The Most Luxurious Wellness and Spa Hotels in Thailand

Avoid the crowds with a wellness-focussed stay at Santhiya, situated on Koh Yao Yai island, between Krabi and Phuket in the Andaman Sea. The 39 pool villas and rooms feature traditional Thai-carved furniture and blend in with their natural surroundings via interiors that draw the outside in. All have access to a private stretch of beach and a waterfall pool. Then there’s the cliff-edge, sea-facing Ayurvana Spa, hidden away amid tropical foliage in a traditional Thai-style building, with treatments spanning from signature massages to scrubs, wraps and facials. Duly restored, there are seven different bars and restaurants to work your way around.

This Ritz-Carlton Reserve, north of Railay and Krabi, offers a high-end stay on one of Thailand’s lesser-visited beaches. The spacious, stylish villas, with their private pavilions, blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. An infinity pool, butler service for all, and a luxury spa with a comprehensive menu of services ups the decadence even further. But it’s not all about signature Thai rituals and anti-aging facials. The ethos at this Thai wellness spa also extends to early-morning yoga sessions on the beach, hikes up Krabi’s Dragon Crest Mountain and restorative seafood in the restaurants.

Devasom Hua Hin Resort, two hours south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand, is a small luxury resort made up of just 24 suites and villas. All rooms boast sea views and feature design touches that take influence from a bygone era of beachside holidaying. Traditional Thai massages and cooking classes are available, not to mention the infinity pool. Plus, the beach is just steps away. What more could you ask for?

In the western coastal villages of Khao Lak resides The Sarojin. Villa-style rooms at this Thai luxury spa and retreat run from suites to residences. As luxurious as each of them are, the Pathways spa only ups the ante, poised in a calming coconut grove with yoga, meditation and Thai herb treatments on offer. Cooking classes are available throughout the day and, come evening, staff can set up tables in romantic locations around the resort.

This otherworldly clutch of cottages, tree houses and pool villas of this wellness retreat in Thailand sit near the country’s west coast. Accommodation takes inspiration from local materials, history and nature, such as in the bird-nest-inspired Tree Pool Houses. The in-house Mala Spa offers a variety of Thai-inspired treatments, with an emphasis on local ingredients, and the two dining destinations serve fresh vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options.

For a luxury, wellness-centred retreat in the heart of town, look no further than the Rosewood Bangkok. The 158 rooms and suites feel both classic and contemporary, with wide windows that give way to stunning city views. But, if you’ve just touched down after a long flight, that won’t be as important to you as the Rosewood spa, where treatments draw on traditions tracing back to Thai tribes and royalty. They combine turmeric-infused wraps, acupressure techniques and essential oils in such a way that’ll have you laughing in the face of jet lag before long.

Located on a former rubber plantation on an off-the-beaten-track island is the Six Senses Yao Noi. The spacious villas, which range from one to four bedrooms, look out over dense jungle or island-studded Phang-Nga Bay. They all boast their own infinity pools, too. There’s an in-house spa – one of the best spas in Thailand – at your beck and call, with oil-based head massages and green-tea body wraps on the menu, and restaurants that emphasise healthy cuisine.

The Four Seasons Resort on Koh Samui has a way of anticipating your needs before you’re even aware of them. It starts with the villas, which boast private pools shielded by strategically planted foliage. Start the day with yoga on the beach or Muay Thai at the outdoor training ring. The breakfast buffet is the stuff dreams are made of: try the velvety coconut yoghurt with granola and hot pink dragon fruit, washed down with a chocolate and ginger smoothie. After a few hours of stand-up paddle-boarding on the beach, book a lava shell massage in the open-air Secret Beach Spa Sala, then retire to your villa for a coconut milk bath lit by tea lights.

Layana Resort and Spa is found on the lesser-visited island of Koh Lanta: an unspoiled, jungle-enveloped getaway with a laid-back pace. Join a sunrise yoga class to a soundtrack of birdsong, then swim laps in the half-Olympic-size wellness pool before hydrating with a tropical juice. In the afternoon head to the award-winning Linger Longer Spa for an East-meets-West massage and a rejuvenating nap in the salt room, which is reputedly great for skin conditions, respiratory problems and overall healing. At sunset, watch the tangerine sky reflected on the glassy surface of the beachside infinity pool.

On a private Phuket peninsula hugged by the glittering Andaman Sea you’ll find Amanpuri: a luxury wellness retreat in Thailand that offers blissful seclusion and a medical-grade wellness centre. If you’re after a serious reset try one of the immersions: multi-day programs that begin with a doctor-led physical. They even come complete with a blood panel to check for nutritional deficiencies, and heavy metal testing to confirm the guest doesn’t have a toxic build-up of mercury or lead. This is combined with a tailored meal plan, private movement sessions and holistic spa treatments.

Picture a Thai version of Canyon Ranch. That’s Absolute Sanctuary, a Koh Samui wellness resort for people who are serious about kick-starting healthy improvements. The 30-to-60-day Lifestyle Change Programme, for example, is divided into three phases. The first focuses on detoxing, with colonic hydrotherapy (AKA an enema), infrared sauna sessions and lymphatic drainage therapy (a form of massage that helps move lymph fluid around the body). The second helps create new healthy habits with fitness and nutrition classes. Finally, the program wraps with a ceremonial blessing from a Buddhist monk and some island excursions that provide the opportunity for guests to enjoy their new and improved selves.

The Amatara Wellness Resort, which takes its name from the Sanskrit word for immortality, helps guests meet their mind-body-soul goals with an array of signature wellbeing retreat programmes. Pick from options like detox, spa revive, or weight management. Try the brain health enhancement one, which was created in conjunction with the Brain Institute at Bangkok Hospital. It also addresses preventative care through a tailored diet, exercise, mindfulness practice and relaxing spa treatments. Once you’ve completed the five-day programme at this wellness hotel in Thailand, you’ll be armed with scientific recommendations to keep your brain healthy in the real world.

Hua Hin has long been a retreat for the high-flyers of Bangkok, including Chiva-Som founder Boonchu Rojanastien. In 1993 he demolished his beachfront abode in order to build the 7-acre resort, which puts wellbeing front and centre. Chiva-Som (which translates as “the haven of life”) assigns guests a wellness advisor, who curates a programme tailored to their specifications, incorporating spa treatments, physiotherapy, nutrition, fitness, holistic health and aesthetic beauty.

Banyan Tree Bangkok is best-known for its rooftop bar, a glamorous spot with 360-degree city views. Once the wait staff have helped you stage the perfect photo, visit the spa downstairs for a massage. All the therapists have had to complete 350 hours of training at a dedicated academy, so you know you’re in great hands. Then, join a beauty workshop, where you can learn to make your own coffee body scrubs, essential-oil blends and massage oils. As night falls, guest services can prepare a special bath in your suite’s free-standing tub, complete with aromatherapy oils, candles, Thai herbs and a beverage to sip while you soak.

After a day navigating the city’s tuk-tuks and crowds, 137 Pillars in Bangkok offers welcome respite. If you’re battling some serious jet lag, this wellness hotel in Thailand’s capital has an on-site health and wellness team that can customise meals at fine-dining restaurant Nimitr to soothe your sleep issues. Meanwhile, the spa offers a special treatment to help you wind down before bed. It’s a gentle front-body massage using acupressure to release tension, complete with an eye mask and headphones playing relaxing music. If you wake up at a silly hour, head to the rooftop infinity pool, which is open 24 hours a day to guests with suites.

Situated among the forest-blanketed mountains of Chiang Mai, the Veranda High Resort embraces the calm of northern Thailand. Float in one of the infinity pools while gazing at remote Buddhist temples, rice paddies and verdant tea fields, then book a signature treatment created by expert therapists. The spa is composed of several private cottages, each with its own steam shower, twin treatment beds (ideal for couples) and a luxuriously large sunken bath. Try the traditional Thai massage or a tropical fruit scrub followed by the Cleopatra Milk Bath: a petal-sprinkled, 30-minute soak in the tub to soften skin and relax knotted muscles.

Puripai Villa is composed of luxury villas, each with its own pool, arranged on a hillside overlooking a serene on-property rice paddy. Owned by actor Puri ‘Ri’ Hiranprueck, the hotel is a favorite mountain retreat for Thai celebrities, who value the seclusion and relaxation Puripai has in spades. Book a private morning yoga session on the open-air deck, as the rising sun gradually disperses morning mist, or hit the fancy fitness center, which comes with pastoral views out of its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Masquerading as an ornate temple or royal palace, Dhara Dhevi blends ancient wellness wisdom with artistic pursuits like basket making and bamboo weaving – the kind Chiang Mai is renowned for. A jog around the resort’s 60 pastoral acres takes you over rice paddies, past lotus ponds and through gardens thick with the fragrance of topical blooms. The striking spa and wellness centre, replete with shimmering mosaic tiles and delicate pagodas, specialises in Ayurvedic programmes. This 5,000-year-old health system from India offers a systematic approach to treating your specific constitution, encompassing diet, hot oil massages, meditation and yoga.