The Luxury Spa Edit: Retreats Worth Travelling For

There is a qualitative difference between a spa visit and a spa retreat — between an afternoon of pleasant treatments and an immersive experience that genuinely recalibrates your nervous system. The retreats on this list belong firmly in the latter category.

**SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain** (sha.es) — Considered one of Europe's most scientifically rigorous wellness destinations, SHA combines Macrobiotic nutrition, traditional Japanese medicine, and cutting-edge diagnostics in a stunning clifftop setting overlooking the Mediterranean. Minimum stays begin at four nights and treatment plans are built around comprehensive health assessments. This is wellness at its most serious and most beautiful.

**Como Shambhala Estate, Bali** (comohotels.com/comoshambhala) — Tucked into the jungle above Ubud, Como Shambhala is a retreat that works with the landscape rather than against it. The Ayurvedic treatments, yoga pavilions open to the sound of the river below, and extraordinary cuisine make this a perennial favourite among those who take their wellness seriously. Pre-dawn yoga with the sound of the jungle awakening around you is not an experience easily forgotten.

**Chablé Yucatán, Mexico** (chableresort.com) — Built around a sacred Mayan cenote, Chablé offers water-based therapies drawing on indigenous healing traditions alongside contemporary spa treatments. The cenote itself — a natural sacred pool — is open for private swim sessions at sunrise and sunset.

**Lanserhof, Austria and Germany** (lanserhof.com) — For those seeking genuine medical-grade detox and restoration, Lanserhof is without peer in Europe. Minimum stays of seven days, structured programmes, and extraordinary Alpine surroundings make this the retreat most frequently cited by those who've tried them all.

Between sessions at any great spa, a fresh juice mimosa — the vitamins of the juice, the celebratory lift of the bubbles — is a perfectly calibrated indulgence.