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I began the week flat on my back in Liberty’s department store (being treated with one of the most natural skin products ever created from Tuscany - launching in the coming days with us) and ended it stretched out on a Pilates mat after a few days gliding along the Croisette in Cannes at the legendary ILTM travel event. Somewhere in between, I discovered 'Fish 'n Chips' Whisky, which is either genius or sacrilege (will let you know after Christmas), unearthed a remote new hideout in the far north of Finland (heading your way in March) and remembered, with some relief, that my youthful days of chasing DJs across continents have matured into a much calmer obsession. These days, I hunt yoga instructors with the same commitment once reserved for late-night clubs.
As I made my descent (the pilot that is, not me) into London, it dawned on me that the year’s final trip had quietly slipped behind me, ushering in the soft approach to Christmas and the familiar temptation to cocoon. A perfect moment, then, to lean into a little sanctuary. I kicked off with the Alps, which have been a hot holistic destination for centuries: Medieval hydrotherapy, hay baths and using the crisp altitude air as if prescribed as medicine for lungs and minds. Today, it continues in architectural spas with snow-filled oculi and cryo chambers as cold as personal reckoning. Science now tells us what villagers always knew. Inhale the future, exhale the past. Or as one yoga wit said: 'Mind over mat'.
This week’s edit takes us deep into that world and beyond. A sound temple in a Turkish forest that vibrates through the pines. In South Tyrol, where yoga teachers arrive in seasonal rotations, headliners in their own right, are curated like a festival line-up. Tribeca hides a Japanese-crafted sanctuary beneath its streets, all ancient timber and quiet warmth. Vals layers Alpine purity with Japanese ritual. Austria delivers cryo that could freeze indecision itself. Germany reveals medieval rooftops with hidden pools. Finland waits in the wings.
I am still on the search for an intravenous vitamin treatment that tastes suspiciously like a Negroni, and until I find it, I could head to Bad Gastein's Miramonte Hotel, as I am assured the Spa town's Thermal Waters flow under the bar and into the spa. Get 2026 prepped under the mantra of 'Love thyself and let your buddy Égoïste plan the trips: it's YOU time ahead.
Hugs,
Iain & Co.
The Sound Temple, conceived by Mexican architect Héctor Esrawe, forms the still centre of this wellness journey. It is a space shaped for listening and release, where sound therapies, somatic movement, breathwork and ancient ritual unfold with intention. Practices range from intuitive movement and Qi Gong to Watsu, art therapy and forest bathing, each one designed to soften the body, steady the breath and bring awareness to the quiet places within. In the hush of the pines, sunrise yoga, gong baths and lake side sessions create a rhythm that feels attuned to nature. Here, every moment becomes an invitation to pause, restore and return to yourself.
AHÃMA rests in a natural amphitheatre on Fethiye’s Günlüklü Bay, framed by rare sweetgum groves, protected forest and the Babadağ Mountains. Architecture follows the land’s contours and a custodial ethos guides every gesture, honouring species, shoreline and the subtle rhythms of the Mediterranean. Days move with forest paths, saltwater swims and practices shaped by the landscape, while evenings settle into food, music and starlit calm. AHÃMA is a soulful meeting of wilderness and design, a place where slow living finds both presence and grace.
Hotel Schwarzschmied (a holistic retreat set in Lana among orchards and vineyards near Merano in Italy's South Tyrol) welcomes a rotating ensemble of resident teachers, each bringing their own style, rhythm and philosophy to the mat.
Céline Suremann brings flowing Vinyasa, mindful Hatha and a soft touch of Reiki. Francisco Domínguez Silva teaches dynamic blends of Vinyasa, Katonah and breath led movement. Charlotte Bufler offers science infused flows with Yin and Yang balance. Marja-Lisa Jablonka works holistically with movement and positive psychology. Jessica Klimach introduces FLEX&FLOW® for strength, mobility and intelligent patterning. Carla Schneeberger guides creative Vinyasa, Hatha Flow and reflective journaling. Matthäa Mollenhauer blends Chi focused Vinyasa and Yin with meridian insight. Caroline Sølver teaches mindful, dynamic Vinyasa with mobility training. Nicole Natter brings precise, poetic alignment across Hatha and Vinyasa.
Set within the walled gardens of a seventeenth century former convent in Arco, Trentino, the Salus per Aquam spa at Monastero Arx Vivendi sits at the very heart of this design led retreat near Lake Garda. Wrapped in cloistered calm and contemporary clarity, it embodies the hotel’s philosophy of restoration, weaving heritage, landscape and modern wellness into one serene centre of gravity.
Spa-ness takes on an urban vibe at the Miramonte and extends well beyond the confines of the hotel walls - using the Alps as the backdrop to its wellness boxset. Inside the spa-zone of chilled, uplifting eggshells, powder blues and grassy greens, is a youthfulness of style which sits well within the in-house AVEDA Spa - experts in holistic nature and Ayurveda wellbeing. We love their Green Science Skin Renewing Treatments - and for the gents - there's plenty to groom and tone. The famous Thermal Waters of Bad Gastein flow directly into the hotel for some serious radon therapy, helping to cure the aches and pains of urban life. Yoga also features high on the wellness menu here, with serious yoga instructor programmes throughout the year and a real highlight - Yoga-Open-Air. Literally, a step from the hotel door sees you in the forests and mountains - a fave escape is the 60 mins yoga session next to the waterfall - a dreamy setting. So though the spa here is not massive, it is big on using its location to its full advantage - ommm in the Alps.
Modern wellness finds new form at Hotel Der Engel in Austria’s Tannheimer Valley, where a driftwood cathedral, raw stone and natural pools create a biophilic refuge shaped by stillness. Five pools, ten heat rituals and chemical free treatments anchor a spa attuned to landscape. This is emotional architecture that invites presence, breath and effortless unwinding in the Alpine quiet.
Adding another string to the Hirschen’s bow and bringing it firmly into modern times is the new bathhouse in the garden. Designed by Nona Architects, the timber and stainless steelstructure is a gorgeous testament to wellness with its relaxation rooms, saunas, gym and light-filled yoga studio.
Outside a swimming pool sits nestled among the greenery of e garden and its 15 x 4-metre size mean a few lengths are very much possible, if the moment takes you. Also to be noted is the secret passage which takes you directly from spa to bar. Without the need the change or be respectable, the clandestine drinky spot is called the Bathrobe Bar, for good reason.
Cryo at minus 110°, forest rituals, biohacks and breathwork shape Forsthofgut’s waldSPA Health, a pioneering Alpine refuge where design, diagnostics and elemental nature work in concert to power the body back to life.
Ancient Japanese practices find an easy rhythm in Vals, Switzerland, settling naturally into Brücke 49, the quietly stylish basecamp of rooms, suites and studios in this creative Alpine village long attuned to nature’s healing pull.
This intimate session (bookable directly at B49) gathers a modern matcha tea ceremony with a traditional sweet, insights into Traditional Japanese Medicine with Naoki Hattori, a guided Kobido inspired face massage with Nora Kato of IPSUM ALII and an introduction to Japanese fermentation that highlights the gentle benefits of miso for skin, gut and overall wellbeing.
Stone, steam and silence shape the spa at Maistra 160 in Pontresina, where Gion A. Caminada’s elemental design meets Engadin air. Carved from Bodio Nero gneiss and lit by firelight, it offers saunas, a basalt steam bath, rituals rooted in global traditions and treatments using Bernina stones and alpine botanicals. A quiet, crafted sanctuary in the Swiss Alps.
High in the Dolomites, La Palsa Spa at Lagaciò Hotel Mountain Residence offers a hush of Tyrolean wellness where hay baths, honey massages and herbal rituals soothe weary urbanites. Eco-minded and rooted in Ladin tradition, this Alpine hideaway blends nature, design and slow healing in quietly elegant harmony.
Medieval rooftops cradle a hidden spa. Goldene Rose in Dinkelsbühl, fuses heritage and wellness with a rooftop infinity pool, saunas and timeless timbered design.
Natural beauty visionary Yael Alkalay founded Red Flower in New York in 1999, creating an environmentally and socially responsible line of botanical, aromatherapeutic products crafted with purity, intention and sensory depth. Our favourite is a shower gel scented with Icelandic Flower.
Wellness and the Alps have always been inextricably linked due to the abundance of fresh mountain air, crystal clear water and the proximity of nose-tingling pine forests.
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The perfect summer pairing must be spa and hike – and where better to indulge than in a luxury retreat hotel clasped in the alpine mountains framed by snow-dusted peaks.
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Cryo at –110°, forest rituals, biohacks and breathwork – Forsthofgut’s waldSPA Health carves out a bold new rhythm of Alpine wellness where design, diagnostics and elemental nature power the body back to life.
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By working with nature, innovation and wellbeing, Hotel Arlberg Lech has alongside Architect Peter Staic and Pointner Design, created a luxury blueprint for Alpine Health Living.
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Driftwood, spring water and elemental heat. Engel Spa is a raw Alpine hideaway where design restores and nature recalibrates. This is wellness with altitude and intention.
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A spa sanctuary of raw architecture and rooted calm — MAISTRA 160 in Pontresina cocoons guests in an elemental world of stone, steam and alpine air, where design becomes a healing ritual.
From Arctic surfing in Norway to vineyard hotels in Italy, discover boutique design, spa retreats and cultural gems. Scottie's style edit is worth travelling for: wildlife, museums, adventure and restored boltholes.
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Four cute bastions of style and snuggle up in the duvet sentiments for winter, none of which are in France.
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Lose yourself in the wild beauty of Oeschinensee—where glacial waters shimmer, cliffs rise like giants, and the Swiss Alps whisper secrets only the boldest travellers will hear.
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Caramel timbers, robust chunky stone and larch shingled rooftops amplifies Alpine charisma buttered across the three ‘Malghe’houses of the Borgo Eibn which are draped in the views of the Sauris plateau and the Dolomites.
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Rising up like delicate meringue-whipped peaks, mirroring the Dolomites panorama that surrounds it, the architecture and design of Hotel Milla Montis create an impact.
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Manhattan goes minimalist. Hidden in The Greenwich Hotel, Shibui Spa channels Japanese Onsen rituals, ancient bodywork and luxury healing in a space built from 250-year-old temple wood.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.