Utterly naked in the quaint Bavarian spa town of Bad Reichenhall, I leave the Finnish sauna at RupertusTherme to discover that my bikini is gone. With only the spa’s diminutive regulation towel at hand, I can shield just a tiny part of my body — either the top half, or the bottom, at a time. I stand in frozen horror (it’s winter after all), goosebumps swiftly mottling my skin. I try very hard to decide what to do. Various, equally nude spa-goers mill about, switching between the wellness facility’s stellar collection of saunas, including one with salt walls, an aroma-filled bio sauna, an infrared room, a firewood sauna — among others — all situated separately from the “swimsuits required” pool portion of the elaborate spa complex.
There’s a man’s well-worn Speedo hanging on the peg where my swimsuit had been. In a panic, I look wildly around for the staff, but everyone seems to have disappeared along with my bikini. I have a plane to catch and no time to spare, so I embrace desperate measures. That is, I decide I must clamber through the rest of the spa in my birthday suit. Ready to dash, I press my electronic key to the gate to exit, but the door won’t budge. At last, anxious about time, I boldly squeeze through the narrow bottom of the gate, despite fear of getting stuck. Free at last, still naked, waving my towel more like a flag, I scramble through the pool, ignoring the stares of the swimsuit clad, and stumble into the locker room, where I’ve stored my clothes. It’s not the tranquil finale to the spa day I had imagined, but I do feel a little euphoric just for having survived the ordeal. It’s days later when someone from Rupertus Therme calls my phone to say they’ve found my bikini in a bin with some dirty towels. By then, it’s too late. I’m already in another country — and I’ve already bought myself not just one new bikini, but two.
More on Saunas
Never fear: most sauna sessions don’t end up as a nude athletic event. Instead, you’ll garner long-touted benefits including improved circulation, clearer skin, stress relief, ease of joint pain, and boosted immune systems. It’s believed the healthy ritual supports the lungs, rids the body of heavy metals, supports sleep, and enhances moods. Scientists even report that sitting in the sauna bolsters metabolism and burns calories. While sauna culture in northern Europe tends to eschew clothing inside the hot box, most saunas around the world require swimwear, so don’t let my bikini incident deter you from a sweltering sweat. You’ll be part of a salubrious self-care tradition that dates back some 10,000 years.
Ready to relax in heated bliss? Here are some of the most luxurious hotel saunas on earth.
The Corinthia London
ESPA Life in the glorious Corinthia London defines urban sanctuary. It boasts a 35,000-square-foot-plus facility with 17 treatment pods in the heart of London. But, by far its most gobsmacking element is the “amphitheater sauna,” set on the immense Thermal Floor. With a futuristic design, it has see-through walls that overlook the swimming pool, vitality pool, ice fountain, steam room, and irresistible heated loungers.
Huka Lodge, New Zealand
Considered by many to be the grand dame of luxury lodges in New Zealand, a preferred place of repose for royals and other glitterati, this century-old property melds tradition with contemporary elan. Access Huka Lodge’s new wellness grounds via a path of stepping stones. You’ll find a traditional Kiwi “bach” (or holiday house) that holds a gym, two treatment rooms, a steaming plunge pool, and the piece-de-resistance: a sauna with a window that frames the verdant terrain.
Manoir Hovey, Quebec
Part of this historic, family-owned inn’s enchantment hails from its unique location lakeside and forest nestled in the hinterlands of Quebec’s unspoiled Eastern Townships. Wallow in the gifts of Manoir Hovey‘s wondrous setting through the sauna’s panoramic windows which showcase gleaming Lake Massawippi and its leafy realms. Catch a glimpse of the terrain from the hot tubs, hammam steam room, and infinity pool, as well — all designed to connect you with nature’s cure.
Botanic Antwerp
A sanctum as peaceful as the former 13th-century monastery it once was, Botanic Sanctuary presides as Antwerp’s leading hotel. Key to its transformational quietude, The Botanic Health Spa offers transformative treatments amongst three floors. Indulge in its panoramic Finnish sauna with herbal infusions, complete with city vistas and surrounded by an 18-meter-long swimming pool and steam bath — all set within a glass conservatory.
Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski St. Moritz
A bastion of blue blood luxury, the iconic Grand Hotel de Bains Kempinski, historic hotel attracts athletic jetsetters who ski the mountains in winter and hike them in summer. They recover from their daily efforts in the soothing Sauna Landscape, a wellness chamber that’s part of the 30,000-square-foot Alpine Spa. The separate section holds four distinctive saunas including a Finnish sauna, a bio sauna (which feeds the senses with chromotherapy and aromatherapy), an herbal sauna that utilizes healing herbal scents, a cryo sauna to fight fatigue, and a stone sauna to ground the spirit. For contrast bathing, guests can partake of a Kneipp cold-water walk, as well as foot buckets and an ice fountain.
Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Setting the standard for experiential travel in Australia, if not the globe, Southern Ocean Lodge has returned with a vengeance after devastating wildfires destroyed much of the island’s bushland. Sensitively designed to guard the environment and to celebrate its beauty, the retreat hovers along its cliffside location like a dream. Take time from wildlife spotting to relax in the Southern Spa, which sports an outdoor sauna with a view of the ocean, as well as hot-and-cold plunge pools amid the wilderness.
Aspen Meadows Resort, Aspen
Touted as the birthplace of the Aspen Idea, the balance of mind, body, and spirit, and the original home of the Aspen Institute (which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year), Aspen Meadows Resort has been a perpetual pioneer in the region. The retreat, tucked away on 40 acres of Aspen’s West End, commands views of all four Aspen ski mountains, including Red Mountain, home to the town’s billionaires. In tune with the retreat’s Bauhaus influences, the winter barrel saunas, complete with windows for a view, lie beside the swimming pool — a boon for fitness buffs.
Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy
One of Lake Como’s newest hotels, Passalacqua, opened in 2022 after a much anticipated three-year restoration project. Two years later, the tony hotel launched a clever spa, ensconced in the villa’s historic tunnels and ancient greenhouse. Imbued with a mystical quality, the spa comprises underground grottos with an unusual dark fir sauna positioned beneath a vaulted ceiling. Carved into Moltrasio stone, with an onyx shower and marble steam bath, the sauna’s moody aura ensures profound transformation on every level.
The Singular, Patagonia, Chile
Enveloped amongst some of the world’s most stirring terrain, The Singular Patagonia will steal your heart for the way it harmonizes with the dramatic landscape. Evoking the notion that the Fjord of Last Hope stands at the so-called end of the world, the hotel nails that ambiance with its 3,000-square-foot wellness center, themed around fresh glacier water as manifested in both design and treatments. Sit within its tour de force sauna, which brings the outdoors inside through an immense window that faces the water.
Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga
Latvians have a friendly rivalry with the Finns regarding who has the most deep-seated sauna culture. Each country claims a long and unique history with the centuries-old healing ritual. In Latvia, a small Baltic country, saunas (called “pirts”) date back to pagan times. They continue to be imbued with mystical notions. Try authentic Lativian bathing in the heart of Riga at Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga‘s spa, where the scent of juniper fuses with birch leaves heated with steam. Baltic amber exfoliations and broom massages complete the authenticity of the program.
Forestis, Dolomites, Italy
Make like an elf in the forest and yield to this mountaintop hideaway where ancient wisdom marks the path. Drawing from the Celts, indigenous people to this region, the luxuriously organic retreat offers the Forestis Sauna Ritual, an immersive, complimentary ceremony presented twice daily. Under the tutelage of a wyda specialist, guests enjoy the sauna’s dry heat, where scorching stones are stacked in a cauldron, then topped with snowballs infused with aromatic oils. To a musical beat, the specialist wafts the perfumed steam throughout the room for 12 minutes. For a grand finale, guests take a soak in a chilly spring.
Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa
Like a wellness destination itself, Halehouse, the cutting-edge spa designed for peak performance athletes (as well as weekend warriors with a penchant for fitness), anchors the swish Stanly Ranch Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa’s third —and latest— installment of the Auberge brand. When not roving about wine country or hanging in the retreat’s stylish cottages, guests can detox in the spa’s cedar sauna, a design-centric haven with curvy shapes meant to mirror the rolling hills of the region.
LeFay Resort & Spa, Lake Garda, Italy
It’s all about indulgences and healing at Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, set on Italy’s largest lake. At 46,000 square feet, the immense haven has luxurious bath amenities (think: Dyson hairdryers), but also incorporates the curative powers of meditation gardens. Though Italian with mountain vibes and a distinct dolce vita approach, LeFay gracefully also weaves Chinese culture into its spa-ish midst. With six saunas, the head turner is the Finnish Panoramic Sauna, which has walls of glass that show lake and nature views.
Featured image courtesy of Manoir Hovey.
