Condé Nast Traveller Reveals The World's Best Spas For 2017

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Condé Nast Traveller has revealed the world’s best spas in 2017.

The eight winners of the Condé Nast Traveller Spa Awards represent the best of the best in relaxation, re-alignment, and rejuvenation. At the very top of the list is Borgo Egnazia, a 5-star hotel in Puglia, Italy, and home to 2017’s “most life-changing” spa experience.

CN Traveller describes the hotel’s Vair Spa as “a full-on immersion into mind-blowing healing methods with shamans and sonatas.” The spa’s website sets the tone in simpler terms: “Time is precious. Waste it wisely.”

It starts with the setting. Borgo Egnazia is a magnificent, medieval-looking sanctuary crafted entirely from white stone. Waiting just outside are Puglia’s ancient olive groves and crystal blue Adriatic waters. Step inside and you’ll be greeted by sumptuous white-on-cream décor punctuated by the occasional nature-inspired flourish.

The hotel’s facilities include a golf course, two beaches, two beach clubs, 40-acre grounds, a gym and yoga studio, hairdressers, bike hire, L’Amande bath products, and four heated pools (complete with sun loungers and parasols). The highlight, as you’ve surely guessed, is the two-floor, 200-square-metre spa.

Treatments at Vair are inspired by local traditions. Guests can indulge in a Roman bath ritual with an Apuglian pink-salt scrub, or experience an ancient therapeutic ritual for women involving music. Other treatments take a more international approach. Instructors teach Iyengar yoga, practitioners offer Chinese cupping therapy, and the ‘FENODD’ service takes inspiration from the Turkish hamam experience.

A continent over, the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Thailand took the title of Most Outstanding City Spa. Other winners came from Germany, India, Thailand, Mexico, and Cyprus. Check out the full list above.