"Calmcations" Are Trending, and These Spas Offer a Hypnotically Beautiful Antidote to Everyday Tension

Forget hop-on hop-off tourism and frenetic holidays altogether. The global community has spoken loud and clear: 2025 will be the year of quiet travel, where planning vacations that can maximize our physical and mental health is the norm, and chasing after viral locations simply because of their popularity is very much out. This puts the world's best spas under the spotlight, and arguably so.

If there's an observation that emerged from our recent curation of the best design hotels, it is that 'calmcations' — or sojourns that can imbue us with a sense of calm — are on the rise: think anything from secluded cabins and rural retreats conceived to rekindle our connection to nature to gastronomy-led châteaux and, of course, wellness-centric resorts. Needless to say, this is where the best spas in the world, including the top spa hotels, come to the fore. But where should you be looking for them, and how did we select them?

At Livingetc, "bringing life to design" is the goal, but it also works the other way around. We don't just want to unearth destinations that lead the way in their field from both an experiential and a cultural perspective, as is the case of those mentioned in our Travel Trends 2025 Report. But we are also after avant-garde examples of 'breathable' interior design — places that make the artistry behind this discipline incredibly tangible, immersive, and, therefore, more widely enjoyable in our everyday life.

Spanning four continents, ten countries, and just as many décor traditions, our edit of the world's best spas presents you with soul-invigorating centers and stays that do just that, without ever compromising on their guests' wellbeing. Are these the top spa hotels across the globe? They might well be, but that isn't the point, not for us at least. From Arizona and the Swiss Alps to the valleys of Taiwan, these are the addresses that make you feel good while looking even better.

1. The Retreat at Blue Lagoon. Grindavík, IS

Best for: Nature Lovers

Norðurljósavegur 11, 241 Grindavík, Iceland

A collaboration between local studio Basalt Architects and Design Group Italia, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon's reputation as one of Iceland's most sought-after spa hotels might mean the stay looks familiar to you. Still, this doesn't mean it is any less worth putting down in your books. As one of the world's most design-forward wellness escape, the Retreat at Blue Lagoon brings the spectacle of Iceland's dramatic landscape in, welcoming guests in a subterranean sanctuary that "embodies the inspiring interplay of nature, design, and the radiant powers of geothermal seawater."

Visitors are encouraged to slow down and choose the treatment that best suits their needs, before taking part in the property's bespoke "Blue Lagoon Ritual": a three-chamber journey that sees them become one with the organic essence of volcanic earth. Throughout the experience, sleek Brutalist interiors — unfinished cement walls, chrome accents, uneven surfaces, and towering rock structures — amplify the rawness of Iceland, blurring the boundaries between the inside and the outdoors. Elsewhere, the mid-century modern furniture of its natural elements-inspired eateries (the Moss, Lava, and Spa restaurants) beautifully complements the hotel's atmosphere, making it a must-see for both nature and design lovers. With nearly 20 awards under its belt, there is a reason why the Retreat at Blue Lagoon has been named Iceland's Best Hotel Spa seven years in a row, so go and see for yourself!

Book your stay at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon.

2. Mii amo. Sedona, US

Best for: Desert Escapes

525 Boynton Canyon Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336, United States

There is something instantly awe-inspiring about Sedona's wellness hotel Mii amo, and no, it isn't just its terracotta-hued desert setting. Had American artist James Turrell been into spa retreats, I have a suspicion this would easily become his go-to getaway. Why? Simply take a look at the Gluckman Tang Architects and EDG Interior Architecture + Design-envisioned wellbeing paradise that are Mii amo's sculptural facilities — need porthole window ideas? They've got them to spare — and you'll have no further doubts.

Since its opening in 2001, this destination spa and wellness resort has been collecting accolades, growing into one of the most respected properties in the field. Completely immersed in the geographical wonders of Arizona's northern Verde Valley region, the 23-suites-and-casitas hotel and its treatment rooms expand on that Grand Canyon feel through earthy palettes, organically shaped modern furniture, crafty décor accessories, and expansive art installations. Floor-to-ceiling windows transform the spa's relaxation area into a masterpiece of desert modernism, with upholstered armchairs marrying the textural galore of the surrounding environment, while its grotto's cylindrical plaster exterior winks at the state's legendary morphology and skies — a true feast for the senses.

Book your stay at Mii amo.

3. The Chedi Andermatt. Andermatt, CH

Best for: Oriental Alpine Style Interiors

Gotthardstrasse 4, 6490 Andermatt, Switzerland

Peek inside the DENNISTON-designed, 5-star luxury hotel Chedi Andermatt's Spa & Health Club, and you will find it hard to believe it is actually situated in Switzerland. Spanning over 2,400 square meters, this lavish stay has earned itself a name for its impressive fusion of Asian-inspired and Alpine design, alongside its gastronomic and wider hospitality merits. Its spa, of course, lives up to that reputation: featuring the longest hotel pool in the country, the Chedi Andermatt's wellness facilities are a play of light and reflections, punctuated by totemic statues, colossal murals, and glamorous modern interiors.

Open to both vacationers and non-resident guests, this spa hotel features an array of saunas and baths sure to boost customers' wellbeing, including a Tibetan relaxation lounge. Named Europe's Best Luxury Mountain Resort Spa at the World Spa Awards in 2022, The Chedi Andermatt takes its visitors' health seriously. Still, it is its geographical boundaries-blurring décor that makes it a real winner in our eyes, and one of the world's best spas for the design-savvy traveler.

Book your stay at The Chedi Andermatt.

4. Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort. Mackenzie Sound, CA

Best for: Wilderness-Aided Relax

100 Little Nimmo Bay, Mackenzie Sound, Mount Waddington A, BC V0N 2R0, Canada

When in 1980, Craig Murray and his wife Deborah moved their family to Nimmo Bay, a tucked-away natural reserve on the South Coast of Canada's British Columbia, they hadn't envisioned that what they co-founded as an off-grid fishing lodge would have risen to become a leading luxury wilderness resort for travelers from across the globe, but that's the greatest part of their story. Sharing their desire for a simpler way of life and their respect for the ancient forests and the ecosystems around them with their guests, the two promote positive (and harmless) immersion in nature and greater self-care to everyone who crosses their paths, also thanks to the stay's wellness offering.

From their absorbed-in-greenery modern rustic cabin and floating sauna — yes, you read it right, floating — the in-house practitioners deliver reviving treatments to the sound of birdsong and waterfalls. The Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort's wellbeing facilities are a destination themselves, and not looking like anything we have ever seen before, we felt obliged to include them in this roundup of the best spas in the world — though we are sure you won't disapprove.

Book your stay at the Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort.

5. Euphoria Retreat. Mystras, GR

Best for: Utopian Architecture Fans

Mystras 231 00, Greece

Fantasy and reality collide at Mystras' Euphoria Retreat, a Luxury Spa Edit Awards 2025 two-times nominee. The brainchild of Greek interdisciplinary studio DECA Architecture, this Peloponnese getaway occupies a dimension of its own, more akin to the metaphysical canvases of Italian art pioneer Giorgio de Chirico and modern manifestations of utopian architecture than to the dazzling aesthetic of traditional luxury resorts. From the mystical energy of its Byzantine Hammam and the futuristic look of the Sphere Pool and the Finnish Sauna, the "journey of healing" offered at the Euphoria Retreat unfolds through countless concentric shapes, plaster volumes, and tiled walls designed to evoke a state of hypnosis.

Straddling the Eastern and the Western wellness traditions, the stay incorporates anything from Hellenic and traditional Chinese medicine to naturalism into a philosophy that transcends the fast pace of the world as we know it. The same is true of its imaginatively conceived interiors, where nods to ancient basilicas and alien spaceships are equally present, conveying the ideas of transition and rebirth that sit at the heart of the hotel's philosophy. Between 2018 and today, the Euphoria Retreat has distinguished itself for its "holistic" approach to wellness. To us, though, the real experience lies in its mind-bending architectural volumes, whose Tower of Babel references, countless arches, and mixture of old and new turn the hotel into the stuff of dreams.

Book your stay at the Euphoria Retreat.

6. HOSHINOYA Guguan. Taichung City, TW

Best for: Indoor-Outdoor Living and Interiors

424, Taiwan, Taichung City, Heping District, 東關路一段溫泉巷16號

Judge us not, but there wasn't a way for us not to mention Taichung City's HOSHINOYA Guguan in this world's best spas listicle after taking a look at the property's vegetation-immersed hot spring baths and scenic indoor infinity pool. Crafted to enthrall by Azuma Architect & Associates, the creative eye behind all of the group's resorts, the stay's interiors were designed to channel the grandeur and peacefulness of the surrounding valley, unlocking the mythology of Taiwanese culture through a truly immersive experience.

Filled with soft low-alkaline, hydrogen carbonate hot spring waters, both the indoor pool and the outdoor water feature baths are known for their revitalizing powers. Across the property, the sophisticated dialogue between the Japanese style décor-inspired interiors, brought to life by precious Taiwanese textiles, woodwork, and crafts, and the sprawling vegetation around them exemplifies the essence of indoor-outdoor living. At a glance, it is instantly clear why HOSHINOYA Guguan makes the ideal retreat for travelers in search of calm, and one of the most spellbinding spa hotels for both minimalist design and wilderness lovers.

Book your stay at HOSHINOYA Guguan.

7. Six Senses Southern Dunes. The Red Sea Development, SA

Best for: State-of-the-Art Treatments and Design

The Red Sea Development, Umluj 48321, Saudi Arabia

Live your One Thousand and One Nights dream at Six Senses Southern Dunes, the 2024 winner of the World's Best Spa Design award, and see how past, present, and future collide at this luxury Saudi Arabia resort. Signed by acclaimed British architectural firm Foster + Partners, this recent addition to the hotel group's global portfolio doesn't go unnoticed. Expanding across some 4,000 square meters, Six Senses Southern Dunes is where the region's centuries-old Hammam tradition meets today's ongoing digital renaissance to allow guests to take full control of their wellbeing. Through smart tech-engineered wellness screenings, skin analyses, and biohacking, the resort succeeds in providing visitors with a thoroughly personalized regenerative experience, unfolding across multiple dedicated spaces including six treatment rooms, an anti-aging center, and a meditation dome.

A similar synthesis is at the center of the hotel's interiors, where modern rustic décor is perfected and reinvented at a colossal scale, with floating rattan parasols, wood-carved sculptural tables, and soft upholstery imbuing the ambiance with a casual chic, coastal feel. As for the meditation dome itself, it is a livable artwork where Saudi Arabia's natural color scheme is made architecture: think lapis lazuli blue, or sandy argilla, tiled surfaces and glam golden accents that blend the sacred and the profane. In short, the Six Senses Southern Dunes isn't just one of the world's best spas for design insiders — it is a glimpse into Arabian culture and heritage at their finest, with local artisanry, materials, and traditions woven throughout it.

Book your stay at Six Senses Southern Dunes.

8. Amanemu. Ise-Shima, JP

Best for: Onsen-Curious and Japanese Décor Addicts

Hamajima-cho, 2165 Hamajimacho Hazako, Shima-shi, Mie 517-0403, Japan

As far as wellness is concerned, it doesn't get any chicer than at the continents-spanning Aman resorts. Nestled within southern Japan's Ise-Shima National Park, Amanemu and its expansive spa complex are no exception. A perfectly balanced encounter between traditional Japanese wellness practices and contemporary luxury, the hotel is entirely drenched in warm cedar wood and flared leg furniture, both of which contribute to heightening the property's effortlessly stylish dimension.

In the Onsen ("hot springs") spa, which fuels a tradition first documented some 1,300 years ago and, possibly, even more ancient, low-lying black wooden seats are enriched by lighter wooden details, reinventing Japan's heritage décor for the contemporary traveler. Featuring multiple treatment rooms, an aqua movement suite, and seasonal spa journeys, as well as a beauty salon, the Amanemu spa is a gateway to multisensory relaxation. Outside, beautiful futons, daybeds, and wooden pavilions dot the otherwise Brutalist frame of the pools, encircling the secluded thermal spring garden which acts as an oasis of comfort, quiet, and privacy.

Book your stay at Amanemu.

9. Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda. Gargnano, IT

Best for: Made-in-Italy Quiet Travel

Via Angelo Feltrinelli, 136, 25084 Gargnano BS, Italy

Call me biased, but I have rarely seen a better-located wellness center than the Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda, though I admit that having grown up in the area might have something to do with that. In the past year, this scenic retreat, positioned on the hilltops of the vibrant town of Gargnano and overlooking the Brescian coast of Lake Garda, has earned 12 among awards and nominations, including the titles of Best Luxury Sustainable Spa in Southern Europe at the World Luxury SPA Awards 2024, Best Destination Spa in Europe at the European Health & SPA Award, and a Michelin Guide's Michelin Key.

If the communal areas and suites of the hotel stand out for their modern classic interiors, in the spa, it is the linear elegance of Scandinavian design to prevail. Wrapped in exaggeratedly wide glass windows, this wellness haven offers guests the opportunity to soak in the views of the 11-hectare park around it from the comfort of its sleek six saunas and five relax areas. Complete with multiple infinity pools and nestled in a tranquil, breathtaking area of Lombardy, Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda turns your visit to one of the world's best spas into the ultimate Italian romance.

Book your stay at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda.

10. Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech. Marrakech, MO

Best for: Lavish Wellness, at Its Finest

Route du Golf Royal, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco

To any wellness fan, Mandarin Oriental properties will need no introduction, but this Gilles & Boissier-envisioned spa at the firm's Marrakech hotel reaches new design heights even for the storied hospitality brand. Launched in the spring of 2015, the stay isn't just one the world's best spa for design aficionados, but it was also recognized as Morocco's, Africa's, and the World's Best Resort Spa at the 2024 World Spa Awards. Titles aside, its intricately beautiful décor speaks for itself. "Inspired by the cathedrals and ancient mosques of Andalusia, French duo Gilles & Boissier also imbued this sun-drenched spa with distinctly Moroccan flourishes," explains the group. Here, "Marrakech's ubiquitous red bricks cover the walls and columns while, in one tranquil treatment room, select therapies take place in an olive-shaded private garden."

Whether through water games, mesmerizing tile work, or lush greenery, the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech draws "from the five elements and engages the five senses". Lights and shadows paint visions on the calm waters of its indoor pools, while the on-site, lavish hammam — filled with earthy mosaiced walls, golden mirrors, and arched passageways — captivates guests with traditional herbs and spices like orange blossom, lavender, and jasmine oil in a 3-hour-long, holistic ritual designed "to unspool any stubborn knots and worries".

Book your stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech.

There are plenty of ways to bring the revitalizing energy of calmcations into our lives, and booking a treatment at one of the world's best spas and wellness resorts isn't but one of them. Sometimes all it takes to recover the peace of mind you have been missing is to return to a healthy fitness routine — and chic exercise mats can be your ally in keeping your motivation high while adding aesthetics into the mix.

Keen to stay put rather than taking off on a journey? We get you, and our directory of spa bathroom ideas has been bring the feel of a long-awaited vacation straight into your home. Just follow them closely, then sit back, and relax.