With its invigorating Alpine air and gamut of spas and thermal springs, Switzerland has long attracted those looking to improve their health and wellbeing. Here is our pick of where to soak and be pampered across the country.
Striking a yoga pose at the Six Senses Spa in Gstaad. Photo courtesy of the spa.
Taking a holistic approach to wellness, the Six Senses Spa at the lavish Alpina Gstaad hotel unites Swiss Alpine architecture with Asian sensibilities. Softly lit spaces with curved walls are crafted from a palette of natural materials—local pine, honey-colored stone—while Chalet-style treatment rooms feature paneled walls and bespoke art. The spa menu offers a comprehensive roster of results-driven treatments, from antiaging oxygen facials to leg bandaging using a Himalayan salt scrub, alongside chakra balancing with crystals and gems, reiki, flotation therapy, and yogic sleep sessions. Many linger in this beautiful setting—the outdoor pool reflects the peaks of the Bernese Alps—and book in for extended wellness retreats, such as Tibetan healing, as well as personalized multiday spa programs to detox and unwind.
Striking architecture at Tamina Therme in Bad Ragaz. Photo courtesy of the spa.
Mineral-rich thermal water has been pumped into Bad Ragaz since 1840, and it was here that Europe’s first indoor thermal pool opened in 1872—today’s Tamina Therme. Visitors have been taking the 36.5°C waters ever since, though things have changed dramatically on the architecture front. A recent makeover of the spa saw the addition of futuristic columns and large oval windows, creating a space of white and azure that is flooded with natural light. As alluring as the indoor pools are, the one outdoors—filled with the same 36.5°C water and fitted with whirlpools and massage recliners—may trump them, if only for the views of the Grison Alps. Many guests—some of whom drift over from the neighboring Grand Resort Bad Ragaz—swear by pool-hopping rituals at the water grottoes, heated between 17 and 39°C, to improve circulation. Others never leave the sauna complex, where each sauna is individual in design, heat, and humidity—there’s even a herbal biosauna infused with essential oils and meditation music.
