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Whether it’s a full-scale detox or just a serious pamper session, there’s no shortage of terrific spas to choose from.
The past year alone has seen the debut of hundreds of wellness oases across the globe – a sign, perhaps, that spas have transitioned from being a mere extravagance to an essential part of travel.
From health retreats on Sicily’s sun-kissed Mediterranean coast to high-end hammams in the Caribbean, we’ve handpicked the world’s 10 best new spas, based on service, treatments, amenities and ambiance.
1. Rocco Forte Spa at Verdura Resort (Sicily, Italy)
There’s no spa in Italy quite like the new, 43,000-square-foot Rocco Forte Spa on Sicily’s southwest coast.
For starters, it sits on its own private stretch of coastline, with uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean from almost every angle.
Unsurprisingly, the focus here is on thalassotherapy: the medicinal and therapeutic use of seawater and marine elements.
It has an extensive thalassotherapy circuit, consisting of four outdoor pools offering varying levels of salinity and heat.
Treatments, like the Seaweed Body Scrub ($130), incorporate locally sourced marine ingredients like kelp, sea salt and micronized algae to purify and detoxify the body.
Thalassotherapy aside, there’s also an infrared sauna, a 65-foot-long swimming pool and a juice bar that serves up organic, antioxidant-packed juices all day long.
2. Spa at Ritz-Carlton, Bali (Bali, Indonesia)
Though it’s just six months old, the spa at the Ritz-Carlton Bali is already proving to be as impressively luxurious as the hotel itself.
Decked out in suar wood and glossy marble, the spa features a state-of-the-art hydromassage pool comprising of five sections that target different areas of the body.
There are also two Jacuzzis, cold plunge pools, steam and sauna rooms, and a yoga studio overlooking the Indian Ocean.
In addition to 14 free-standing treatment rooms, there are four private spa villas outfitted with their own Balinese bathing pools and open-air lounges.
Treatments blend ancient Balinese methods and modern techniques, and incorporate locally harvested ingredients like coconuts, seaweed and pearls, which are said to have nourishing antioxidant properties.
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3. Shiseido Spa at Excelsior Hotel Gallia (Milan, Italy)
Sprawled across the sixth and seventh floors of the plush new Excelsior Hotel Gallia, Milan’s newest spa – opened late last year – is also the largest in the city, clocking in at just under 11,000 square feet.
It has an indoor swimming pool with hydromassage and waterfalls, a Turkish hammam, an ice room and even a salt chamber, with walls made from sea salt imported from the Himalayas (said to promote better breathing).
But guests are really here for the high-tech treatments: The spa uses a cutting-edge Japanese formulation called Skingenecell 1P, said to be the first ingredient in the world to repel the fundamental cause of skin damage and aging.
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