Saunas have been a way of life in the Nordic and Baltic countries for generations, as have Japanese onsen and soaking in geothermal hot springs everywhere from Iceland to Italy. Whether you choose to submerge yourself in mineral-rich spring water or bake in a sauna (traditional, infrared or steam), raising your body temperature is becoming synonymous with relaxation all around the world.
Let’s not solely focus on the ‘hot’ side of the temperature gauge, however. Contrast therapy is all the rage, seen everywhere from pop-ups on public beaches to boutique hotel offerings. Alternating between extreme hot and cold temperatures is a centuries-old practice, as demonstrated by the Romans (caldarium and frigidarium bathing), Nordic countries (wooden saunas and ice baths in frozen rivers) and Japanese (onsens alternated with cool pools). These bathing rituals don’t just improve your immune system and cardiovascular health, they also trigger higher levels of dopamine and endorphins, resulting in a natural high.
The Finns are perhaps the most well known for their sauna culture, with an impressive 3.3 million saunas for a population of just 5.4 million people. Around 90% of Finns sauna at least once a week, many also opting for an icy plunge into a river, lake or the sea. Perhaps this is why Finland frequently tops the list of the happiest countries in the world?
Sauna use, cold dips and bathing in naturally warm waters all have a myriad of physiological and psychological benefits. Yes, it is suggested that regular use can (as suggested by the Finns) make you happier, relieve stress and clear your head. After all, it’s easier to forget about worries and live in the moment when your focus is on the extreme temperatures your body is experiencing. Physically, your heart rate increases in the heat and decreases in the cold – regularly engaging in contrast therapy can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
There’s also a huge social aspect to bathing culture. Saunas and onsen are third spaces – publicly accessible places separate from home and work where you can socialise. Especially during the winter months, these communal gatherings become harder to find (here in the UK, it’s tempting to automatically head to your local pub). Saunas are a health-boosting alternative where you can relax and socialise while focusing on wellness.
As the interest in saunas, onsen and hot-cold therapy continues to soar, hotels are taking note by adapting their spa and wellness offerings. Massages and facials are still on the menu, but contrast therapy with a variety of hot and cold bathing experiences is taking centre stage.
Searching for hotels that embrace bathing culture in all its forms? Here are 10 retreats where you can bathe, bake and brave icy dips, from the South Tyrolean slopes to luscious Japanese forests. The first three hotels on the list are part of SLH’s newly launched Wellbeing Collection: hotels that offer meaningful rest alongside experiences that support physical, mental and emotional health, going far beyond your average spa resort.
1. Miramonti Boutique Hotel, South Tyrol, Italy
Emerge from a contemporary cave to soak up both the views of the Merano valley basin and the 32°C healing brine water of Miramonti Boutique Hotel’s iconic infinity pool. There’s also a relaxing outdoor onsen pool and an architectural sauna in the forest, with soothing views of the surrounding fauna through its floor-to-ceiling window.
2. HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu, Balderschwang, Germany
The striking Mountain Spring Spa at HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu offers endless opportunities for hot-cold contrast therapy, whether you prefer to plunge into the balmy waters of the outdoor pool and rooftop Japanese onsen or brave the natural bathing lake. Indoors, sauna hop between the Finnish, panoramic and mountain saunas and steam bath, taking advantage of the daily infusions before cooling off in the plunge pool.
3. eriro, Ehrwald, Austria
Alpine wellness is the name of the game at eriro, with each suite featuring a rustic Tyrolean bathing trough and a sprawling spa that makes the most of the hotel’s location. A panoramic pool offers uninterrupted mountain views, while the onsen’s cosier ambiance still allows a sneak peek of the peaks. Underground, discover a cave-like meditation pool, and outdoors you’ll find Spruce and Finnish saunas alongside a waterfall rock shower.
4. Nusfjord Village & Resort, Lofoten, Norway
Scattered across a traditional Lofoten fishing village, Nusfjord Village & Resort has the ‘cold’ part of contrast therapy right on its doorstep with ladders descending into the icy depths of the fjord. Before you brave a dip, warm up in the traditional wood-fired hot tub and sauna, massaging fresh seaweed serum into your skin and finishing off with an exfoliating sea salt scrub.
5. Lilløy Lindenberg, Herdla, Norway
Remote in the best possible way (secluded atop a rocky isle in a Norwegian fjord), Lilløy Lindenberg has four rooms to rent separately or can be hired as a private island escape. Its sauna is housed within a repurposed wartime electrical station with freshly foraged herbs dangling from the walls. Outside, step into a heated bath sunk into the terrace, or seek out one of the many spots around the island where you can leap directly into the freezing cold sea.
6. Arctic Bath, Harads, Sweden
One of the most architecturally striking hotels in the world, Arctic Bath’s spa resembles a bird’s nest with a permanent ice bath in its centre. Suspended above the running waters of the Lule River in summer and a snow-covered landscape in winter, the spa’s central pool is an essential part of its rejuvenating ritual. Spend your stay alternating icy dips with soaks in the dry saunas, steam sauna and outdoor tubs.
7. Hotel Rangá, Hella, Iceland
Fancy your outdoor soak with the aurora borealis for company? Hotel Rangá’s three geothermal hot tubs offer atmospheric bathing beneath dark skies, just metres from the hotel’s cosy wood-clad suites. If you’re visiting during the winter season, simply wade out of the tub into fresh piles of snow to cool off.
8. Gáldu Hotel & Spa, Northern Lapland, Finland
At Gáldu Hotel & Spa, wellbeing is shaped by elemental contrast, where fire and ice meet in deep harmony with the Arctic landscape. Rooted in Finnish tradition, the spa ritual pairs the enveloping heat of wood-fired saunas with invigorating ice bathing, awakening circulation, resilience, and calm in equal measure. Hot–cold therapy here is not a trend but a timeless practice — one that sharpens the senses, quiets the mind, and restores balance amid Lapland’s pristine forests. Framed by snow-laden pines and polar skies, each plunge and pause becomes an act of renewal.
9. Chalet Ivy Jozankei, Hokkaido, Japan
This ryokan retreat surrounded by a luscious forest is the complete antithesis of hectic city life. All guests at Chalet Ivy Jozankei have private onsen tubs in their rooms for secluded bathing, or there are two mineral-rich hot spring pools (one indoors, one outdoors) for mingling with your fellow guests.
10. Five Spring Resort The Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan
Located in a region known for its geothermal waters, this ocean-side resort funnels 100% pure hot spring water from 1,000 metres underground. Each suite at Five Spring Resort The Shirahama is kitted out with its own naturally-fed hot spring bath (some also feature Jacuzzis on their terraces) and there’s an outdoor pool (some suites have direct access), indoor onsen and barrel sauna for further steamy sojourns.
Latest stories
Independent Minds: Daniel Shamoon
When your calling is to create the most sought-after boutique destinations on the globe, how do you define what makes a luxury hotel truly exceptional? Off the back of his major renovation of Hermitage Bay, a nature-immersed Caribbean escape on Antigua’s golden west coast, SLH co-owner Daniel Shamoon delves into
A wellness-boosting itinerary through Portugal: from the Algarve to Alentejo
Beyond the Algarve’s beach umbrellas and Lisbon’s tiled alleys lies a version of Portugal where nature leads and wellbeing follows. These wilder corners offer stillness, slowness and something that’s increasingly sought-after by today’s travellers — a deep and meaningful connection to nature.
Why sailing the Nile by dahabeya is the most timeless way to experience Egypt
Aboard the beautiful Storia the Dahabeya, a four-day journey down the Nile comes to life with a thousand senses, from the snap of linen sails to the scent of sun-warmed papyrus drifting on the wind. We glide past palm-fringed banks and golden temples that continue to glow at dusk. Gentle
In with the new: from vineyard retreats to island hideaways these are the hotels on our radar in April
Spring brings a renewed sense of movement and with it, travel that feels both restorative and enriching. Some stays are steeped in nature, from Finland’s forested stillness to Corsica’s sunlit groves, while others unfold among the vineyards of California, Piedmont and beyond. Elsewhere, island rhythms take hold in Rhodes and
