Healing Waters: 10 Incredible Spa Hotels

Mayan Health Rituals at the Rosewood Mayakoba

On Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Rosewood Mayakoba features 128 suites as well as an overwater spa that specializes in Mayan health rituals. The spa’s Temazcal Ritual draws on ancient customs for producing heat and steam. Mayan history weaves...

Custom Spa Treatments at Four Seasons Hualalai

Before their scrub, wrap, or massage, spa guests visit the Apothecary, where they choose from a list of ingredients that includes black lava salt, hibiscus, honey, and macadamia nuts.

From $795. (808) 325-8000. Photo
This appeared in the...

A Spot for Indulgence in a Former Convent in Cuzco

Orient-Express has turned an 18th-century convent into a hotel, preserving the courtyards and frescoes. Native experts designed bath products that use coca leaves and white sage from Lake Titicaca.

From $595. 51/(0) 16-108-300. This appeared in...

Achieve Pearly Skin at Anantara Sanya

For centuries, many Chinese women maintained youthful skin by applying crushed pearls to their faces. Here, the spa uses a facial powder made from locally harvested pearls.

From $385. 86/(0) 898-8888-5088. This appeared in the January/February...

The Best Bath Ever, at Marti Istanbul

Zeynep Fadillioglu—the first woman in Turkey to design a mosque—is behind a new 270-room hotel in Istanbul’s cultural and commercial heart. An Ottoman tent canopies the Atrium lounge, and limited-edition sketches of Istanbul by the Turkish painter...

A Riad of One's Own, in Marrakech

It took four years to build this hotel at the base of the Atlas Mountains. French designer Jacques Garcia included black-and-white zellij tile work and other intricate Moorish details. Each of the hotel’s five guest riads (typical Moroccan...

Discover Native Wisdom at Botanique, in Brazil

A country retreat two hours north of São Paulo, Botanique is surrounded by 700 acres of forest and gardens. The 10,000-square-foot spa tucked into the hillside specializes in remedies inspired by local healing rituals. Try a mud therapy; the area’...

The Waters Run Hot and Cold at Altapura

The 88 rooms at this new hotel in the French Alps have Nordic etched-wood panels and white fur throws, plus floor-to-ceiling mountain views. Altapura is within Europe’s highest-elevation ski resort. Guests can get tips from a ski coach every...

Your Own Kerala Houseboat, at Vivanta by Taj

It’s easy to unplug at this 71-room resort set on 26 acres, steps from a river and the secluded Kappil Beach. Hotel villas were built from native materials to mimic kettuvallam, Kerala’s iconic houseboats. Many have private courtyards with plunge...