Ten of the world’s best towns to revitalise yourself in
Want to feel fit and fantastic while travelling the world? Take a sightseeing break at these top wellness towns, and pep up your body and soul.
Spa, Belgium
Spa became so famous that its name became a generic term for any hydrotherapy resort.Credit: iStock
The 18th-century town with a name that became generic sits in the folds of the leafy Ardennes hills, and the springs that bubble up are put to good use in fountains, wellness resorts and swimming pools. You can drink the water in the 1880 pump room, surrounded by portraits of 92 celebrities who once did the same. Landscaped parks are dotted with elegant villas, spa buildings, the world’s oldest casino, an Anglican church and statues. See visitwallonia.com
Beppu, Japan
Steam rises from hot spring bath houses in Beppu.Credit: iStock
Southern city Beppu is the biggest onsen (hot-spring) centre in Japan, receiving 12 million visitors a year. It’s no tranquil retreat: the town is full of strip joints, karaoke bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. Still, Beppu erupts in hot springs: an estimated 3000 within city confines, some dangerously hot and sulphuric, others gentle and used in some 170 relaxing bathhouses. You can also get buried in hot black volcanic sand on the beach. See beppu-tourism.com
Karlovy Vary, Czechia
Colonnade in Karlovy Vary.Credit: Czech Tourism
This spa town in western Czechia, formerly known as Carlsbad, sits in a tight valley of chestnut forest with a river that gushes past grand old buildings barnacled with balconies, gargoyles and cherubs. Fine promenades and elegant art nouveau architecture combine with severe, communist-era medical facilities. Steam rises from hot springs, giving the town an otherworldly air. Wallow in mud baths, sip the sulphurous water from taps in the colonnades, and sit in cafes as quartets tootle. See karlovyvary.cz
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
Hot springs near La Fortuna.Credit: Costa Rica Tourism Board
This rustic town sits beneath spectacular Arenal Volcano, and where you get volcanos you get abundant hot springs. While you can check into high-end spa resorts that harness the hot water in the surrounding countryside, you can also get your immersion at bargain price in simply run hot springs cupped in rainforest. The stunning scenery of Arenal Volcano National Park, where monkeys and sloths lurk, is just as good for the soul. See visitcostarica.com
Ubud, Bali
Cushioned comfort in the steel cage gazebos at Ubud’s Hoshinoya Resort.
Dozens of spas are ready to pamper or pummel you into a state of bliss in Bali’s culture-oriented, laid-back hill town, with lush surrounds of rice terraces and gurgling rivers that provide energy-restoring magic before treatments even begin. Traditional Balinese massage is based on pressure points and uses aromatic oils such as ylang-ylang and sandalwood. A revitalising scrub or wrap usually follows, using island ingredients such as coconut, sea salt and volcanic clay. See indonesia.travel
Marrakesh, Morocco
Hammam and courtyard at La Mamounia hotel in Marrakech.
Morocco is Africa’s best spa destination and Marrakesh the leading city for upmarket hotel spas, many of which run wellbeing programs. The point of difference? Most are housed in gorgeous traditional-looking hammams sumptuously decorated with tile work, mosaics and stained-glass. Flop from one steam room to another, then have yourself lathered in black soap, coated in clay, vigorously scraped with a loofah, and sloshed with buckets of water. You’ll emerge like a butterfly from a chrysalis, feeling fantastic. See visitmorocco.com
Sedona, US
An healing oasis in the desert … Sedona.Credit: Sedona Chamber of Commerce
North America’s top wellness town is an oasis in the Arizona desert. Its eroded canyons and red-rock buttes are said to be crisscrossed by vortexes that channel the Earth’s energy and promote healing. Don’t be surprised to find folk chanting, meditating or reconnecting with past lives at Cathedral Rock or in Boynton Gorge. Sceptics, stay away: this is the place for new-agers keen to do tarot readings, and have photos taken of their aura. See visitsedona.com
Rishikesh, India
This town, poised where the turbulent young Ganges River leaves the Himalayas north of Delhi, has long been an important Hindu pilgrim destination, but came to international attention in the 1960s when the Beatles arrived to seek enlightenment. Now travellers come to stay in basic ashrams or luxury resorts to undertake health and holiness retreats focused on fitness, yoga, meditation, stress management and chakra realignment. An annual International Yoga Festival runs in March. See uttarakhandtourism.gov.in
Bad Ischl, Austria
Sprawling manicured gardens at Kurpark.Credit: Austrian National Tourist Office
Though you can still take to the baths, you’ll really want to visit this town for its alpine setting, pretty appearance and sense of history. Emperor Franz Josef, who came here every summer for 70 years, made this the premier spa town of Austro-Hungary. You can visit his yellow palace and favourite coffeehouse (Konditorei Zauner) and still enjoy concerts with music by the composers – Brahms, Strauss, Lehar – who once stayed and worked here. See austria.info
Pamukkale, Turkey
Pamukkale, famous for its cascading white calcite terraces.Credit: iStock
This small town is best known for its white calcite terraces that slurp down the hillside like cake mixture, cupping warm, mineral-dense water in which you can soak while gazing over green plains towards the sea. Less well-known are the red-tinted Karahayit Hot Springs nearby. But more astonishing still are the ruins of Roman-era spa town Hierapolis. Its highlight is a splendid theatre. You can swim in the effervescent water of the Sacred Pool. See goturkiye.com
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