7 of the Most Beautiful Spa Relaxation Rooms in the World
If you know me, you know how much I love interior design, and it’s something I pay attention to whenever I choose a hotel or resort. Over the years, I’ve realized the same is true of spas. Booking a treatment isn’t always just about the treatment itself. I look forward to spending time in the relaxation room almost as much as the sauna, steam room or treatment that follows.
And some relaxation rooms are worth seeking out on their own. The best have a strong sense of place—through architecture, views, art, gardens or simply a beautifully designed chair positioned exactly where you want to spend the next half hour. Sometimes, the design of a space can feel like a form of wellness in itself.
From a fantastical indoor garden in Manhattan to a glass-wrapped retreat overlooking the Sonoran Desert, these seven couldn’t be more different. Some are bold and theatrical; others are so quiet and understated that the landscape does most of the decorating. What they have in common is that you won’t be in any hurry to leave.
Here are seven of my favorites.
Photo Credit: Faena New York
Tierra Santa Healing House at Faena New York | New York City
Forget the hushed beige palette of the traditional spa lounge. At Faena New York’s Tierra Santa Healing House, the relaxation room is a lush, fantastical garden brought indoors. Deep green seating and a vivid floral rug sit against trellis wallpaper by Argentine artist Juan Gatti, where roses, parrots and classical botanicals climb across the walls.
The exuberance has a connection to place: Tierra Santa traces its origins to the rose gardens of Uruguay, where Alan Faena first developed his philosophy of connecting healing with the natural world. The lounge is part of the hotel’s 17,000-square-foot wellness sanctuary, which also includes five hydrotherapy pools, a hammam, saunas and eight treatment rooms.
Photo Credit: Auberge Collection
Edge Spa at The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Collection | Wanship, Utah
At Edge Spa, the most compelling design element may be the one outside the room. Expansive glass opens the space to the Utah landscape, turning the green hills beyond into the backdrop for a row of generously sized loungers.
Inside, the design is intentionally quiet: warm wood, creamy upholstery, tactile throws and sheepskin rugs. Nothing competes with the view. Perched above Alexander Creek, the intimate five-treatment-room spa brings the outdoors into the experience in other ways, with some treatment ingredients grown or wild-harvested on the property and a wellness program that includes yoga, meditation and breathwork.
Photo Credit: Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo | Jalisco, Mexico
At Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, the relaxation room takes its cues from the landscape rather than competing with it. Rough stone walls and warm wood surround pale, low-slung seating, while expansive glass doors look onto a spare courtyard of stone, red earth and sculptural cactus.
That connection to nature extends well beyond the room. The 30,000-square-foot spa sits within the resort’s 3,000-acre private nature reserve and includes an open-air Oaxacan red-clay Zen garden with a plunge pool and lounge chairs. Eight treatment cabins open onto the jungle and have their own outdoor showers. Eight treatment cabins open onto the jungle and have their own outdoor showers.
Photo Credit: Auberge Collection
The Retreat at Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Collection | Washington, Connecticut
Flooded with natural light, the relaxation room at The Retreat feels more like an elegant country-house conservatory than a conventional spa lounge. A soaring wall of windows looks onto the gardens and rolling Litchfield countryside, while oversized cream armchairs, pale wood floors, soft textiles and greenery give the room an airy, residential feel.
Contemporary artwork provides an unexpected counterpoint to the otherwise quiet palette. More importantly, this doesn’t feel like a room designed simply to hold guests until their treatment begins. It’s somewhere you actually want to settle in with a cup of tea—and stay awhile.
Photo Credit: 45 Park Lane
The Spa at 45 Park Lane | London
In Mayfair, the subterranean Spa at 45 Park Lane takes a more architectural approach. Designed by Jouin Manku, its relaxation lounge wraps guests in curved timber detailing, warm lighting and creamy upholstered seating. The effect is intimate and cocooning, more like a beautifully designed private lounge than a conventional spa waiting area.
Light-colored stone, natural timber, custom Roman-style mosaics and contemporary art add interest without making the space feel busy, while an open fireplace gives guests an obvious place to linger. The spa recently named La Prairie as its new spa partner and introduced The Art of Wellness, a holistic wellbeing program for hotel guests.
Photo Credit: Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Life in Balance Spa at Miraval Arizona | Tucson, Arizona
At Miraval Arizona’s newly refreshed Life in Balance Spa, the Sonoran Desert is never far from view. In the women’s relaxation room, a glass ceiling and wraparound windows frame the mountains and sky, while a stacked-stone wall and built-in seating surround a dramatic suspended fireplace.
Another quiet lounge takes a darker, more cocooning approach, with deep rounded chairs, a contemporary fireplace and illuminated displays of crystals and minerals. Both feel connected to the desert without relying on obvious Southwestern motifs. The spa also has a Serenity Pool, hot tub, cold plunge, steam room and sauna—so there’s little reason to hurry through the experience.
Photo Credit: Miraval Resorts & Spas
Miraval Life in Balance Spa Aviara at Park Hyatt Aviara | Carlsbad, California
At Miraval Life in Balance Spa Aviara, one of the best design details is overhead. Oversized spheres of greenery appear to float beneath the glass ceiling of the Indoor Solarium Quiet Lounge, their trailing foliage adding a slightly whimsical note to an otherwise understated room.
Pale seating, warm wood and a fireplace keep the space grounded, while sunlight filtering through the glass ceiling gives it the feeling of an indoor garden. The spa also has a sauna, steam room and whirlpool, along with the indoor-outdoor Batiquitos Sanctuary.
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