Changes to hotels in Monaco are like a facelift: inevitable, technically optional, but revealed with a certain splash of confidence. The latest to undergo its transformation is the Métropole, which last year unveiled a sweeping renovation that has brought the already decadent property into a new era of opulence. Its new spa is a showstopper, too. Designed by Samy Irani, the space leans into minimalism and a hushed palette of quiet luxury—which in these parts is actually quite revolutionary. It’s the hottest spa appointment to book in the Principality, especially if you’re keen on facials of the anti-aging variety.

The treatment to book: You’ll want to book anything that involves Longeviskin, the proprietary, high-tech anti-aging device developed by Guerlain—it combines LED therapy, micro currents, micro peels, ultrasound, cryotherapy and radiotherapy into one impressive system.

LA SPA Sisley Paris at ROMEO Roma

A spa built around a glass-bottom pool suspended over archaeological remains, turning each swim into a quite literal float through history? Color us intrigued. ROMEO Roma takes that cinematic premise and has built an entire concept around it: a 15,000 square feet of a spa in partnership with Sisley Paris, which feels less like a hotel spa and more like a literal temple to wellness. The experience is anchored in the botanical philosophy of Sisley Paris, with essential oils driving every treatment.

The treatment to book: A Sisley Phyto-Aromatic massage, followed by a slow return to that suspended pool area. You’ll be feeling like Roman royalty in no time.

What distinguishes Six Senses from the crowded field of London hotel spas is its focus on appealing to visitors and Londoners alike. Designed by AvroKO with EPR Architects, this cavernous subterranean space features all the bells and whistles that modern wellness aficionados crave: contrast therapy, infrared saunas, red light therapy, compression boots, electro stimulators and more—all of which is calibrated into personalized protocols such as sleep, detoxification or performance. A partnership with HUM2N Longevity Clinic has brought medical-grade diagnostics and advanced biomarker testing to elevate this from mere hotel spa into bona fide biohacking.

The treatment to book: There is a robust treatment menu to peruse, but the 30-minute “Tension Soother” back, neck and shoulder massage feels particularly apropos for busy Londoners.

Perched in the hills above Florence, Collegio Alla Querce’s Aelia spa trades the usual grand hotel wellness theatrics for something more quiet and personal. There are no communal locker rooms or jumbo-sized thermal circuits here—guests are ushered from a garden-facing lounge into one of just four treatment rooms, including two spa suites with soaking tubs and steam showers. The experience is highly personalized, with bespoke treatments powered by Furtuna Skin, a Sicilian line created from organic olive oil and wild-foraged botanicals.

The treatment to book: Check out the “Olive Oil & Tuscan Lemon,” an invigorating full-body exfoliation with warm olive oil, Tuscan lemons and foraged herbs.

This newcomer brings a soupçon of French glamour to the Italian Riviera. This is the country’s first permanent Dior Spa, and leans into that languid, distinctly Portofino sense of luxury with indoor-outdoor treatment rooms, a rooftop relaxation terrace, and views of the sea that would make Fellini weep. The menu emphasizes things like sculpting massages, lymphatic therapies, and facial therapies that will leave you looking as glowy and sculpted as a couture gown.

Lake Constance in Germany glitters with bands of gray, silver, and ice blue. A blackbird chatters noisily and I catch the scent of magnolia. For once I’m not worrying about anything. I’m not distracting myself with my phone or a book or a bar of candy. I’m halfway through a 21-day fast at Buchinger Wilhelmi—the spiritual and scientific birthplace of modern fasting—and my preconceptions have all been blown out of the water. For years I’d thought Buchinger was “just a weight-loss place,” that it simply offered an extension of the intermittent fasting craze that has swept the wellness world. I expected to be bored, maybe a little lonely, and very hungry. What I hadn’t expected was a deep inner recalibration, tantamount to a spring clean of the soul.

The clinic was founded in the 1950s by Otto Buchinger, a naval doctor who learn about fasting in India and was said to have been cured of severe rheumatoid arthritis following a 19-day water fast. He dedicated his life to fasting and yet, right from the start, it was about more than the physical effects of abstinence.

“When a person fasts, they are in a state of maximum receptiveness that can bring about profound and comprehensive change,” he claimed. Buchinger himself was an avowed yet non-dogmatic Christian who integrated a plethora of spiritual and cultural influences into his model of therapeutic fasting. His “nine elements of soul nourishment” included “meditation and adoration,” spending time in nature, reading spiritual literature, surrounding oneself with good companions, using music, art, and movement to nourish body and soul; and valuing a “God-given” sense of humor and self-deprecation.

This spiritual, emotional, and physical reset is a million miles away from the hormone pummeling of current weight-loss drugs, and the aughts’ detox ethos. Its origins lie in ancient Greek philosophy and Ayurvedic purification; it is woven through Christian, Islamic, Sufi, and Buddhist traditions. Fasting was never intended as a pound shredder: it was seen as a pathway to clarity, renewal, and self-mastery. Nowadays at Buchinger, it’s about shifting from symptom blasting to a nuanced understanding of how our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs affect our bodies. 

“More and more guests come to us for the spiritual dimension,” says Leonard Wilhelmi, Otto’s great-grandson who now heads the business side of the operation. “Everything becomes clearer when you fast. We see a transformation after five days or so.” His cousin, Dr. Verena Buchinger, is the medical director: “Guests frequently have epiphanies; some claim it’s a spiritual reset,” she agrees.

Longevity-obsessed North Americans, including myself, initially jumped on the sauna bandwagon for its long touted health and recovery benefits. Research has shown regular sauna use can improve blood pressure, cholesterol and reduce stress and help with inflammation and muscle soreness. Sauna with others, however, and the benefits increase. According to a 2026 study, collective sauna rituals significantly improve mental and physical wellbeing by fostering social connection and community belonging.

Only recently have Canadians and Americans embraced saunas socially. “The reason it’s taken off in North America is because so many people are feeling overstimulated, isolated, and disconnected, and these spaces offer a rare opportunity to feel present with yourself and with others in real life again,” said Amanda Laine, co-founder of Othership, a bathhouse with locations in New York and Toronto.

My previous experience of saunas had always been solitary. At gyms or spas, people were encouraged to be quiet or keep voices to a whisper. I would stare at the sand timer on the wall willing it to empty faster. But during the aufguss ceremony at BASIN Glacial Waters, people smiled and laughed and swayed to the music, and Kyan’s dance-like towel moves distracted me from the discomfort of the heat.

“Bringing entertainment into the sauna makes the experience a joint one,” said Robert Hammond, president of Therme US, part of the Therme Group that operates spas across Europe, Asia, and Canada, and has bathhouse projects planned in Dallas and Washington, DC, “The heat pushes you toward euphoria, and having a shared focus, like a performer, makes connection that much easier.”

The Fontainebleau Las Vegas puts on one of the steamiest shows on the strip in its 350-square foot, 40 person event sauna. The resort employs ten certified Aufgussmeisters who put on a total of eight, 15-minute shows a day, which blend aromatherapy, choreographed towel movements, and vivid imagery projected onto a 110-inch screen. “Our daily ceremonies are consistently full, and for many guests, it becomes the defining moment of their stay,” said Ashley Tullo, Fontainebleau’s wellness activations specialist.

I know that I’m not alone when I click to book a hotel, it’s after careful consideration of the fitness facilities. But lately, hotels have taken a huge leap forward from providing a tiny basement gym to, on my last hotel stay at The Berkeley in London, a curated trolley of bespoke weights, straps, and medicine balls, ready for a workout session in the comfort and privacy of my room.

Wellness tourism has been on the rise for years. In fact, the 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor reported a new market peak of $6.8 trillion. And while retreats are a significant driver, more and more of us want health and wellbeing integrated into our regular travel experience. “Wellbeing is no longer resigned to the spa, but has become an ecosystem with touch points that span across the entire aspect of a stay, and guests expect this to extend to their bedrooms too,” Aimee Hodgkin, hotel curation and partnerships director at Mr & Mrs Smith, says.

I’ve been covering wellness for nearly 20 years, as well as traveling the world for my job, and I’ve slowly been seeing hotels up their game from frankly poor offerings—even at the smartest addresses—to something that makes you feel genuinely excited about traveling. In the last few months, I’ve opened mini bars to find CBD drops and sleep patches, or pulled out an LED red light mask from my bedside drawer, or worked out with a weights trolley or a Peloton bike, perhaps followed by an IV recovery drip on the sofa, or eased my muscles in a steam pod.

The reason? Because it is increasingly important to guests, says Hattie David-Wilkinson, global head of wellness and longevity at Maybourne, which has recently invested heavily in in-room options. “Gone are the days when a vacation or trip automatically equals a pause from health routines. We view travel as an opportunity to support performance and recovery, not disrupt it. We want to ensure guests have the tools to return home feeling better than when they arrived.”

Many new hotels know that wellness is an important selling point and that in-room offerings set the best apart. “We recognized early on that wellness is no longer confined to a spa visit, gym session, or indeed a physical space. This led to us bringing different elements into the design of the room,” says Oliver Milne-Watson, general manager at The Newman in London.

What’s interesting is the variety of wellness options available in-room at hotels embracing the trend. Because, as Milne-Watson notes, “wellness is not prescriptive, it is personal.” And as these are not health retreats, there is no shame in balancing wellness with a well-earned glass of something from the traditional mini bar, later. “We give our guests the freedom to shape their own experience,” he says. And there’s no better place to do that than in the privacy of your own room.

The best hotels offering in-room wellness

The Berkeley, London

When Maybourne posted a picture of its newly-launched Surenne trolley, it went viral, such was the lust for bespoke weights gear at the foot of your bed. When you see it in person, it’s even more impressive: a chicly designed bespoke trolley with gorgeously muted equipment that looks at home amongst the wood-panneled suites. Add in the newly launched wellness menu by Rosemary Ferguson, available for in-room dining, which she created for the group due in part to her own frustration as a frequent traveler at not always being able to access healthy food, and a selection of beauty products in the fridge, and you’ll leave The Berkeley feeling better than when you checked in.

We’d been reluctant to return for years—the last time we were there, in 2021, we were in town to clean out our old house after my husband’s death. I hadn’t considered going back until I noticed a new Hampton Bays hotel while working on the last Readers’ Choice Awards. It was nice to see the town named; compared to neighboring places like East Hampton and Amagansett, our little hamlet was decidedly un-glitzy. I’d always clock that it’d be left off maps of the Hamptons that graced the totes bags and sweatshirts of trendy brands. It made me wonder what it would be like to experience our former home as visitors.

Dante and I considered our curiosity. Picking up the thread with new memories could offset any discomfort. It would be healing. We hadn’t been to the beach in ages. Running along the shore had always been an act that grounded us and proved therapeutic, and we also wanted to see what was new in the area.

The author and her son, Dante

Alexandra Sanidad

I’d been curious about Shou Sugi Ban House since it opened in 2018. It has a quiet, decidedly not-kid-friendly atmosphere that seemed suitable for exploring our new time together as adults. Though I had passed this location no doubt one million times en route to the nearby Southampton Jitney stop, it’s so discrete that I’d never noticed it. The barn-inspired buildings have glass walls that look out onto graveled paths, with tall grasses surrounded by evergreen—a microcosm of what makes this area special. We slept in our own beautifully appointed cottages, an indulgence we wouldn’t have allowed ourselves in the past. The added privacy allowed us both to enjoy the deep tubs in our bathrooms—his was modern and egg-shaped while mine was made from Japanese hinoki wood—and nap at our leisure or read without interruption.

This set-up was ideal as we had ample solitude to reset, but also many chances to simply be present together. We experienced the water circuit, replete with infrared sauna and three outdoor pools that I couldn’t have done with him when he was younger—not that it would’ve even caught his interest then. We also enjoyed a sound bath and guided meditations as part of a class of four. Lying in the dark, listening to rain sticks and resonating gongs, I reflected on my former life as a young wife and mom of a little boy, and felt deep gratitude at being able to experience the East End again with my grown son.

.Here Baa Atoll — Maldives

Six Senses retreats have a tendency to show up in the world’s most remote destinations—the mountains of Bhutan, the deserts of Saudi Arabia, or the beaches of the Seychelles, for instance—where majestic natural landscapes are as intrinsic to the healing experience as a menu of sound baths, cryotherapy, and acupuncture. Trading the tropics for the heart of London may seem like an unlikely backdrop for the brand’s 27th opening, but there’s also something to be said for arriving at the Six Senses London without a multi-leg, multi-day journey that requires, say, a wellness retreat to recover from.

It’s easy to forget you’re in one of the world’s busiest cities when you enter a lush lobby brimming with more than 1,000 plants, and the 109 rooms, with bleached-wood floors, sage and blue accents, cloudlike beds, and fixtures that are a nod to the building’s Art Deco heritage, manage to deftly block out the tourist hordes of Notting Hill not far away, making for a surprisingly soft landing for an urban retreat. In the historic Whitely Building, the city’s first department store, tailoring now comes in the form of personalized itineraries incorporating massages, facials, ice baths, sleep tracking, quartz crystal beds, and much more, depending on what your biometrics reveal about you. But Londoners don’t have to book a staycation to reap the benefits: The opening also marks the debut of Six Senses Place, the brand’s first members club, drawing residents who may want to incorporate visits to the hammam, red-light therapy chamber, cutting-edge gym, Place restaurant, Alchemy Bar, or floatation pods into their own after-work or weekend regimens.

And it’s easy to extend that idea of wellness after leaving the hotel for the day. Located in one of London’s most iconic corners, the regal Hyde Park is just a stroll away, making it the perfect place to unwind during a full day of strolls, picnics and more (don’t miss a stop into the phenomenal Serpentine Gallery). And should you feel like dipping into classic London, Notting Hill, with its quaint shops, pubs, markets and more, shoulders up to the park. Combining both the park and Notting Hill is a quintessentially perfect London day. Be sure to wear sensible but fashionable footwear to keep you comfy for a day of pounding the pavement and the park. In London, a light but sturdy jacket is always a must. And a tip: always pack a sleek pair of sunnies or a foulard in your handbag. The weather in London is famously moody, and access to either will help elevate your outfit to instant urban chic.

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I came to SHA because my matrescence had been the culmination of three long years of IVF—so much more than the usual nine months of hormonal, emotional, and physical changes of a pregnancy. Not only had I been subjected to thousands of needles and gallons of medications, but this roller coaster unfolded during my 40s, leaving my mind and body constantly at odds with each other. Disrupted sleep? Patchy skin? Absconding period? Unexplained anxiety? All elements of a not-so-fun game I call “Postpartum or Perimenopause?”

How do you address something you don’t fully understand? The numbers are a good place to start. “I think you’re really tired,” said Dr. Gabriela Dueñas during my functional medicine assessment. Ordinarily that’s a laughable observation to make to the mother of a newborn, but Dr. Dueñas came armed with data. Numbers and stats projected onto the wall supported her thesis: My progesterone was low, my cortisol was high, my physical stress was through the roof, but my mental stress was, mercifully, quite balanced—likely due to my saint of a husband managing as many external factors as he could. “You have to start learning how to release and relax and reconnect,” she continued. Doctor’s orders.

The regimen she prescribed included facials and massages and time at a subterranean hydrotherapy circuit overlooking the mangroves, but also an EKG, physiotherapy, and a gynecological exam—all firsts for me at a wellness retreat. Running up and down the six-story clinic between sessions was like being back in school again, only I’d swapped calculus and French for ginger therapeutic compresses, intermittent hypoxia, IV ozone therapy, and Pranayama. It was a more rigorous course load than I’d expected from a relaxing spa getaway, but I was here to do the work, after all.