The Best Spas and Retreats in Canada and Beyond

Whether you are whisked away for an afternoon, weekend getaway, or week-long retreat, try these unique spas across the country and beyond for restorative experiences.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Marks a New Standard in Luxury Wellness

Unveiled in September as part of a $130-million investment across the historic Alberta property, Basin Glacial Waters is a world unto itself. Designed by Matteo Thun—the acclaimed Italian architect’s Canadian debut—the spa unfurls in soft earth tones and curved lines, with an emphasis on natural elements. Basking in natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the space feels intimate and ethereal, with shadows that shift as the sun moves throughout the day.

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Into the Wild: The Squamish Spa Redefining the Off-Grid Wellness Experience

There’s no shortage of hot-cold spas in and around Vancouver. But few embrace the wilderness quite like Aika Spa, dialing the Nordic ritual all the way back to its roots: raw, remote, and real. Pronounced “eye-kuh,” this outdoor spa is secreted away in a thicket of dense woods near Brackendale, about a 90-minute drive from Vancouver. There’s no cell service, no Wi-Fi, no traffic noise, and as it’s a private spa, no crowds to contend with—just the Squamish Valley rainforest and everything it has to offer.

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A Spa Hotel to Savour in the Austrian Tyrol

Opened in 2004 and celebrating over 20 years of wellness, the Aqua Dome is a spa hotel to savour: almost 700,000 square feet of space, including a world-class spa, a gym offering a variety of fitness classes, and 11 saunas to complement an assortment of sumptuous soaking pools to suit any traveller’s taste. Nestled in the Ötztal Valley near the hamlet of Längenfeld, the hotel serves as a respite for adventurous visitors to the area—the alpine valley is famous for its hiking, mountain biking, and skiing.

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Wellness in Kananaskis Country: Alberta’s Hidden Mountain Playground

Imagine relaxing in the soothing waters of an expansive hot tub, accompanied by the serenade of a cascading waterfall, and then picture the pool also ringed by the rugged peaks of Alberta’s Kananaskis Country. This is the best of both wellness worlds: time in nature and a sumptuous spa experience.

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Trove: A New Toronto Treasure to Add to Your Wellness Routine

Trove, Toronto’s newest wellness destination, offers a wide range of modalities. As well as IV drips and compression therapy, there’s massage therapy, osteopathy, reiki, and naturopathy. The entire space is shockingly quiet, considering its location on busy Adelaide Street West near Spadina Avenue, and the deep-charcoal walls, cozy fireplace, and minimalist aesthetic make it feel more like a cocoon than a clinic. As you step deeper into Trove, which is almost disorienting, its darkness and serenity in contrast to downtown buzz just outside, you’ll stumble upon a red-light therapy room, a private sauna and ice bath in another, and a cozy salt cave.

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Palazzo Fiuggi, an Italian Wellness and Medical Retreat That Hydrates for Health

For thousands of years, before the advent of modern spas and wellness retreats, the curative effects of water were known and sought from their very source. The thermal water of Fiuggi, an hourʻs drive from Rome, is known for its diuretic properties and reputed to have cured the ailments of Pope Boniface VIII and Michelangelo. Centuries on, the town continues to draw in health tourists, and with the arrival of Palazzo Fiuggi, a state-of-the-art medical wellness retreat, a new class of the devout.

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Relaxing in the Serene Japanese Countryside at Wasure no Sato Gajoen

High in the mountains of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the far south of mainland Japan, Wasure no Sato Gajoen offers guests luxury from a bygone era. Built in the traditional ryokan style, the thatched-roof cottages that make up the property are home to only 10 suites, an open-air kitchen, a hearth hut, a restaurant, a hybrid reading room and café, and of course, a well-appointed spa. Perched over the Amori River, whose gentle burble is the score for walks between cottage, spa, and restaurant, Wasure no Sato Gajoen is positioned to connect guests with the tranquil, wellness-inspiring nature of the region.

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This Spa and Cultural Retreat High in the Bavarian Alps Is the Stuff of Legend

At Schloss Elmau 100 dancers bend, sway, flit, and gambol across the wooden floor of a century-old concert hall. Their steps and breathing combine to make a sacred music, the sort that sounds like wind whipping through trees or a deep-throated chant wafting in from far away. Framed by panoramic windows, the saw-edged Wetterstein Mountains captivate as a ponderous stage set. It’s a breathtaking view that connects the dancers—and other hotel guests—to the nature that surrounds them. The outdoors seem to gaze inward at the dancers, as attentive as an audience. Led by choreographer Ohad Naharin and a coterie of some of his most popular teachers, the dancers have come to this wellness haven near the famed Bavarian ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to join a Gaga movement language dance retreat, one of several held each year at the luxurious hideaway.

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