Retreat Inclusive, and Private Retreats all educate guests on how to “upgrade” their diets for what is best suited for them, breathe in order to regulate the body, and move as a method of stress management. While guests undergo their chosen wellness journey, they stay in chic pool villas that continue the resort’s overall black and white color scheme with plenty of privacy provided by tastefully planted bamboo. Living spaces are regularly stocked with detox snacks, and surprise gifts—such as paper lanterns to float across the pool—wait for guests each night on the bed.
Courtesy Shou Sugi Ban Househotel7. Shou Sugi Ban House — Water Mill, N.Y.
$$$ | Hot List 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025The first wellness retreat in the Hamptons has a kick-off-the-espadrilles-and-down-a-tumeric-juice carefreeness, because its philosophy is thrillingly simple: Focus on the basics of self-care by tapping into what cofounder Amy Cherry-Abitbol likes to call intuitive wellness. It’s just what high-strung visitors to the area need. The point of Shou Sugi Ban House isn’t to break anyone down, military- or medical-style, but rather to create a space—in sun-flooded barns and blond-wood studios with deep-soaking Japanese tubs—that is a recipe for happiness. There’s gentle morning yoga and strolls on the beach, though if lounging by the pool feels like the right speed, that’s fine too. The point is to indulge in all the things that are good for us (including that third slice of Danish seeded bread with plum preserves at breakfast), so that we can learn to live the way we all want to—and feel better for it.
Courtesy Lake Austin Spa Resorthotel6. Lake Austin Spa Resort — Austin
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Set on a picturesque hillside of its namesake lake, this all-inclusive destination spa attracts relaxation seekers from all over—you'll see them, buffed and polished from their treatments and eager for more, strolling the grounds all day in their robes. Beds are extremely soft, and the lavender-scented products in the bathrooms are from the resort's own line; in fact, they're the same ones used in your spa treatments. Speaking of, all the spa's products are grown on the grounds (wildflower and organic honey are used in the facial scrubs) and some treatments take place in semi-open settings. Luxury Lakeview rooms have a cottage feel with a covered back patio that looks out onto the water. Walls in some of the rooms are painted a soft blue or yellow and headboards are updated in soft neutral toned leather, while artwork and pillows mimic nature with wildflowers and wildlife.
George Sfakianakishotel5. Euphoria Retreat — Mystras, Greece
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025Designed to tie in the five elements and the five senses, this Greek idyll is built into a mountain and has a large spherical pool as its physical and spiritual center. In the mythical Peloponnese region, it promises nothing short of transformation, with the idea that by the end of your stay you will have learned how to become your own healer. In addition to that central pool, the spa complex contains a tepidarium (warm relaxation room), Byzantine hammam (steam room), salt cave, Watsu pool, yoga and fitness rooms, and an area for massages and other treatments. The guest rooms are decorated with a combination of Byzantine art and Zen minimalism. As for the nutrition component, it's a little more complicated. Getting on board may require a science degree or a leap of faith—you can expect to see terms like redox condition, glutathione threshold, and endogenous antioxidants thrown around. In plain English, that means you'll be getting small meals and regular snacks of organic ingredients that fit into the Mediterranean diet, like extra-virgin olive oil and antioxidant-rich spices. The best way to enjoy? Just go with it.
Courtesy Ikbal Thermal Hotel & SPAhotel4. Ikbal Thermal Hotel & SPA — Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025As part of a hotel located in an open-air shopping center in the mountainous countryside of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, guests at this thermal spa can count on 286 spacious rooms with the latest technology (no digital detox here), meals served three times a day, and a spa that comes with a Turkish bath and an indoor pool exclusively for women. For a more active experience, head to the fitness center or squash courts. Those looking to unwind will find a spa menu that includes reflexology massages, milk baths, seaweed wraps, and an array of hair and nail treatments.
Courtesy Le Blanc/Fabian Caballerohotel3. Le Blanc Spa Resort, Los Cabos — Mexico
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025Let Le Blanc’s practiced hands take over the decision making for you in breezy, balmy Los Cabos. Spacious guest rooms and infinity pools bleeding into 360-degree views of the placid Sea of Cortez are all but expected from resorts in the area, but Le Blanc takes it that much further with attentive butler service and eight on-site restaurants that run the gamut from white glove French to upscale Lebanese cuisine. The mindful alignment of body and mind is the guiding maxim of the spa. Facial and body treatments integrate wood therapy for firm yet smooth movements which engage your muscles from head to toe. While signature “aura” treatments combine the latest in wellness science with a mix of traditions such as shiatsu and Swedish physical therapy for a whole that’s greater than the sum of its many, meticulously considered parts.
Lauren Segal/BodyHolidayhotel2. BodyHoliday — St. Lucia
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Since it first opened in 1988, this beachfront all-inclusive has become renowned for its unique approach to health, fitness, and wellbeing. It's set on a private cove on the northwest of St. Lucia near Pigeon Island National Landmark, and guests can expect custom-tailored itineraries prior to their arrival, more than 40 included activities per day, and an inclusive 50-minute spa treatment each day (apart from arrival and departure days). The lobby has a deep-blue palette enhanced by driftwood and mahogany. The wellness center, decorated in Jerusalem stone and mosaics, offers Pilates and Reiki and has a heated marble massage table. All five restaurants use local produce, often from the hotel's garden. Many of the rooms have been renovated over the last few years with standout elements like “noise-canceling walls” and built-in Bluetooth systems—and we really do like the fact that BodyHoliday has dedicated solo traveler rooms. Chill out in the two-tiered infinity pool, which is lined by loungers and underwater raised stone perches for when you feel like enjoying an in-water cocktail. Set above the main resort, the 33-room Mediterranean-style Wellness Centre is the hub of all that is wholesome. Whether you'd like to vacation at your own pace or go home with a full mind-body tune-up, the wealth of included facilities, activities, and culinary options here make it ideal for all goals.
Courtesy of Palmaïa – The House of Aïahotel1. Palmaïa – The House of AïA — Riviera Maya, Mexico
Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025Book a family suite (many of which have bunk beds and kid-friendly decor and can sleep up to four people) at this eco-friendly, wellness-focused beachfront paradise in Playa del Carmen, and get comfortable. With swim-out terraces, a private beach with crystal-clear waters, a dedicated kids’ pool with its own slide and waterfall, plus a children’s activity program with a full calendar of educational events, Palmaïa is a resort where the entire family can get pampered. Plant-based menus shine at all four restaurants and the 24-hour room service, with items like dense vegan chocolate cake and strawberry chia-seed pudding. For those looking to tap into a deeper spiritual awakening, the in-house personal growth guide offers a program of guided rituals.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
