Italy's best spas and thermal baths for an autumn weekend
From mountain resorts to spas surrounded by nature
G-Club
October 20th, 2024
October 20th, 2024
The summer holidays are now a distant memory. We've just returned to work and school, and we're already in burnout. We need a break. We need to unplug, distance ourselves from daily life and its problems, and focus on ourselves. We need pampering, time to regenerate, and to concentrate on our health, both body and mind. A good idea to find what we need is to take advantage of the upcoming weekends and holidays to pack a bag and head off for a wellness stay, perhaps in a place that combines breathtaking views, luxury, thermal baths, and the best spa treatments. The destination could be Alto Adige with its many mountain resorts, Tuscany with its countryside retreats, or even Campania with its seaside spas. The choice depends on our mood and needs. Ready to go?
QC Terme Pré Saint Didier - Pré Saint Didier - Valle d'Aosta
The Pré Saint Didier area has been known for centuries for its stunning natural beauty, but above all for the relaxing, restorative, and anti-rheumatic properties of its mineral-rich waters, which flow from the source at a constant temperature of 37 degrees. Here, at this wellness haven for body and mind, stands QC Terme Pré Saint Didier, a retreat renowned for its panoramic outdoor pools, allowing guests to enjoy both the many benefits of the thermal waters and the majestic views of Mont Blanc. The facility includes an elegant 19th-century palace with Liberty touches and a thermal complex spanning about 500 square meters. The wellness journey unfolds through various whirlpools with different intensities, outdoor jacuzzis, hydromassages and water cascades, themed saunas, pools with underwater music, aromatic Turkish baths, chromotherapy rooms, aromatherapy rooms, and panoramic relaxation areas.
Must-try: the area entirely dedicated to mud treatments; the salt room, built with pink Himalayan salt bricks, perfect for oxygenating, detoxifying, and nourishing the skin; and the Aromasoul treatment, a combination of massage and floral aromas designed to relax the body, free the mind, and rebalance the spirit. Don't miss the Foliage Sauna, promising a sensory journey through the colors and emotions stirred by the enchanting autumnal atmosphere of thewoods.
Grotta Giusti Thermal Spa Resort - Monsummano Terme - Tuscany
Its owner, the poet Giuseppe Giusti, considered it the world's eighth wonder. We are talking about Europe's largest natural thermal cave, located in Monsummano Terme and dating back 130 million years. This authentic paradise has been transformed into a thermal center, around which the Grotta Giusti Thermal Spa Resort has been developed. The resort offers a 750 sqm outdoor thermal pool, underwater hydromassages, a gym, numerous relaxation areas, and an aesthetic medicine center. Of course, the cave is the main attraction. It stretches over 200 meters underground, crossing three increasingly warm zones, aptly named Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell. Here, among stalactites and stalagmites, the warm thermal waters' beneficial and therapeutic vapors form a natural detoxifying sauna. Many treatments are available, from Turkish baths to mud treatments, massages, and oriental practices that combine nutrition, thermal therapies, anti-stress techniques, and physical exercise.
Must-try: the Pumpkin Seed Ritual, an exfoliating face and body treatment using pumpkin seed flour and oil, along with a sound massage with Tibetan bowls; and the Autumn Scent of Ginger and Cinnamon, a deep sensory experience inspired by the warm scents of the East, including a relaxing massage that stimulates circulation.
Borgobrufa SPA Resort - Torgiano - Umbria
With over 3,000 square meters of space, Borgobrufa SPA Resort is the largest wellness center in Umbria. The resort is situated on a hill 4 km from Torgiano, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, which have inspired wellness paths using natural products such as olive oil, wine, and chocolate. Guests can enjoy a heated water pool with water features, whirlpool barrels, and relaxation jets; saunas that combine steam baths with herbal aromas; various types of massages and beauty treatments. Borgobrufa is perfect for couples, who can stay in a Private SPA to enjoy an exclusive wellness experience with saunas, hydromassages, massages, and personalized treatments designed to rejuvenate body and mind.
Must-try: the Borgobrufa Face Treatment, a rebalancing cleansing treatment with hazelnut exfoliation and olive-based products; Umbrian Butters Wrap, which gives a velvety skin thanks to sunflower and broom butter; and the Saline Bath, where your body, thanks to the high salt concentration in the water, floats while being cradled by underwater music and chromotherapy.
San Montano Resort & Spa - Lacco Ameno - Campania
Did you know that Ischia is also famous for its thermal baths? On the island, overlooking the sea of the Bay of San Montano and the Gulf of Naples, lies the San Montano Resort & Spa. This 5-star hotel is surrounded by three hectares of parkland, in the heart of a beautiful Mediterranean garden. The resort includes a thermal park with panoramic pools and baths, solariums, and terraces designed for guest comfort, with waterfalls, water features, hydromassage, a sauna in a natural cave, and a terrace equipped with loungers and umbrellas offering breathtaking views of the sea. Particularly enchanting is the Ocean Blue. In this spa, all treatments utilize the traditional Ischian thermal water and mud properties. Another special beauty ingredient used in the treatments is citrus fruits, which reoxygenate and brighten the skin, offering a unique sensory experience.
Must try: the Lemontano massage, performed in a picturesque citrus grove, surrounded by the scent of lemons and with a view of the sea; and Olea Breeze, a ritual that begins with a full-body and scalp peeling, followed by an enveloping massage with warm candles infused with Ischian essences, and a personalized facial mask.
QC Terme Bagni Nuovi di Bormio - Bormio - Lombardy
It seems that even Pliny the Elder knew and praised the healing and muscle-relaxing properties of the thermal waters of Bormio, from nine sources flowing from Monte Reit, which feed three wellness spa resorts, including QC Terme Bagni Nuovi. While at the historic Bagni Vecchi you can dive into Roman Baths, amidst centuries-old caves, ancient springs, and an outdoor panoramic pool overlooking the Bormio basin, at the Bagni Nuovi you'll find the elegance of a 19th-century Liberty-style atmosphere, large outdoor pools, saunas, waterfalls, and an infinity pool with panoramic views of the Alps. There are many different massages and treatments offered, focused on rebalancing physical and emotional energy, customizable with pure vegetable oils created by QC Terme.
Must try: the Bio-revitalize Treatment, designed to erase signs of fatigue, firm the face, and give the skin a natural glow. All thanks to the properties of hand-harvested birch sap from the Corréze region and a complex of plant-based actives.
Le Terme dei Papi - Viterbo - Lazio
In medieval times it was a place where many popes, particularly Pope Nicholas V, came to treat various health problems. Today, the Terme dei Papi remain among the most beautiful thermal baths in Italy. The credit goes to the volcanic waters that come from the Bullicame Spring and the natural mud extracted from the Bagnaccio lake, which is rich in vitamins, phospholipids, and mineral salts. The complex, located in a large park, includes a monumental thermal pool of over 2000 sqm, a fascinating natural cave, a hotel, and various departments dedicated to inhalations, mud-balneotherapy, therapeutic baths, and other treatments, including beauty ones.
Must try: the Legs and Abdomen Dermodrainage Treatment with Thermal Mud and the Thermal Mud Facial Cleansing. The mud stimulates metabolism, promotes the release of anti-stress hormones and improves circulation, helping bones and joints regenerate, while also purifying, nourishing, and hydrating the skin, keeping it soft and elastic.
Bagni di Pisa Palace & Thermal Spa - San Giuliano Terme - Tuscany
The Bagni di Pisa thermal baths reached their peak of fame during the ancient Roman period but have recently regained their former glory, transforming into Bagni di Pisa Palace & Thermal Spa, a 5-star resort combining nature, sports, and wellness treatments. The resort includes the Bagni di Levante, which feature a large thermal pool, and the Bagni di Ponente, which house a wellness center with an outdoor pool and an indoor pool fed by thermal waters. There's also a small natural cave, called Hammam dei Granduchi, equipped with a captivating thermal waterfall and a pool carved into the rock. Numerous treatments and therapies promise to rejuvenate and pamper guests, from mud therapy and physiotherapy to thermal cosmetology and Eastern disciplines.
Must try: Bio Olea, a beauty ritual that uses the benefits of olive oil from the Pisan Mountains, followed by scrubs, gommage, body washing, hair shampoo, and a facial mask, concluding with a massage. Feeling more beautiful and relaxed already?
I Monasteri Golf & Spa - Siracusa - Sicily
Originally a strict Benedictine monastery, later the home of noble Sicilian families, today I Monasteri Golf & Spa is a 5-star resort on the outskirts of Siracusa, in Sicily. Nestled among citrus groves, palm trees, and olive trees, this wellness paradise includes a hotel, a golf course, and a spa. The Zàgara Spa is designed to create a microcosm dedicated to holistic well-being, where body, mind, and soul find balance. How? Thanks to an outdoor pool with hydromassage, Turkish bath, emotional showers, sauna, Jacuzzi, relaxation area, salt room, and five treatment cabins offering personalized wellness treatments with exclusive formulas and plant extracts. If you're dreaming of a weekend of rest, relaxation, and self-care, far from everything, this is the place for you.
Must try: the Zerobody Experience, an innovative dry float therapy system that allows you to float on 400 liters of warm water without getting wet. The promised result? Relieve muscle pain, release tension, and achieve deep relaxation.
Esplanade Tergesteo - Montegrotto Terme - Veneto
The Esplanade Tergesteo is described as a luxury retreat in the heart of Veneto, where thermal water is the focal point of every experience. The highlights of the property are the thermal pools and the spa area. Here you'll find various hydromassage stations, an indoor pool, and an H2O3 pool with thermal water and ozone microbubbles. The SPA Emotion Zone includes a Finnish sauna, a steam bath with thermal vapors, a Kneipp path, and a Jacuzzi with magnesium-potassium mineralized water, as well as various indoor and outdoor relaxation areas. Emotional showers with aromatherapy or chromotherapy and, for those who love cryotherapy, a cold room with ice crystals.
Must try: RoofTop54, the exclusive panoramic and "Adults Only" spa, where guests can enjoy an intimate atmosphere and complete relaxation. You can't stay at the resort without experiencing the saltwater pool with its central fireplace, various hydromassage stations for extra pampering, indoor relaxation rooms with comfortable daybeds, and the panoramic view of the Euganean Hills.
Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier – San Martino in Passiria – South Tyrol
Are looking for a corner of paradise in the heart of the Passiria Valley, where you can spend peaceful time for yourself? The answer is Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier. Here, you can enjoy hiking, sports, outdoor activities, or wellness, thanks to pools with hydromassage, saunas of all kinds, a Hammam area, massages, body wraps, treatments, breathing exercises, and meditation, and even a lounge with Himalayan salt crystals. Another reason the resort is famous? The saunas. Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier offers the widest variety of saunas in South Tyrol, with 25 different ones, each with unique aromas, temperatures, and properties. Do you prefer the Finnish sauna or the Tyrolean one with its bubbling water mill?
Must try: The herbal sauna, inspired by the alpine world of the Passiria Valley, or the Turkish bath with exfoliation and steam infusions of honey, salt, fruits, and herbs.
