12 of the World’s Most Spectacular New Spas
Open within the last year, these visually arresting oases by Jacques Garcia, Patricia Urquiola, and more are a feast for all the senses
In today’s world, self-care has ascended from a transient trend to an essential pillar of existence. Consequently, wellness centers are undergoing a transformative renaissance. This evolution is finely tuned to the nuanced cravings of the contemporary seeker of well-being, giving birth to domains that offer more than mere tranquility. They promise a comprehensive voyage—a global soak if you will—that hops across eras, cultures, and sensations. Within these sanctuaries, the convergence of design innovation, holistic healing, and a deep-seated homage to ancestral wisdom meld in sublime unison.
From the seclusion of mountain fastnesses to beachfront tropical hideaways, each spa represents the power of place. Designers are increasingly mining local heritage, weaving spaces with materials, motifs, and rituals that echo the essence of their locales. The rise of integrative wellness has heralded a new era where spas are crucibles of the ancient and the avant-garde, melding cutting-edge treatments like biohacking and sound healing with venerable traditions such as Ayurveda and thermal bathing. The quest is unequivocally holistic, aimed at nurturing the body, mind, and soul in unison.
Journey through to unveil how the dreamiest new spas of today transcends the ordinary, becoming gateways to enriched harmony, profound connection, and radiant beauty.
1. Six Senses Spa, Six Senses Rome | Rome, Italy
Patricia Urquiola has masterfully reimagined Rome’s Renaissance-era Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini as the Six Senses Rome. At the heart of the hotel’s wellness ethos is the Six Senses Spa, where Urquiola has orchestrated a luxurious bathhouse revival that pays homage to ancient Roman indulgence. Spherical artistry nods to the palazzo’s heritage, while handcrafted travertine and cocciopesto plaster surfaces channel the esteemed Vitruvian design principles. The highlight? A thermal masterpiece featuring a travertine-clad calidarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium circuit—with walls adorned with a bas-relief of Daphne’s laurel tree—complemented by a hammam, sauna, and tranquil sanctuaries, and meditation nooks.
2. The Garden Club At Palm Heights | Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
The Garden Club at celebrity hotspot Palm Heights transcends the notion of a mere “hotel amenity”—this 60,000-square-foot Xanadu is a shrine to hedonistic rejuvenation majestically set upon Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. Architect Dong Ping Wong has conceived a living sanctuary where clusia hedges double as decorative barriers and verdant portals into hidden alcoves. Every element is an earth-conscious choice, from the pampering rituals featuring cult-favorite brands like Costa Brazil to the moonlit open-air ceremonies under starry canopies. Simply put, eco-chic as a baptismal covenant is woven into the Garden Club’s ascetic DNA and exceedingly sensual architecture.
3. Maroma Spa By Guerlain, Maroma, A Belmond Hotel | Riviera Maya, Mexico
Maroma Resort has undergone a transformative rebirth as a Belmond property, rooting guests in the ancestral soul of the Yucatán with the Maroma Spa by Guerlain. This pioneering holistic wellness universe harnesses Mayan metaphysical design and ancient rituals into a Latin American debut for the French skincare brand. At its cosmic center shines the Meliponario, a temple to the Melipona bee—an insect deified by the Mayans for over 3,000 years as a sacred symbol of spiritual resonance. The newly revamped nine treatment villas enshrine biophilic design, cocooning guests in geometrically-patterned jungle views and handcrafted artisanal decor as ancient Mayan healing modalities like fire rituals and elemental massages transport them into the Yucatán’s mythical regenerative traditions. An onsite apothecary compounds personalized elixirs celebrating the regional pharmacopia’s bounty.
4. Eynsham Baths, Estelle Manor | Oxfordshire, England
A sublime Roman bathhouse fantasy is realized at the Eynsham Baths, the crowning 32,300-square-foot jewel within Estelle Manor’s 124-acre Oxfordshire estate grounds. Five years of impeccable craftsmanship have birthed this neoclassical arcadia, where ancient artisanal techniques meld seamlessly with contemporary design by Roman and Williams. Handcrafted marvels abound, from the marble-clad bathing halls to the hand-shaped brick thermal pools bathed in natural light. At its core lies a labyrinthine aquatic circuit comprising five rejuvenating plunge pools, a steam room, hay sauna, intimate treatment alcoves, and couples’ suites. An alfresco hideaway bar completes this thermal immersion into hydrothermal wisdom, where invigorating frigidarium plunges and the sunken, metabolism-stimulating heat of the caldarium ignite profound healing.
5. Spa La Mer at Maison Proust | Paris, France
In the literary heart of Paris’s Marais quarter, Jacques Garcia has crafted a Belle Époque fantasy at Maison Proust’s Spa La Mer, a tribute to the grandeur of Proustian salons. This sybaritic retreat, conceived in partnership with the legendary La Mer skincare marque, breathes life into the fabled quest of Dr. Max Huber, who developed the signature “miracle broth” after a lab mishap. Garcia’s Orientalist masterpiece transplants guests to Aunt Léonie’s parlors from Proust’s childhood reveries. Under intricately carved wood ceilings that cast a soft amber radiance, Moorish lanterns reflect light across marble surfaces and tranquil pool waters. This richly upholstered, confidentially plush universe provides the sumptuous setting for La Mer’s coveted therapies, offering multi-sensory passage into realms of absolute indulgence.
6. Spa Ceò, Aria Retreat | Lake Lugano, Italy
Aria Retreat & Spa has conjured an unparalleled sustainable luxury vision across its 60-acre subtropical park on the shores of Lake Lugano where Italy borders Switzerland. The Milanese visionaries at R4M Engineering have conceived an Energy Class A architectural masterwork harmoniously anchored by Spa Ceò, a 16,146-square-foot mythic wellness basilica steeped in inspired by Celtic fog. Transcendent spaces unfurl across three indulgent levels, awash in restorative airborne and hydrothermal rituals, from the panoramic saunas and Turkish baths to an adults-only enclave hosting a Finnish sauna, Bio hay chambers and “snowflake” frigidarium fantasy. Two aquatic glories reign: a 66-foot indoor saltwater pool alongside an infinite heated outdoor expanse, both designed for profound relaxation while framed by sublime lake and mountain views.
7. Kilolani Spa, Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort | Maui, Hawaiʻi
Tihany Design’s sweeping refresh of Maui’s Grand Wailea Resort culminates in the 50,000-square-foot Kilolani Spa, the largest of its kind in the state. The spa’s ethos of harmonizing with Hawaiʻi’s ineffable natural beauty manifests in design strategies that beckon the elements inwards. Open-air thermal circuits, the state’s sole hammam, and a communal saltwater pool craft an immersive journey into holistic Hawaiian therapies. The spa’s 40 treatment rooms, enriched by halotherapy saunas and sound healing chambers, spotlight ancestral practices enriched by modern innovation. Treatments are interwoven with Helu Pō lunar rhythms, with ancient oli chants and harmonic resonance guiding the voyage into sublime wisdom and vitality.
8. The Longevity Spa, Portrait Milano | Milan, Italy
A daring avant-garde realm defying the limits of age itself, the Longevity Spa is the pièce de résistance of Portrait Milano. Ensconced within architect Michele De Lucchi’s meticulous restoration of a 1564 Archiepiscopal Seminary, this 7,500-square-foot domain alchemizes the building’s Renaissance Revival soul with pioneering biohacking science. The design brilliantly merges past and future: beneath the seminary’s towering vaulted ceilings, an atmosphere of tranquility reigns, with a showstopping pool and wet areas setting the tone for optimized rejuvenation through bespoke high-tech regimens. The Ferragamo family and their Longevity Suite collaborators have manifested a future-forward space that metabolizes cutting-edge technologies, regimens inspired by the world’s Blue Zones, and a holistic philosophy of prospering through science-infused natural balance.
9. Sukha Spa at Nayara Tented Camp | La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Nayara Tented Camp has unveiled Sukha Spa, a sylvan sanctum suspended opposite Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano. This immersive wellness escape transports guests into nature through three-day personalized pathways. From the creek-side treatment villas with private plunge pools to cherished volcanic mud rituals, every facet awakens the senses and attunes the spirit to the region’s biophilic essence. After therapies inspired by local healing arts, the fully-equipped gym invites further empowerment, with volcanic views providing the ultimate inspiration for fitness journeys. A love letter to “pura vida”, this sustainable, soul-nurturing oasis manifests the transformative power of uniting with the great outdoors.
10. RAKxa Wellness Spa, Castelfalfi | Montaione, Italy
Among the splendor of Tuscany’s vineyards, a groundbreaking wellness synergy has taken root at Castelfalfi resort’s RAKxa Wellness Spa. Marking the Thai brand’s European debut, RAKxa was unveiled in March 2024 as part of a multi-million-dollar renovation by Affine Design. The French design team skillfully intertwined ancient healing traditions with contemporary comforts, creating a sanctuary of earthy tones, natural materials, and seven treatment rooms. The spa also boasts saunas, steam rooms, and a stunning heated infinity pool that offers breathtaking views of the Tuscan landscape. In partnership with legacy brands like ESPA and Maria Galland Paris, the RAKxa experience introduces exclusive integrative rituals rooted in Thai, Chinese, Ayurvedic and energy healing philosophies.
11. Asaya Spa By Guerlain, Rosewood São Paulo | São Paulo Brazil
Philippe Starck has conjured a restorative urban nirvana cocooned from São Paulo’s notorious freneticism: Asaya Spa by Guerlain, where the French beauty maison’s refinement coalesces with indigenous Brazilian wellness philosophies. It’s also exclusively fueled by sustainable renewable energy. The entire property operates on 100% renewable energy, utilizes responsible waste and water management tools, and takes great effort to source materials with minimal footprint. At its core, signature Guerlain experiences like the Forest Energy and Art of Sculpt massages reinterpret local healing traditions into transformative well-being pathways. The spa’s crowning glory? The Crystal Room, an ethereal underground refuge where mirrors and crystals alchemize into a mesmerizing, transcendent meditation theater.
12. Evian Spa, Hôtel Royal | Evian-les-Bains, France
Nestled within Evian’s idyllic spring-fed terrain, the spa at Lake Geneva’s Hôtel Royal is a tribute to the local alpine flora and the mineral-laden rock formations that endow Evian with its legendary healing waters. As Europe’s first Evian-branded Spa, sprawling an impressive 18,299 square feet, it has emerged from meticulous renovations to become the continent’s premier hydrothermal retreat, with every design and sensory detail harmoniously aligned with the water cycle’s four foundational stages: celestial birth, mineral infiltration, precious reserves, and vitalizing spring. Each space immerses guests in water’s rhythmic and rejuvenating properties from the six individual and two couples’ treatment rooms framing Alpine panoramas to the communal wet areas with their hydro-circuits, snow rooms, saunas, and adjoined pools.