Seven of the Best Luxury Spa and Wellness Retreats in Spain
Spain is a haven for uber luxurious wellness escapes. Where better to soothe the soul and focus on your health than on a sun-soaked retreat in the Iberian Peninsula?
With more than 3,000 miles of sunny coastline and more blue flag beaches than any other European country, Spain is the perfect destination for a wellness retreat. In recent years, Spain has emerged as a sun-drenched a hub for wellness, with the slower-paced coastal areas and scenic islands lending themselves perfectly to a luxury spa escape.
These seven Spanish wellness retreats promise rest, relaxation and recuperation alongside some seriously results-driven programming. You’ll find these luxury resorts staggered throughout Spain, each offering a moment of calmness and balance as well as, in many cases, state-of-the-art biohacking or longevity-focussed offerings.
Here’s our pick of the some of the best luxury spa and wellness retreats in Spain to help you choose your perfect spa getaway.
Anantara Villa Padierna Palace, Marbella – Best for… the healing powers of water
With more than 2,000sqm dedicated to sumptuous Roman baths, a Hammam and a pool – all basking in landscaped gardens and palatial surroundings – Anantara Spa is one of the largest and most luxurious in all of Europe.
The five-star Anantara Spa is a sanctuary dedicated to the healing powers of water. Whether you prefer floating, swimming or steaming, it offers a three-tiered programme that targets your body and mind from the inside out with one aim – R&R. The spa includes Indian and Balinese salt steam facilities, Finnish and Greek saunas and a Laconium as well as 10 treatment rooms and two water massage rooms. The indoor hydrotherapy circuit also has an indoor swimming pool with massage jets, a plunge pool and an aromatic relaxation area. It’s water-based wellness at its finest.
The Spa specialises in personalised, curated paths to wellbeing. Its top notch signature journeys will immerse you in a world of calm, including purpose-designed movements to stimulate circulation and promote deep relaxation. The medical menu includes slim and detox programmes, as well as an overall health reset. The seven-day Slim & Detox pathway includes up to three medical consultations, physical activities and guided spa circuits, plus body and massage treatments. The Healthy Programme helps combat stress with a range of scrubs, wraps, detox massages and a facial. Everything is overseen by the spa’s team of experts, which includes physiotherapists, treatment therapists, personal trainers and aesthetic beauticians, plus visiting wellness practitioners.
A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, Anantara Villa Padierna Palace also has three golf courses, access to the beaches of the Costa del Sol and the towns of Malaga and Rhonda.
SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante – Best for… integrated wellness
The multi award-winning SHA Wellness Clinic is as exclusive as a wellbeing retreat can get. Sitting majestically above the beach town of Albir on the Costa Blanca, SHA is a world-renowned pioneer of integrated wellness, blurring the best of Eastern and Western medicine. Perched on a mountainside in the Sierra Helada Natural Park, the setting is as iconic as the spa itself.
A state-of-the-art luxury medical spa retreat, SHA Wellness Clinic is dedicated to helping you achieve lifelong health and wellbeing. Divided into Occident, Orient and Balance areas, SHA’s wellness facilities span more than 6,000sqm. Take your pick from an extensive hydrotherapy circuit with two indoor pools plus a thermal suite with steam and sauna experiences such as a Hamman and thalassotherapy.
SHA has created focused, results-driven programmes offering everything from Chinese medicine and holistic rituals to high-end aesthetics, non-invasive facials, massages and water therapies. Programmes include Rebalance & Energise, for those wanting to improve their overall lifestyle; Leader’s Performance, designed for stress management for senior executives; and Ageing & Prevention, for anyone looking to slow down the effects of growing older.
The illustrious SHA Method focuses on healthy nutrition, natural therapies, preventive and healthy ageing medicine, advanced aesthetics, cognitive stimulation, emotional health, wellbeing and inner balance, and physical performance. The overall aim? To help you achieve optimal physical and mental wellbeing by boosting your body’s healing power. The focus is complete rejuvenation so if you’re looking for a high-end, tailored wellness break, where you’ll leave feeling better than ever before, SHA is the place to go.
Six Senses Ibiza – Best for… a sustainably conscious retreat
If you are looking to see a different side to the party capital that is the white isle, Six Senses Ibiza is the answer. Blending seamlessly into its lush surroundings, it’s the perfect place for a spiritually uplifting – and sustainable – luxury wellness holiday. The property has received international recognition for its eco-friendly architecture and design, and the hotel is the first BREEAM-certified resort in the Balearics. Six Senses has also partnered with the Ibiza Preservation Fund to protect the island’s land and sea biodiversity.
Overlooking the crystal-clear waters of Cala Xarraca beach in the north of the island, the Six Senses spa is the resort’s crowning glory. At 1,200sqm, its wellness offer combines high-touch personal expertise with high-tech modalities. For facilities, think vitality pool, Hammam, steam room, sauna, infrared sauna, caldarium bath, cryotherapy chamber and Six Senses’ unique Alchemy Bar, where you can blend your own essential oils using exotic potions of herbs, salts and fruits. At the RoseBar there’s a focus on longevity. In this a one-of-a-kind longevity club you can try biohacking therapies, sleep programming, personal training and energy medicine to boost your body’s natural healing abilities and reset your energy levels.
The five treatment rooms are in catacombs with direct access to the nearby organic gardens, where ingredients for the spa botanicals are grown. Treatments include signature massages and advanced facials using Biologique Recherche. Mindfulness offerings include guided meditation, chakra meditation, yoga nidra and sound healing. The overarching philosophy at Six Senses is integrated wellness, providing the best base to help you flourish, in tune with your natural flow.
Palasiet Thalasso Clinic & Hotel, Valencia – Best for… thalassotherapy
A sprawling 2,700sqm, Thalasso Spa on the Costa del Azahar, Palasiet Thalasso Clinic is set within the gardens of a 19th century classical villa. The spa has been offering high-end healing thalassotherapy treatments since 70s.
As the leading thalassotherapy centre in Spain, Thalasso Spa is a place for holistic wellness and medically-supervised health therapy. In a truly therapeutic setting, you can experience personalised journeys that incorporate the Spa’s five pillars of wellbeing: thalassotherapy, healthy nutrition, physical activity, emotional balance and modern medical treatments, all led by the resort’s exceptional multidisciplinary team.
As you would expert, thalassotherapy offerings are the cornerstone of the Palasiet’s facilities, with seawater and other marine elements used for all therapeutic treatments. The Palasiet experience, for example, includes a thermal seawater pool with underwater whirlpool beds, a Finnish sauna, vaporarium, Turkish bath, phlebitis circuit and whirlpool bath.
The resort’s Thalasso Clinic offers seawater-based treatments to aid relaxation, reduce cellulite, improved circulation and physical and mental wellbeing. The clinic also offers state-of-the-art facial and body aesthetic treatments, as well as group movement sessions such as yoga and Pilates. There is also a collection of dedicated programmes available to target weight loss, fitness, stress, toxins and the menopause.
Camiral Golf & Wellness, Girona – Best for… targeted health improvement
Nestled in the Catalan forest, the 1,000sqm wellness centre at Camiral Golf & Wellness provides long-lasting wellness benefits for your mind, body and soul. Facility highlights include an extensive hydrotherapy suite, a Hammam, a cryotherapy sauna, fitness studio, spa pools and relaxation areas.
You can choose from six targeted health improvement categories, depending on your need. Bodyworks and Rituals are two-hour retreats to awaken the senses, including personalised massage, osteopathy, reflexology and mindfulness. Or a selection of Wellness Programmes tackles immunity support, detoxification and ageing. The Sports Recovery Programme also incorporates state-of-the-art technologies such as cryotherapy, oxygen chamber therapy and photo biomodulation. The Movement Programme features classes in yoga and Pilates, while Aesthetics & Beauty offers facials and massage with product partners Aromatherapy Associates and Biologique Recherche. Whichever you choose, you’re guaranteed to leave feeling like a new person.
There are also series of retreat offerings at Camiral Golf & Wellness. The Wellness Series has been mindfully curated by in-house and external wellness experts to improve your health and wellbeing. Each journey combines naturopathic and holistic therapies with a programme of fitness classes, yoga and meditation, with opportunities to taste the produce grown at the resort – from honey to wine.
Finca Cortesin, Estepona – Best for… an Asian-themed spa experience
Perhaps best known for being home to one of Spain’s finest golf courses, Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol also has outstanding spa. Set on a 215-hectare estate and surrounded by undisturbed nature, the wellness centre is a gigantic 2,200sqm and really quite something.
Divided into designated areas for face and body treatments, the plush spa has 11 treatment rooms and three thermal areas – one female, one male and one unisex – all equipped with a sauna, Turkish bath and relaxation area. The couple’s suite even has a Roman bath. There is also a plunge pool and a bracing snow cave, as well as a 25m indoor swimming pool.
The oriental-influenced spa was designed to offer quality Asian treatments and is staffed with expert Thai therapists to ensure you enjoy a truly authentic experience. There are eight oriental massages on offer, including Thai and Balinese, plus the chance to try Hawaiian Lommi Lommi. Body treatments and facial therapies are provided by leading French specialist Biologique Recherche.
The Thai spa is all about the rustic details, which transport you to the Orient – think potted ferns, mirrors made of driftwood and giant conch shells. There’s a small gym and salon too, plus personal-training sessions too, plus tennis classes. In the Arani yoga and meditation centre, you can try every type of yoga imaginable, from power vinyasa to classic hatha, as well as Prāṇāyāma breathing, sound bathing and yoga nidra.
Cap Rocat, Bay of Palma, Mallorca – Best for… seclusion and privacy
In the middle of a 30-hectare nature reserve with a 2km marine protected coast, Cap Rocat is the Mediterranean’s most private and secluded spa resort. Set within a stunning 19th century former military fortress, the setting is truly remarkable, and the atmosphere is timeless.
The bold architecture of the fortress has been transformed into a luxury hotel with courtyards, streets, secret watchtowers and battlements carved into the rock, all transformed into elegant rooms. Wellbeing is an integral part of the guest experience and the spa is carved out of the depths of the rocks. It has a striking saltwater swimming pool at its centre and, although some 12 metres below ground level, is flooded with light from the conservatory-style glass roof.
As well as a large Hammam and relaxing room, (with individual day beds, theatrically dressed with huge curtains) there are five treatment rooms and a quaint tea room. The spa offers three unique themed experiences – visiting ancient Mediterranean colonies, discovering the exoticism of the Philippines or balancing the five elements in your body and exploring 5,000 years of wellness wisdom in India.
Considered as a ritual for resting, purifying and detoxifying the skin and body, Hammam treatments are available for between 60 and 120 minutes. Ayurveda treatments include an udvarthana detox, a abhyanga and shirodhara massage, or Indian head massage. It’s the perfect place to experience a wellness experience worthy of a Sultan.