Wellness travel has been growing in prominence, and being mindful of one’s health feels more important than ever. Now an assortment of new, notable destination spas are leading the jet set to plan travel around their well-being.
EUROPE/U.K.
A pioneer in the medical spa and wellness industry, the Swiss brand Chenot has been around for nearly 50 years. Located on the idyllic shores of Lake Lucerne in the historical Swiss village of Weggis, Chenot Palace Weggis is the company’s new flagship retreat. Well-heeled guests come from around the world to follow the Chenot Method, which aims to fully detoxify and re-energize the body and mind.
With the opening of its Lake Como resort, Mandarin Oriental has planted its flag in one of Italy’s toniest addresses. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como offers a choice of heat and water experiences; guests enjoy the healing properties of the vertical Kneipp (hydrotherapy) circuit, and other highlights include a Himalayan salt room, Finnish sauna, Mediterranean bath, “emotional” (multisensory) showers, and an indoor pool with massage stations.
Cheval Blanc Paris, one of the city’s splashiest openings in recent years, marks the fifth hotel in luxury megabrand LVMH’s ultraluxe Cheval Blanc portfolio. The boutique property resides in the former La Samaritaine department store, an Art Deco landmark on the Seine. Dior Spa Cheval Blanc Paris offers a half-dozen treatment rooms, featuring fanciful touches like alpha quartz-covered massage beds and white onyx bathrooms.
Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi has been luring followers of the Chenot Method to Montenegro’s newest luxury resort. The elegant retreat on the Adriatic Sea offers privacy for those taking part in more intensive or longer treatment programs. Guests rejuvenate using the modern hydrotherapy and cryotherapy facilities, as well as a traditional hammam.
Six Senses Ibiza is poised to change the Spanish island’s reputation as a party spot for the international jet set. Set in secluded Xarraca Bay on the island’s northern tip, the resort’s spa impresses with locally inspired treatments and bespoke skin-care solutions, plus biohacking methods designed to optimize the body’s natural recovery systems. The Rose Bar longevity lounge offers impactful programs that combine diagnostics with nutritional guidance and modern healing methods.
Mallorca’s newest destination resort, Can Ferrereta, attracts visitors to its stylishly appointed, 17th-century property in the historic center of Santanyí. After strolling through the magnificent gardens, guests recharge in the Sa Calma spa, where a wide selection of multisensory treatments rebalance the body and mind with local, natural products such as seaweed, olive and almond oils, rosemary, lavender, and citrus.
One of the chicest addresses in London, 45 Park Lane—part of the Dorchester Collection of luxury hotels—recently opened The Spa at 45 Park Lane, featuring the longest indoor pool on Park Lane, a relaxation room with an open fireplace, and spa treatments by Valmont and Aromatherapy Associates.
South Lodge, a luxury spa hotel in Sussex with gorgeous views of the South Downs chalk hills, has welcomed new guests thanks to its ultramodern Spa at South Lodge. Housed in a sleek, modern building curved into the natural contours of the grounds, the spa features a vitality hydrotherapy pool and the U.K.’s first wild swimming pool, which uses no chlorine or chemicals.
U.S.
Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort—an adults-only wellness enclave in the center of one of Hawaii’s least-visited islands—is the first property from the Sensei wellness brand. Founded by Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus, Sensei is centered on the goal of helping people live longer, healthier lives through three simple paths for everyday living: move, nourish, and rest. Guests create a personalized journey featuring wellness consultations, fitness classes, spa treatments, lectures, and more.
America’s premier wine region welcomed its first Four Seasons property when the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley recently opened in the historic town of Calistoga. Designed as a tranquil oasis, the resort’s Spa Talisais centered on holistic healing. After indulging in signature treatments using mineral-rich mud from the grounds and olive oil produced from the site’s century-old olive trees, guests decompress in a relaxation garden overlooking vineyards.
NewTree Ranch, another notable Napa, Calif., newcomer, is a wellness retreat hidden away in the Pacific Redwood forest just outside the town of Healdsburg. The ranch aims to balance luxury and sustainability while encouraging its guests to reconnect with nature and their bodies through a multisensory program of spa treatments, educational classes, and more. As a homestead with a produce farm and animals, the staff combines an ethical and ecological approach to agriculture, plant-based nutrition, and wellness.
After being closed due to damages sustained from Hurricane Irma in 2017, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa—the only private island resort in the U.S.—has reopened with a complete redesign. Nestled on a scenic, 4.5-acre private island accessible only by seaplane or boat, the adults-only property eliminates distractions such as in-room telephones and televisions, delighting the CEOs and celebs who come to disconnect from the outside world. The newly built SpaTerre, with a two-story open-air atrium, offers custom-designed experiences, incorporating ancient spa traditions like Balinese treatments and Thai body rituals.
ASIA
Beautifully carved into the lush greenery of the Malaysian jungle, One&Only Desaru Coast—the brand’s first resort in Asia—is home to the first Chenot Spa on the continent. Guests navigate the property’s rainforest pathways to reach the beachside yoga pavilion, then decamp to the spa to restore and revitalize using Chenot’s noninvasive, science-backed methods.
Clinique La Prairie Bangkok —the Swiss brand’s first facility outside of Europe—has opened in the tony St. Regis Bangkok. A team of highly trained therapists and medical nurses provide discreet and highly effective treatments harnessing scientific research and innovative technology to deliver results with minimal discomfort or recovery time. Relaxation facilities include a wet area with rain showers, Thai herbal steam rooms, and a foot reflexology water wall.
Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, has opened in the shadow of Mount Yotei on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. Set amid fragrant gardens and natural hot springs, Spa Chasi La Sothys takes cues from its natural surroundings, incorporating land-sourced ingredients into treatments that blend Japanese tradition with French techniques for which the Sothys brand is known. Guests experience the power and purity of Hokkaido’s mineral-rich waters by soaking in the indoor and outdoor onsens (hot springs). Every treatment begins with a special “ritual of the earth” that incorporates the mysterious healing power of black silica, which the indigenous Ainu tribe have utilized since ancient times.
Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa, occupying the entirety of the Raa Atoll in the lesser-explored northern parts of the archipelago nation, stands out for its commitment to the environment, with an aim to rely primarily on renewable energy within the next few years. Built in Balinese style, the Emerald Spa offers Balinese and Thai treatments in bungalows, and there’s an Indonesian-style pool and relaxation area with a Jacuzzi, sauna, and Turkish baths.
