The Romans said it best: mens sana in corpore sano—healthy body, healthy mind. Today, wellness is more than a trend; it’s a way of life, spanning everything from skincare to biohacking, all in pursuit of balance and vitality. But so often the focus is outward (how many more celebrity-sponsored, age-defying creams will we be convinced to buy!) and less on inward: healthy and local meals, moving your body, moments not dictated by a stopwatch, days with a silenced phone. True wellness exists in 360 degrees, and this is something that Italy does well. With ancient thermal baths, natural sanctuaries, and a culture built around the art of living well, Italy offers places where restoration comes naturally—enhanced by some of the world’s most breathtaking backdrops. Here, seven of our favorite boutique hotels with spas across the peninsula, because a true wellness escape should last more than a few hours.

HOTEL SALTUS 

Alto Adige

Hotel Saltus sits 1,100 meters up in a dense spruce forest and faces the majestic Dolomites, floating somewhere between sky and earth. Built with a deep respect for its surroundings, the hotel blends seamlessly into the landscape with natural materials, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an aesthetic that is quiet, minimal, and intentional. Four generations of the Mumelter family have shaped Saltus, designing the rooms to feel like a natural extension of the forest outside by embracing a wabi-sabi philosophy. There are no clocks or televisions here, and no temptation to doomscroll, since Wi-Fi is shut off after dinner to allow for deeper rest and reflection. 

Days begin with yoga or pilates in a windowed room looking out at the forest, which can be followed by forest bathing, meditation, watercolor painting, and massages using local larch. Saltus’ Forest Spa is carved into the landscape, where saunas, relaxation rooms, and meditation trails invite you to slow down and watch the spruce trees outside. Their rooftop Sky Pool practically extends into the horizon. Plus, just steps away from the property lies Salten, Europe’s largest contiguous meadow, where you can’t help but feel a little more grounded. 

Each meal is served in a traditional stube room that—surprise, surprise—also boasts stunning views; breakfast, with an assortment of bright juices and smoothies, fresh breads, and the most beautiful poached eggs, is our favorite time of day. Every menu is nearly all vegetarian, sourced hyper-locally and prepared without waste, focusing on local recipes like canederli and schlutzkrapfen. With sustainable practices like rainwater filling the pools, a lack of single-use plastics, and a 5% discount when you arrive by train (as opposed to by car), Saltus affirms their dedication to connection—not just to oneself, but to the land.

BORGO SANTO PIETRO

Tuscany

“Farm-to-table” has become an overused phrase, diluted to the point of resembling “natural flavors” on the back of a boxed product—something that could mean everything and nothing. Borgo Santo Pietro is the antithesis of that—a place where wellness isn’t just a concept but a way of life, a deeply personal project that Danish couple Jeanette and Klaus implemented when they restored this 800-year-old Tuscan estate. Each of the 22 rooms is filled with custom-sought antiques, hand-painted frescoes, and terraces that open onto Mediterranean courtyards or private gardens with pools and fireplaces.

Here, wellness exists multi-dimensionally. It’s in the rose petal bath drawn in your own private glasshouse; the estate-grown ingredients that make their way from the gardens and fermentation lab to the Michelin-starred Saporium; and their in-house skincare line crafted from honey, herbs, and sheep’s milk sourced directly from the farm. At the spa, the estate’s healing legacy continues; treatments begin with an herbal infusion, made fresh daily from mint, melissa, or lemon thyme plucked from the garden. Every session is tailored, guided by the belief that true wellness is personal. We know what you might be thinking—“I’ve heard this story before”—but at Borgo Santo Pietro, the only way to believe it is to experience it for yourself.

SIX SENSES ROME

Rome

This property will make you realize that an oasis might be even more essential in a city than in nature. After some 20,000 steps, endless plates of amatriciana, carbonara, stracotto alla picchiapò, and everything in between, stepping into Six Senses Rome really feels like finding calm in the heart of chaos. Within walking distance of iconic landmarks like the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Colosseum, the hotel’s 96 rooms and suites offer tranquil courtyard or cityscape views, blending luxury with the energy of Rome. “Prendersi cura di se stessi è il lusso” (“taking care of oneself is the ultimate luxury”): this ethos is woven into every detail, from the travertine walls that call attention to the city’s ancient roots to the seasonal, local ingredients that define the kitchen’s menu. 

Unlike others on this list, the spa and wellness offerings include day passes, creating a community for locals and guests alike. And, much like the hotel, wellness is woven into the fabric of the city as well, with a Roman bathing circuit offering a modern take on ancient rituals and outdoor workouts overlooking the Fori Imperiali. Aside from the usual offering of treatments, you could engage in everything from a visionary practitioner workshop with expert Suraj Varma to a session with Olympic-champion Michelle Rellis. The kitchen honors seasonality and locality; you won’t find pineapple or bananas on the menu here, and the space is enhanced by greenery (as in, real plants) that help cement this hotel as a veritable haven in one of the world’s most chaotic cities.

FORESTIS

Trentino

Perched high in the Dolomites, Forestis Spa in Trentino offers an adults-only retreat where privacy, nature, and tranquility are paramount. Created by Stefan and Teresa Hinteregger, this secluded sanctuary celebrates the region’s beauty through wellness rooted in local forests, springs, and herbs. “We wanted to celebrate the land, not follow trends,” says Stefan. All seasons here offer their own charm—summer means long warm days where you can enjoy the outdoor pool, spring and fall bring perfect temperatures and clear skies, and winter turns the landscape a crisp and refreshing white. If you’re really lucky, you might get to experience two in one stay, when the first snowfall brushes away the red and auburn leaves. 

Mornings begin with Wyda Celtic yoga, a practice discovered by Teresa and held outdoors in summer. Treatments are designed around local materials like wood and stone, with unique offerings such as the Tree Circle ceremony, where guests choose a wood based on its “vibrations” to ease tension. For couples, the three-hour Private Spa experience includes a pine body scrub, salt bath, and steam. 

The spa emphasizes privacy, with guests assigned their own personal “shell” for the full stay, ensuring peace and solitude—like you would have your own private cabana at the beach. The serene pool area, minimalist sauna, and outdoor pool with mountain views offer perfect spots for unwinding. Breakfast is a celebration of local, seasonal produce, including an entire room dedicated to fruits grown on-site and homemade juices. At Forestis, silence is the true luxury, and every moment feels like a step away from the hustle and bustle into nature’s embrace.

CASTELLO DI RESCHIO

Recently honored by Architectural Digest as one of the nine must-visit hotels before you die, Castello di Reschio—gracing the border between Umbria and Tuscany—is a destination that justifies both the journey and the indulgence. This thousand-year-old estate has been meticulously transformed by Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife, Countess Nencia, seamlessly blending historical allure with contemporary quiet luxury. Each of the 36 suites boasts bespoke interiors, reflecting the family’s unwavering dedication to craftsmanship and design. Guests can immerse themselves in curated experiences—from horseback riding across the expansive grounds to participating in art and flower workshops that echo the region’s rich cultural heritage. The Bathhouse, nestled within ancient wine cellars, offers an ethereal spa experience. Worn stone steps lead down to a tranquil sanctuary of therapeutic interconnecting spaces, where warm stone walls, burgundy hues, flickering candlelight, and restorative treatments combine to offer a level of relaxation that feels almost timeless

RELAIS SAN MAURIZIO

Piedmont

Housed in a restored 17th-century monastery, Relais San Maurizio is a five-star retreat that balances history and quiet luxury with an effortless sense of place. Here, breakfast might be served in a chapel before a bike ride through rolling vineyards, and afternoons unfold in the sprawling spa, where the salt caves open onto stunning views over Langhe’s famous vineyard-filled hills.

The spa is reason enough to visit; you can float in a saltwater pool with vineyard views, detox in the grotto-like Kneipp path, or slip into a bio-sauna housed in century-old Barolo barrels, where the scent of aged wine lingers in the air. Treatments are rooted in the region’s natural bounty—think grape-seed scrubs and herb-infused rituals sourced from the monastery’s own botanical garden. Your whole stay here is in line with a self-sufficient, balanced lifestyle, from a yoga class under the 400 year-old cedar tree to the hotel’s organic garden, which supplies both Origini Bistrot and Guido da Costigliole, the first Michelin-starred restaurant in the region. You can even pick up some of their skincare line, designed around the principles of nutricosmetics. And, from the panoramic terrace of the spa, watching the sun dip below Langhe’s rolling hills, it’s hard to imagine a better place to be.

SAN LUIS LODGES 

Alto Adige

Located in Avelengo/Hafling just a few kilometers from Merano in an untouched natural reserve around a 5,800-meter-squared lake, San Luis Lodges perfectly embodies the idea that wellness is the ultimate luxury. It’s the kind of place where mornings start with breakfast delivered to your door, afternoons drift by between sauna sessions and icy dips in the lake, and nights are spent curled up by the fire. The lodges—whether treehouses actually perched among the branches or chalets down by the lake—blend seamlessly into the landscape, designed for total privacy and stillness. Most come equipped with private hot tubs and saunas. 

If you manage to leave your idyllic cocoon (trust us, it won’t be easy, even for the most active among you!), you can fill your days with ice skating on a frozen lake (or swimming in it during the summer), horseback riding through the woods, and trekking and biking through the surrounding mountains. 

Alternatively, spend your days unwinding at the spacious, barn-inspired spa, where pools stretch from indoors to out, leading to a hydromassage tub floating in the middle of the lake. The wellness treatments draw on South Tyrolean traditions—essential oils, alpine herbs, and the healing power of water—and even without indulging in a treatment, you’ll certainly get a daily dose of “forest therapy”. The food is seasonal, local, and perfectly unfussy, with ingredients sourced from nearby farms and the resort’s own four hectares of gardens. Breakfast—a jaw dropping affair—is served right in your own chalet or treehouse, and the other meals can be enjoyed in common areas or your lodge. There’s a minimum stay of three nights, but trust us, that won’t even be enough.