As temperatures dip across the Northern Hemisphere, few rituals sound (and feel) more appealing than retreating into a steamy sauna after a day in the cold. Of course, the details matter, from the wood and the view to the intensity of the heat and the cooldown that follows.
Saunas may have found their way into gyms and even homes, but some unique experiences still justify a boarding pass. From Alpine heat rituals to a floating refuge on Washington’s coast, these 10 hotel saunas provide compelling reasons to pack a swimsuit or, where local custom dictates, leave it behind.
Awana Spa at Resorts World Las Vegas
Las Vegas
At Resorts World’s Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Awana Spa, sauna time comes with a show. Inside a circular room, a “sauna meister” gracefully orchestrates an aufguss, the European ritual in which choreographed towel movements circulate scented heat, accompanied by music, lighting and aromatherapy.
After the 20-minute performance, explore the spa’s Fountain of Youth, a wet area with six vitality pools, a crystal laconium (a room with dry radiant heat) and mist showers. Then retire to the luxurious Four-Star Crockfords Las Vegas, LXR Hotels & Resorts.
The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
Tokyo
The Five-Star Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo sits on the 37th floor, where the dry sauna has floor-to-ceiling windows framing the skyline. Watching the city from a heated bench covers sightseeing and spa time in one relaxing stop. The jetted pool and water lounge share the panoramic view.
Muluk Spa at Hotel Xcaret Arte
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Rock caves, jungle and flowing rivers give the Four-Star Muluk Spa an extraordinary allure. The sauna anchors a hydrotherapy circuit with steam, hot and cold plunges, experience showers and a cold room, plus a therapeutic pool overlooking the river. Arrive a good hour-plus before a treatment to explore.
For more heat, the spa’s temazcal, a Mesoamerican purification ceremony of herbal steam, is offered as a 90-minute group session for two or more.
Spa Botánico at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
Dorado, Puerto Rico
The Four-Star Spa Botánico, nestled in the Five-Star Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is a five-acre sanctuary where lush foliage and an apothecary entrance dazzle upon arrival.
Its sauna is part of a broader bathing experience that includes steam rooms, whirlpools and cold plunges. Outside, purification gardens tuck warm and cool pools among palms and boulders. Arrive at least 45 minutes before a treatment to stroll the grounds.
Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti
Pinzolo, Italy
The Four-Star Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti turns après-ski into a sauna journey. Inspired by classical Chinese medicine, the spa’s five circuits vary in temperature, humidity and aromas.
The Green Dragon circuit includes a moderate-temperature bio-sauna scented with rosemary and orange, while the Red Phoenix turns up the heat. Mountain vistas in some saunas and an indoor saltwater lake are highlights.
LUX* ME Spa at LUX* Grand Baie
Grand Baie, Mauritius
This Five-Star beachfront hotel devotes an entire spa floor to hydrotherapy, an indoor diversion from the Indian Ocean. At Five-Star LUX* ME Spa, the sauna sits within a circuit encompassing a Turkish hammam, steam room, tepidarium, heated pool and sensory bath.
Follow the thermal sequence with downtime beside the garden’s outdoor pool or stretch the visit into a tailored multi-day wellness program.
Hotel Bellwether
Bellingham, Washington
Hotel Bellwether’s floating sauna docks on Bellingham Bay are a five-minute walk from the lobby and have the Pacific Northwest as its backdrop. Run by Bellingham’s Coho Saunas, the cedar-lined boat pairs waterfront windows with a deck and outdoor shower for cooldowns.
You can book a communal session or reserve the boat privately. This is a scenic coastal cooldown, though swimming or jumping from the boat is prohibited.
Tamina Therme Sauna World at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz turns sauna exploration into an itinerary. Its Tamina Therme Sauna World has seven heat experiences, including a 203-degree-Fahrenheit Finnish sauna and a Latvian pirts sauna, where birch or oak branches are swept over the body.
The kelo aufguss sauna seats 120, a substantial space for scented infusions. Cooling pools and an ice fountain complete the circuit. Swimwear is not permitted, so leave the two-piece in the room.
TIA Wellness Resort
Da Nang, Vietnam
TIA Wellness Resort’s Detox Hydro Circuit Therapy is a 60-minute, therapist-guided session in a dedicated area of the wellness center, with a relaxation space overlooking a garden. It combines herbal steam, a hydrotherapy massage, a coffee-and-salt scrub, sauna time and an ice bath and finishes with foot reflexology. Two short cold plunges help wake you up.
Kakola Spa at Hotel Kakola
Turku, Finland
Hotel Kakola sits in Turku’s former prison district, roughly 1,000 feet from Kakola Spa. The pine sauna runs at a comparatively gentle 113 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and a copper pot filled with spruce branches wafts the room with a forest fragrance.
For stronger heat, the traditional Finnish log sauna ranges from 176 to 194 degrees. A stone sauna adds hissing steam as heated rocks meet cold water.
