The best wellness hotels to boost life longevity (2024)

If wellness is the new religion, then the quest for eternal life no longer involves prayer, but pricey cryotherapy treatments, genetic testing, and in some cases, a willingness to believe in the impossible.

Silicon Valley tycoons such as Bryan Johnson are spending millions on attempts to lower their biological age (in Johnson’s case, he claims to have pulled off the lung capacity of an 18 year old). But you don’t need such lofty goals or oligarch-priced equipment to dip your toe in the waters of everlasting life.

With the market for wellness tourism expected to reach a staggering £750 billion this year, today’s health-conscious resorts have caught on and are offering tourists some of the most advanced treatments and tools on the market. Think celebrity-endorsed treatments like Cristiano Ronaldo’s hyperbaric chamber, rather than blood transfusions. The number of treatments available can feel overwhelming, so we have scoured the world – from a coastal hangout in Mozambique where you can detox in your own infrared sauna, to a Swiss resort that wants to overhaul your microbiome – to find the retreats worthy of your next pilgrimage.

Oxfordshire, UK

Estelle Manor

It took around five years to construct the cavernous new 3,000sq m Eynsham Baths at Oxfordshire retreat Estelle Manor. But the inspiration is several centuries old: owner Sharan Pasricha stumbled across the ruins of a nearby Roman baths while conceptualising this sceney country bolthole. Breathwork master Emma Estrela has created tailored instructions for navigating the hot and cold pools, hammam, sauna and steam room. One of her guides, for example, is meant to accelerate your basal metabolic rate and slow the ageing process. It starts with a polite few rounds alternating between immersing yourself in warm, hot, and then cold water, and finishes off with pouring a bucket of ice water over your head. (Youthful glows don’t come easy).

Eynsham Park, Oxfordshire, OX29 6PN. estellemanor.com

Salzburg, Austria

Rosewood Schloss Fuschl

On the banks of a Salzburg lake, the new Rosewood Schloss Fuschl Hotel dates back to 1461, when it was a hunting lodge for the princes of the Roman Empire. The hotel group has refurbished the whole place and kitted it out with a 1,500sq m spa which, in addition to the new-normal wellness buffet of sauna whisking, ice swimming, sound healing and moonlight meditation, is rolling out two- and three-day longevity retreats in the name of “dynamic ageing”. Wellness followers can explore lymphatic drainage, facial lift massages and biohacking treatments – and even the most run-down among us will find themselves reinvigorated by a wild swim or forest bathing in the Alpine air.

Schloss-Stresse 19, Hof bei Salzburg, Austria, 5322. rosewoodhotels.com

Maldives

Soneva

Sonu Shivdasani, who founded the popular Soneva resorts in the Maldives, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. The experience of beating the disease into remission gave him a keen appreciation for the complementary therapies (alongside chemotherapy) that he felt helped him heal. Both his resorts on the archipelago have invested heavily in putting healthy ageing top of their agenda, offering comprehensive treatment options that include autohemotherapy (using your own blood to stimulate the antioxidant system), prolotherapy (for pain in joints, ligaments and tendons) and platelet-rich plasma injections (said to supercharge healing). Name a more picturesque place to convalesce.

Kunfunadhoo Island, Eydhafushi. soneva.com

Koh Samui, Thailand

Kamalaya

IV therapy? Check. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy? Check. Enzyme testing? Oh, go on then. Kamalaya on Koh Samui brings the features of an Alpine medical centre to the more restorative climes of this mountainous island of rainforests and beaches. The Longevity House blends Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, Thai massage and Western practices. The result is myriad offerings such as ozone therapy (meant to increase the amount of oxygen in your body), Chi Nei Tsang (a massage to detoxify organs and balance the gut), and energy-healing treatments. The resort is built around a centuries-old cave once used by Buddhist monks, which you can use for meditation and contemplation – proof some self-care practices are timeless.

Laem Set Road, Na-Muang, Koh Samui, Surat Thani, 84140. kamalaya.com

Sylt, Germany

Lanserhof

An island off the far north of Germany might not scream “hot holiday destination”, but everyone from Kevin Costner to Karl Lagerfeld has developed a soft spot for this windswept island of buildings with thatched roofs. The über-high-tech resort (which also has centres in Tyrol, Lake Tegernsee, and a private club in London) focuses its attention on the stomach. At the heart of Lanserhof’s concept is fasting: by cutting out ultra-processed foods and other irritants, the resort promises to revitalise intestinal health, which has been linked to everything from dementia to poor mental health. You are required to limit coffee, alcohol and sugar for two weeks before arrival – but you’ll end up with a personalised guide on what works for you.

Am Lanserhof 1-8, 25992 List. lanserhof.com

Harads, Sweden

Arctic Bath

By now you know that a cold plunge is ridiculously healthy – and a cold shower before work isn’t quite cutting it. Do it properly with an open-air dip in natural waters. Arctic Bath is a floating hotel in Swedish Lapland, and the concept is no-nonsense: simple cabins, extremely cold water, and the promise of relief in the form of authentic, invigorating saunas. For those who find the comforts of a normal hotel spa to be overly fussy or unnecessary (or get claustrophobic in a hyperbaric chamber), this is the wellness break for you: the pared-back accommodation is designed to make the popular local tradition accessible in its purest form. And the potential benefits for healthy ageing are enviable: reduced insulin resistance, lowered stress response and a big old rush of dopamine. Must be why Chris Hemsworth and David Beckham are such ardent fans.

Ramalsvägen, 10, 961 78 Harads. arcticbath.se

CREDIT:

Arctic Bath, Maria Broström.

Nayarit, Mexico

One & Only Mandarina

Stress ages you like hell. One & Only Mandarina takes the approach of trying to target the mental and emotional roots of stress and ill health (looking at you, anxiety), treating the cause, not the symptoms. The spa offers ways of de-stressing that go far beyond your standard deep-tissue massage; it has local healers and spiritual guides on call, and rejuvenating offerings that draw upon indigenous Mexican practices dating back centuries. Singing bowls, breathwork, chanting and energy flow workshops all make an appearance. It’s enough that in every meditation session afterwards, you’ll be manifesting coming back.

Riviera, 63779 Lo de Marcos, Mexico oneandonlyresorts.com

Utah, USA

Amangiri

One of the ways that the ultra-luxe Aman Resorts maintains its roster of VIP fans is reinvention. Just this year, it debuted an entirely new hotel brand called Janu, geared towards young and wellness-focused clients; but even its established favourites such as Amangiri in Utah are still innovating. This summer, the desert hideaway put on its first longevity retreat hosted by Buddhist monk Geshe YongDong. The goal is to get the body more in tune with its circadian rhythms – ie. real life, not screen purgatory – by communing with nature. The desert provides an apt location, unpolluted by artificial light and noise. Year-round, the resort has rolled out new-age treatments such as ASMR (to clear the head and induce relaxation) and dark exposure sessions (sitting in the dark to increase bodily and sensory awareness). Sounds simplistic, but everything hits harder under that vast Utah sky.

1 Kayenta Road, Canyon Point, UT 84741. aman.com

Benguerra Island, Mozambique

Kisawa Sanctuary

This wellness-centric resort is about as luxurious as it gets. Kisawa Sanctuary opened three years ago on Benguerra Island, a gorgeous pile of sand just 14km off Mozambique’s beautiful coast. The eight bungalows here can only be reached by boat or helicopter, and they all come with their own private beach, infinity pool and an Audio-Technica turntable. Its spa is home to an Iyashi Dome, a Japanese invention similar to an infrared sauna, but built for one. Half an hour inside the dome is said to provide the detox equivalent of a 20km run, reviving the skin via both cellular regeneration and the stimulation of firming fibroblasts.

Benguerra Island, Inhambane, 1304. kisawasanctuary.com

Surrey, UK

Beaverbrook

Wellness warriors visiting Surrey in search of reinvigoration were once limited to bracing country walks. Beaverbrook, the luxury hotel set in 400 acres, is changing that. The spa here is decked out with a hyperbaric chamber and NAD+ IV infusions (meant to boost cellular health). Its focus is on seasonal treatments, which aim to align the body to the rhythms of the seasons (ie. strengthen the immune system in the autumn, invigorate the body in spring). The thinking is, if you strap in and get your body more aligned to nature, you’ll be better for it all year round.

Reigate Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8QX. beaverbrook.co.uk

Ibiza, Spain

Six Senses

The high-end hotel group Six Senses has made wellness-worshipping its entire personality. Holidaymakers are lapping it up: the brand has so far opened in 26 locations, with a London debut slated for early next year. Everything from their spas to rooms to food are curated with health in mind, but Six Senses’ ultimate temple to longevity is on the northern tip of Ibiza. RoseBar, a dedicated clinic at the resort for all things age-defying, opened last year. Its toolbox includes hypoxia treatments, aimed at increasing oxygen levels, and photobiomodulation, a light treatment touting cellular repair. Whether you sign up for a one-day programme or a month-long package, the place promises to give you tangible data about your body – such as your adrenal function or biological age – way beyond your regular GP check-up.

Carrer Cami de sa Torre 71, 07810 Portinatz. sixsense.com

Montreux, Switzerland

Clinique La Prairie

Founded in 1931 by surgeon Dr Paul Niehans, who pioneered the “Niehans method” of cellular therapy, La Prairie is arguably the OG anti-ageing holiday destination. It recently upgraded its roster of detox and cellular-focused treatments with the extremely sci-fi-sounding Brain Enhancement Programme. No Elon Musk implants here. Instead, the treatments target cognitive function and stress management – after a brain scan and memory test, specialists will also assess your sleep, gut and cardiovascular health, and offer a bespoke plan of action.

Rue du Lac 142, 1815 Clarens. cliniquelaprairie.com

Tyrolean Alps, Austria

Eriro

Opened this year at the foot of the Tyrolean Alps, Eriro is accessible only by cable car and has just nine bedrooms – giving new meaning to the word retreat. Local residents have withstood the volatile mountain environment for more than 50,000 years; as such, Eriro, which sits at a lofty 1,550m, takes very seriously the goal of getting the body in sync with its surrounds. The sound room emits waves that correspond to the frequency at which earth pulsates, and its meditation pool has a ceiling that reflects light to mimic the sun. Everything else – from its spruce-needle sauna, barefoot walks, wilderness meditation and even yodelling (soothing to some, we promise) – is designed to connect the body to nature, something which has been scientifically proven to lower blood pressure and reduce that tension in your muscles.

Ehrwalder Alm 4, 6632 Ehrwald. eriro.at

Set design by Kei Yoshino