Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you’re planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it’s worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.
Why go here?
The Swiss are, at this point, pretty famous for how seriously they spa. This is for a very good reason. At La Rèserve Genève—the 10-acre Swiss lakeside outpost of the privately owned La Rèserve hotel chain, which also has celebrated five-star hotels in Paris and Ramatuelle, on the St Tropez peninsula—the 20,000 square foot Spa Nescens has the run of show in the health and wellness department, making it the city’s largest and undisputed address for wellbeing, without preventing you from also enjoying the finer things associated with a five-star stay. The Spa Nescens signature Better Aging program incorporates a thorough medical evaluation, including a guest’s genetic, medical, dietary, and psychological profile, to inform the four- or seven-day itinerary, which incorporates three daily meals, meetings with an osteopath, exercise sessions with a trainer, and spa treatments. The idea is to live the best possible life, for as long as possible, by employing healthy food, correct movement, and an openness to medical advances and interventions (including aesthetic medicine, like chemical peels, exosome therapy, and injections of Botox or Profhilo), as desired.
Photo: Courtesy of La Rèserve
What’s the vibe?
A world unto itself. The expansive spa is at ground level, with a sloping hillside outside some of the glassed-in workout rooms. Within you will find a health-focused restaurant, Café Lauren (open to visitors), indoor and outdoor swimming pool, hair salon, extensive gym facilities, and 17 treatment rooms, as well as large changing rooms replete with sauna and hammam. Jacques Garcia designs the interiors for all the La Rèserve properties, and upstairs at the hotel is a Peter Beard–style safari fantasy of thick velvet drapery, big-cat photography, and warm tones of wood and brass. The spa, however, is clean and cloud-like, with cut-out leather wall panels inspired by sea vegetation and elegant pearl-laden wall sconces that evince jellyfish. “The idea,” the spa director told me, “is that we are under the waters of Lake Geneva.” The effect is just as refreshing.
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