The Best Spas To Visit in Delhi, India

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This 24-hour walk-in spa is a little slice of paradise in the big bustling city. Softly lit treatment rooms are home to attentive therapists who work their socks off to massage the city strain out of your face and body with reviving massages and facials. Not ready to face the Delhi day again yet? Not a problem – simply retire to relax in the steam room then cool off in the small plunge pool before getting on with your day.

The 850sqm (20,000sqft) spa at the towering, central, uber-glamorous Shangri-La is the place for an Asian-inspired treatment, but how on earth do you narrow down the options? May we suggest the traditional Indian massage? It is a ballet of long strokes that regulate your circulatory and nervous system, aided by Ayurvedic medicated oils or the Shirodhara – the pouring of lukewarm medicated oil on the “third eye chakra” (centre of forehead) to awaken senses. Or how about the Taste of India? It covers all bases with a foot ritual, a 30-minute coconut body scrub, 60-minute Abhyanga (warm-oil) massage and 30-minute Shirodhara treatment, which involves more liquid (oil, milk, water) poured on your forehead. Bliss.

The services at this spa, located in Delhi’s first luxury hotel, the Imperial, are surely the best your rupee can rustle up. Just cast your eye over the indulgent treatment menu and its diverse offerings. Their signature 90-minute Imperial Depth massage is one of the most popular. For Ayurvedic treatments, the in-house Ayurvedic doctor is at hand to dispense a personalised consultation. You can also contact the spa director in advance and request a custom-created treatment, complete with specialised meals from the Imperial’s celebrated restaurants. And when you’re properly pampered, see if they’ll show you the most palatial spa rooms, which are eye-poppingly grand and unforgettable.

Spread over two levels, ESPA at the Leela Palace is a sumptuous retreat in a spectacular hotel, right in the middle of Delhi – as you’d expect, given the big-name brand favoured here. Pick the signature Kizhiswedana Synchronised Ritual massage (one of the best ways to experience ESPA) and you’ll be treated to two therapists working in tandem. If you’re looking for a beauty treatment try the advance Rose Princess Facial, which tackles dull skin and ageing signs. The best bit is the gentle deep cleansing and exfoliation, which freshens your complexion before the application of rose quartz to reinvigorate your city-fatigued face, magicking away puffiness.

A session at Aheli Spa at the Roseate hotel not only rejuvenates the body and mind, it gives you a spring in your soul. Along with four indoor suites, there are impressive outdoor treatment areas you would never expect to find in a manic capital city. The spa therapies have been inspired by a fusion of traditional Indian Ayurveda and modern massage techniques. Try the Aheli Signature or the Ayur Shanta treatments, which top guest-request lists at this sumptuous hotel, an architectural statement in the midst of Delhi.

With its nonpareil services, this much-loved spot has earned the respect and trust of a broad international clientele. The spa also boasts of meeting the guidelines set by the Day Spa Association of USA. If you only pick one of their many therapies, be sure to make it the Asian Roots Indulgence, which translates as a celestial, sensual four hours of no-holds-barred pampering. It starts with a body spa and scrub, followed by an organic facial, a manicure and pedicure and finally wraps up with a relaxing French hair spa. Delhi won’t recognise you when you step back out, triumphant.

Sawadhee is a traditional Thai spa with the interiors spanning over 465sqm (5,000sqft). There are seven private suites including a hot tub. The Sawadhee Signature Massage, which uses herbal balm and aromatic oils, is a great therapy for reinvigorating a tired body. The Lotus Signature, which combines the benefits of Thai and Swedish massage is another great option. If you’re looking for a facial spa then Sawadhee’s Vitamin Concentrate Skin Facial is highly recommended for its effectiveness in tackling a number of skin issues from pigmentation to dehydration.

It bills itself as the best skincare clinic in Delhi, and we’re happy to lie down and take it at this groovily good-looking contemporary pampering palace. It has categorised its treatments into six different groups – muscle pain, poor circulation, stress, insomnia, past-life blockages and depression. The past-life blockages therapy is based on the theory of reincarnation, and so the therapy aims at releasing blocked energy from previous unresolved life traumas. This can include phobias and physical pains incurred in a previous birth, and although it sounds unorthodox, AAYNA has scored a hit with its regularly returning (as it were) fan base.

Kairali is now an established name in Ayurvedic treatments. Their Ayurvedic Healing Village in Kerala has become world-renowned for its residential wellbeing programmes. While the Kairali centre in Delhi isn’t a fully fledged hospitality venue, this day spa is still ideal for a quick rejuvenation. Apart from spa treatments, Kairali day centre also provides coaching for leading a holistic Ayurvedic lifestyle.

Jo Fernandez-Corugedo contributed additional reporting to this article.