World’s Best: Five of the Best Luxury Spa and Wellness Retreats in Turkey

Now, contemporary spa retreats are popping up, offering impressive modern facilities that also honour the country’s ancient spa heritage and deeply ingrained Hammam culture. The spa and wellness retreats outlined here offer everything you’d expect from a high-end spa, from hydrothermal experiences and holistic practices to medi-spa facilities. Add luxury accommodation, exceptional coastlines and idyllic scenery, and of course the Mediterranean climate, and Turkey becomes a wellness destination not to be overlooked.

Six Senses Kaplankaya

Laid out like an authentic Mediterranean village, Six Senses Kaplankaya is a truly luxurious resort. It nestles in the natural beauty of the Bodrum peninsula, with breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea, and offers an indulgent while truly unique experience.

The resort itself is an idyllic location, surrounded by undulating hills filled with wild olives and cypress trees, and close to numerous archaeological sites, including two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

As with all Six Senses properties, it’s crowning glory is the 10,000sqm spa, fitness and health centre, which boasts state-of-the-art facilities and offers access to world-leading expert practitioners. There are countless hydrothermal facilities, a crystal steam room, a Finnish sauna, experiential rain showers, a hydrotherapy pool, an ice igloo and a salt grotto plus mixed Hammams, steam rooms and saunas. At the Six Senses Alchemy Bar you can blend your own botanical scrubs and masks while, in 38 treatment rooms, you can experience everything from Ayurvedic massages to medical assessments.

Six Senses’ integrated wellness expertise is world-renowned and Kaplankaya is no exception, seeking to integrate all aspects of health into its programmes. From sleep and diet to exercise and guided meditations, it offers a fusion of traditional and Eastern medicine, cutting-edge wellness modalities and preventive care.

Mandarin Oriental Bodrum

Spanning 2,700 sqm and spread over two levels, the spa at Mandarin Oriental Bodrum is a sanctuary for serenity that also has serious style. The spa is focused on wellness, peace and healing, offering a deeply therapeutic escape as well as a vast array of facilities.

As well as separate male and female hydrotherapy suites, there is a vitality pool with views of the Aegean Sea, a traditional Hammam and tranquil outdoor spaces including a spa garden complete with hot tub, outdoor sauna, pool and treatment cabanas. Perched atop a hill overlooking the idyllic Paradise Bay, the state of the art spa has six treatment rooms and three beauty consultation spaces. Here you can try curated signature treatments alongside modern aesthetics and tailored wellness programmes.

With products used on site including Aromatherapy Associates, Biologique Recherche and Dr Barbara Sturm, and treatments ranging from a dedicated menu of traditional Hammam experiences to cutting-edge, results-driven facials, this spa promises to restore your body, mind and spirit to a state of equilibrium. If you’re looking for a destination where you can switch off from the moment you walk through the doors, allowing a dedicated team to guide you in a more holistic approach to wellbeing, Mandarin Oriental Bodrum is the place.

Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort

Maxx Royal Resort is a realm where wellness is elevated to an art form. Located on a private peninsula in Göltürkbükü, the opulent settings is just the tip of the iceberg for this newly opened luxurious resort.

The new 5,750sqm Maxx WellBeing Centre has 20 treatment rooms with an extensive menu of both holistic and science-based treatments. If you’ve heard of it, they almost certainly offer it here – balneotherapy, IV and ozone therapies, flotation experiences and Nuvola massage are the norm. Plus there is a menu of signature spa rituals from Biologique Recherche, Art of Detox, Phytomer and Swiss Perfection, all accentuated by authentic Turkish bath treatments using locally sourced roses and rosewater.

Wellness facilities are enviable, from hydro and thermal experiences, including a herbal sauna and herbal essence steam room, to a Russian banya, rain room and Kneipp walk, as well as a scrub room with a Vichy shower. In the dedicated medi-spa area there are also nine high-tech treatment rooms, focusing on non-invasive anti-ageing experiences

To complete the offer, there is a comprehensive visiting practitioner and retreat programme, based on the Maxx Royal Seven Elements of Wellbeing programmes, which combine traditional anti-ageing protocols with holistic healing rituals.

D Maris Bay

A hidden gem, nestled amongst green hills and secluded bays near Marmaris, D-Hotel Maris is truly luxurious resort. The location alone is relaxing and restorative. It occupies a huge territory in the national park and is brilliantly situated high on a hillside of the stunning Datca Peninsula, where the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas meet, overlooking small islands, sand beaches and volcanic mountain ranges.

Like everything in the hotel, The Mytha Spa is not an afterthought, but a purposefully designed, well thought out wellness space with a steam room, sauna and an indoor pool. Mytha Spa offers a complete range of treatments and therapies inspired by ancestral Turkish practices, combined with more modern techniques. It has all the facilities you’d expect from a luxury spa, including a hot tub and thermal pool as well as a traditional Hammam and Turkish bath offering bathing rituals.

In addition, the spa offers a comprehensive range if holistic programmes including yoga and meditation on Silence Beach, and fitness sessions as well as the Bodyism programme. Bodyism is a holistic wellness company with a Notting Hill studio which personalises nutrition and exercise for guests. If you’re looking for a spa getaway that ticks all the boxes, head to D Maris Bay.

The Peninsula, Istanbul 

With a motto of ‘live lived best’ the Peninsula in Istanbul is dedicated to supporting guests’ health and vitality in every way. The Peninsula Spa and Wellness Centre occupies a hushed, marble-clad lower-level space in the hotel’s main building. There is a showpiece 25m indoor swimming pool, surrounded by Marmara columns and dramatically lit by overhead domes.

Wellness facilities include male and female saunas, Hammams, eight private treatment rooms and a tea lounge. The extensive wellness programming ranges from therapeutic massage and aromatherapy treatments to bespoke journeys such as Sleep Well Awake Well and the Detox and Adrenal Boost.Hamman treatments by Subtle Energies are traditional and exquisite, or you can choose from massages, facials and body treatments from brands including MBR and Margy’s.

Located in the the historic district of Karaköy, the hotel has a statement outdoor situated along the Bosphorus waterfront. Wellness programming also extends beyond the spa with the 24/7 Wellness Portal offering guided meditations from Breethe and in-room aromatherapy self-care rituals.