Spoil yourself at these top 10 luxury spas in Australia and abroad

There is no such thing as a spa too far. Meet the resorts finding new ways to make us relax

By Ute Junker 20/12/2018

Underwater spas. Cold chambers cooled to 110 degrees below freezing. Craniosacral therapy, candlelit couples massages, hammams and rose-scented steam rooms. If your idea of a luxury spa doesn’t extend much beyond a deep-cleansing facial, you have some catching up to do.

The world’s best hotels and resorts are undergoing a spa boom. As time-poor travellers demand relaxation, fast, an indulgent spa has become as essential an offering as king-size beds, a signature bar area and rooms with a view.

Each property offers its own take on the spa experience. Some leave it to the experts, partnering with industry leaders to deliver a comprehensive range of treatments. Others focus on reflecting a sense of place, drawing on local ingredients to deliver that one-of-a-kind experience.

And then there are the destination spas, properties where it is all about wellness.

From tropical Thailand to the European alps and the Australian bush, these retreats offer therapies for both the body and the mind.

Roaming right around the globe, we have selected the properties that are winning the spa wars. With unforgettable locations, practised therapists and treatments that really deliver results, these retreats offer the ultimate in relaxation.

Spa Kinara, Longitude 131°
Uluru, Australia

The phrases ‘rusty shack’ and ‘luxury spa’ don’t usually go together; but then again at Longitude 131°, the tented camp overlooking Uluru, they are known for doing things differently. Spa Kinara draws inspiration from the Australian Outback both in terms of its design – inspired by the classic corrugated-iron bush shack – and its treatments. Massages feature a soothing balm made with irmangka-irmangka, or the leaves of the scented emu bush, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties; the leaves are gathered by women from the nearby Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. The Mukulya facial harnesses the healing power of native sandalwood and macadamia nut, and includes a hair mask using native quandong. Complete the experience by rinsing off in the outdoor shower overlooking the vast desert plains.

KurSpa, Sparkling Hill Resort
British Columbia, Canada

Is it getting cold in here? If so, you’ll know you are standing in KurSpa’s Cold Chamber, the only place in North America offering three-chamber cryotherapy. This unusual technique subjects the body to three-minute bursts of extreme cold – think 110 degrees below zero. Yes, Celsius. The results are claimed to be particularly useful for people suffering from arthritis, migraines, depression and stress. If you prefer a less chilly spa experience, there are plenty of other options available in the 4000-square-metre KurSpa, located in the Sparkling Hills Resort. Heat up in one of the seven steam and sauna areas, which include a crystal cave and a rose-scented steam room, then try the Honey Detox Treatment, in which honey is worked into the body to detoxify and stimulate the immune system.


Schloss Elmau, Germany

Schloss Elmau
Krün, Germany

The spectacular location amid Alpine peaks is just the start of Schloss Elmau’s offerings, which include no fewer than six spas – some adultsonly, others catering for the whole family. Guests can relax in the largest hammam west of Istanbul, pick a treatment from the 20-strong massage menu, or sign up for some sessions with a traditional Chinese medicine specialist. More active types will want to try hiking in summer, skiing in winter, or participate in one of the yoga retreats held throughout the year. Schloss Elmau looks after the mind as well as the body: the property also runs a superb cultural program. Several performances are held each week, including everything from classical music concerts to literary events.

Huvafen Fushi
The Maldives

You had us at ‘underwater spa’. The Maldives’ many resorts compete with one another to offer the most sumptuous spas, but Huvafen Fushi trumps them all with its treatment rooms beneath the waves, which offer up-close views of colourful corals and tropical fish. The treatment to try is the Underwater Dream Spa. This unusual massage, carried out on a waterbed massage table, is designed to release tension and give you a better night’s sleep, restoring your body’s balance and leaving you feeling refreshed and positive. Also recommended is the Divehi Maalis, which takes place on the beach. As waves wash gently on the shore, you will enjoy a sand and herb exfoliation, followed by a sea bath and a traditional Maldivian massage.


Huvafen Fushi

Spa qualia, qualia
Hamilton Island, Australia

The Whitsundays’ most exclusive retreat, qualia, is all about indulgence, so of course the resort’s Asian-style spa includes some seriously hedonistic treatments. Take the three-hour Wine Lovers Indulgence package, designed for couples. Enjoy a huge menu of body and face treatments, all using Vinotherapie products, before sinking into a bath together to enjoy a bottle of champagne or pinot noir. There is also a chocolate version for those with a sweet tooth. It’s not all about sybaritic experiences, however; if you want to give your body a serious boost, Spa qualia also offers wellness services such as naturopathy and iridology.

Gaia Retreat and Spa
Byron Bay Hinterland, Australia

You have been warned. Check into one of the elegant Komala Villas at Gaia Retreat & Spa – the celebrated wellness haven in the hinterland of Byron Bay – and you never need to set foot outside the villa. With a plunge pool, a day bed and even a dedicated treatment area, everything you need, from massages to meals, can be delivered to your door. The downside is that, if you don’t step outside, you may miss some of the best things about this wonderfully restorative retreat, from the beautiful bush-fringed grounds to the social mealtimes in the Samoan-style longhouse. In addition to the usual range of spa treatments, Gaia offers its guests less mainstream experiences, including chakra balancing, sound meditation, art therapy, or even a tarot reading.


Miri Miri Spa

Miri Miri Spa by Clarins, St Regis
Bora Bora, French Polynesia

This one really ticks all the boxes. Start with one of the world’s most Instagrammable locations, the picturesque Bora Bora lagoon. Add an indulgent luxury resort, top it off with a world-class spa located on its own tiny islet, and you have a memorable retreat. The Miri Miri experience is all about slowing down and surrendering to pure pleasure. Guests are encouraged to make a day of their spa visit. Come early to enjoy a sauna or steam before your treatment; afterward, relax on the spa’s private beach. The encyclopaedic spa menu offers plenty of choices but, given Clarins’ reputation in skincare, one of the Pro-Aromatic Facials is recommended. If romance is in the air, sign up for the Outdoor Candlelight Couple’s Massage, set up after sunset on the spa’s private beach.

One & Only Palmilla
Los Cabos, Mexico

The manicure is the grease-and-oil change of the spa world: the treatment that is more about maintenance than pampering. Unless, that is, we are talking about the Bastien Duo mani-pedi, as offered by the spa at One & Only Palmilla in Baja California. As relaxing as a massage, its results as remarkable as a good facial, the Bastien Duo involves two therapists working simultaneously on you while you relax in a recliner, only to drift out later with smooth skin, relaxed muscles, and perfectly groomed hands and feet. To make the most of this incredible spa – which sprawls over an astonishing 2000 square metres – it is a wise idea to sign up for some back-to-back treatments. That gives you the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent treatment casitas, which come complete with plunge pools and day beds.

Kamalaya
Koh Samui, Thailand

Why does the award-winning Kamalaya regularly get ranked as one of the world’s best spas? It is hard to know where to begin. There is the lush jungle setting on the quiet southern tip of Koh Samui. There is the calm, nurturing atmosphere that spreads right across the property. There is the fantastic food. Most of all, however, there is the spa itself and its outstanding range of mind and body treatments. You can try an Ayurvedic treatment such as the Marma Point Massage, which works 107 energy points throughout your body, or a counselling session with a Buddhist monk. Not your thing? Perhaps you would rather have a Chi Nei Tsang abdominal massage, or sign up for a Thai boxing lesson. Round it out with some complimentary yoga and meditation sessions, drop in on one of the fascinating lectures from guest speakers, or just lie by the pool, munching on frozen grapes.

Southern Spa,Southern Ocean Lodge
Kangaroo Island, Australia

It is easy to miss the spa at Southern Ocean Lodge, so discreetly does the low-slung building nestle into the surrounding coastal heath. Which is fitting, since this spa is all about using
the healing powers of the island’s natural bounty: everything from wildharvested eucalyptus and lavender, to mineral salt drawn from coastal lagoons around the Bay of Shoals. Fans of facials should try the Southern Karma treatment, which uses aromatic indigenous ingredients such as wattle, lilly pilly and lemon myrtle. One of the spa’s signature body treatments is the Ligurian Honey and Almond Wrap, which cleanses and nourishes the skin using honey made by the island’s bees, the only pure strain of Ligurian bees left on the planet.

ADVERTISE WITH US

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Stay Connected

You may also like.

How Off-the-Rack Suits Got Sophisticated Enough to Win Over Bespoke Guys

Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better, and it offers even the most particular dressers a fast, easy platform for experimenting with their look.

By Aleks Cvetkovic 18/02/2025

The world moves fast—and for once, tailoring is moving a little bit faster.

Guys around the globe are rediscovering their love of suits, but many have determined that they can’t stomach the monthslong wait for bespoke. The good news? Ready-to-wear tailoring has never been better.

That’s in part because bespoke makers are beefing up their off-the-rack offerings. Anderson & Sheppard’s shop-in-store at N.Y.C.’s Bergdorf Goodman—the first outpost beyond its London flagship— opened in December with, among other things, a sharp wool-and-cashmere jacket in a delightful shade of teal. Huntsman’s recent fall-winter collection, billed as its most comprehensive assortment yet, offered everything from tuxedos to shooting breeches. Even Leonard Logsdail, Hollywood’s highly esteemed bespoke purveyor, is experimenting with hem-and-go models.

But non-custom tailors are upping the ante, too. Some of the best ready-to-wear suits on the market come from such brands, whose wholly distinctive points of view provide a welcome departure from the rigidity of many bespoke tailors’ house styles. The preponderance and diversity of such high-quality, easy-to-access threads has recast off-the-rack suits as the ultimate way to experiment with your look, not just a way for some to get dressed on the cheap. What’s more, it reflects the new reality that even people who suit up regularly might want to show up looking different on Thursday night than they did on Tuesday morning.

“Life nowadays is much more fluid,” says Chris Modoo, a London-based stylist who once worked as a tailor on Savile Row. “Things happen, invitations appear. You might get an invite for a black-tie party in the South of France for next Saturday.” Ready-to-wear is the obvious solution when you’re in a last-minute menswear quandary, but “it also means you can try new things.”

One maker worth a test-drive is Husbands Paris, founded by Nicolas Gabard, who sees his role as an “archivist of the past.” His look, inspired by stylish men such as Yves Saint Laurent, David Hemmings, and Gary Cooper, is unabashedly striking—think long, fully canvased jackets, broad lapels, structured shoulders, and wide-leg, high-waisted trousers. These wares are made in small workshops in Italy and Portugal, where craftspeople infuse them with high-end details such as hand-sewn buttonholes and silk bar tacks, a form of stitching that reinforces seams and pockets.

Thom Sweeney L.A. store Brett Wood

They’re the kind of touches any menswear enthusiast can appreciate—even if they’re the trees to Gabard’s style forest. Clothes like this are designed as a form of wearable self-assurance, enhancing what Gabard calls a “classically masculine” silhouette: broad shoulders, slim waist, narrow hips.

“Of course, tailoring has to fit well, but it also has to bring something else,” he says. “More and more [Husbands] customers want to be confident, powerful, and sexy in their outfit.”

When you want to look more suave than soigné, turn to the indie Milanese brand Massimo Alba, which is known for its chic casualwear but made its name with easygoing tailoring. “A great suit is not just about the way it fits but about the way it makes you feel,” says the eponymous label’s founder of his relaxed approach. “For me, the essence lies in balance, between structure and softness, elegance and ease. In my opinion, a suit should adapt to the wearer, not the other way around.”

Alba’s creations are cut from plush materials such as corduroy and flannel, featuring natural shoulders and only the lightest of canvasing in the chest, which results in a less-formal look. Which is not to say they aren’t workhorses: Daniel Craig wore one of Alba’s Sloop suits to dodge bullets in 2021’s James Bond film No Time to Die. “I always focus on fabrics that move with the body, details that whisper rather than shout, and cuts that allow for freedom,” Alba adds.

And freedom is precisely what this newfound inventory of great ready-to-wear tailoring provides. Modoo advises some clients to look to bespoke tailors for investment-level garments, such as morning suits, tuxedos, or the dark, serious stuff you might need for a funeral or odd courtroom appearance. “You know you’re going to wear these for 10 or 15 years,” he says. Let the new class of distinctive ready-to-wear step in when you want to try something that just wouldn’t make sense as a bespoke order. “Your pink-velvet blazer for the Christmas party? How well does that need to fit?”

London bespoke tailor Caroline Andrew is one of many who admits ready-to-wear has its place. Courtesy of Caroline Andrew

Fortunately, with so many options available, the fit is easier to dial in. You can expect most high-end operations to make a long list of changes, from ensuring that the seat of the trousers drapes appropriately to cutting working buttonholes on the jacket. For a peerless experience, you can always reach for garments from one of the many talented bespoke tailors offering ready-to-wear. At Thom Sweeney, such clothes are “all influenced by our bespoke cut,” says Thom Whiddett, who cofounded the brand with Luke Sweeney in 2007. “You try on [our ready-to-wear] jacket, and you immediately get a sense of the proportions and shapes that we put into a bespoke garment.”

That alluring sense of near-instant gratification is the point. For some, nothing will ever replace the distinguished feeling of slipping into a bench-made suit—and plenty are willing to wait for it.

“You have to mentally buy into the process and enjoy it,” says Caroline Andrew, a London bespoke specialist. “The journey is just as important as the finished product.” But ready-to-wear sets the time-strapped tailoring enthusiast down a different path: discovering new facets of your personal style at a record pace.

Buy the Magazine

Subscribe today

Stay Connected

Tom Brady Wears a Jacob & Co. Watch Decked in Yellow Sapphires to the Super Bowl

The $740,000 Caviar Tourbillon was an opulent choice for the former NFL star.

By 17/02/2025

Tom Brady was on the field tonight at the 59th annual Super Bowl game, and while the retired NFL hero—a seven-time Super Bowl winner (the most of any footballer in history)—wasn’t playing, he came dressed to impress with a $116,400 Jacob & Co. watch on his wrist.

Brady, who is a notable watch collector, recently sold off several of his timepieces at a Sotheby’s auction called “The GOAT Collection: Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady” this past December. Those timepieces ran the gamut from a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6241 to a unique Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with his name spelled out in diamonds across the salmon-colored tapisserie dial. His Rolex Daytona sold for over $1.5 million, and, in total, his auction raked in around $7 million. So, he’s well-equipped for a new watch purchase.

Whether or not he owns the six-figure sapphire stunner or it was a paid spot, the watch certainly stood out against his conservative but immaculately fit gray suit. “Tom Brady is the epitome of excellence, both on and off the field,” said Benjamin Arabov, CEO of Jacob & Co, in a press release sent out by the company shortly after Brady’s appearance. “We’re thrilled to see him wearing two of our most prestigious timepieces on the biggest stage in sports. The Billionaire Mini Ashoka and Caviar Tourbillon embody the precision, luxury, and innovation that define Jacob & Co. We’re honored to have him represent the artistry and craftsmanship behind every piece we create.”

Like much of Brady’s wrist candy, his 44 by 15.8 mm Caviar Tourbillon is not easy to come by. It is limited to just 18 pieces. It features hours, minutes, and a one-minute flying tourbillon in the JCAA43 movement with 216 components and 72 hours of power reserve. The movement itself is set with 338 brilliant-cut diamonds, while a total of 337 yellow sapphires adorn the case and dial. The clasp is decorated with another 18 baguette-cut yellow sapphires, and the crown comes with 14 baguette-cut yellow sapphires and one rose-cut yellow sapphire. As far as gem setting goes, this is one extraordinary piece, but it certainly seemed like a surprising choice for Brady, who was otherwise dressed like he just stepped out of a boardroom or a Ralph Lauren catalog.

Benjamin Arabov, son of Jacob & Co. founder Jacob Arabov, is now the CEO of the company. The 32-year-old recently took to Instagram to post that he was looking for a rebranding agency with experience in visual identity and packaging. As far as marketing goes, however, with Tom Brady, he’s golden.

Buy the Magazine

Subscribe today

Stay Connected

This Vintage Rolex Day-Date Has an Ultra-Rare and Coveted ‘Bark’ Design

The ultra-cool piece from Wind Vintage also comes in pristine condition with a desirable patina.

By Paige Reddinger 17/02/2025

Over the last four years there has been a resurgence in interest for 18-karat yellow gold watches. Much of that is due to fatigue over the long-running craze for steel tool watches, but it is also in part due to the rising value of gold (which shows no sign of slowing), rendering these once undesirable pieces increasingly worth collecting. Add to that the fact that, in some niche and stylish circles, unusual bracelet treatments, gem-setting, and interesting dials are becoming increasingly appealing and you have a new wave of watch collecting emerging. Steel sports watches are still the bread and butter for most dealers, but as pockets of interest in more unusual timekeepers, often from younger and fashion-forward collectors, continue to rise we’re seeing some really fun pieces pop up on the market. Case in point: This 1980s Rolex Day-Date in 18-karat yellow gold with a sapphire and diamond dial from Wind Vintage currently available exclusively on The Vault.

It wasn’t that long ago that dealers had a hard time unloading an all-gold gem-set piece. Eric Wind, the notable dealer and founder of Wind Vintage, says five years ago he would have sold this piece for around $23,000 to $28,000. The asking price today? $45,000. “It is very rare,” he tells Robb Report. “I think that was all clearly hand-done. Funnily enough, bark watches were not very desirable in the past. You know, even five to 10 years ago, they were very, very hard to sell. But, over the last three to five years, there’s been such an emergence and interest in jewellery and watches and work like that engraving and other kind of artistic forms that the watches took.” The style of engraving he is referring to on this watch can be seen on the bezel and middle links of the bracelet that is referred to as “bark” for its rough tree-like appearance.

“Bark” engraving on the bezel and bracelet of the Wind Vintage 1980s Rolex Day-Date
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

And while the bracelet is certainly a notable feature that will stand out in a sea of Submariners and Daytonas, the dial is also worth bragging about. Its diamond minutes track and sapphire hour markers are executed in what is known as a “string dial” because it looks like a string of pearls. “They’ve become very popular,” says Wind. “They were very expensive back in the 80s, just because of the cost of the stones, and there are just not many that exist on the planet.” Likewise, Wind says the canary yellow matte dial is not something he comes across often, having only seen a couple of others.

An up-close look at the patina and “bark” engraving on this 1980s Day-Date from Wind Vintage.
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

Part of what makes this watch so hard to find on the market is that pieces like this often didn’t survive past their ’80s heyday. “A lot of times these watches were so undesirable that dealers would replace the bezel inserts and put on fluted inserts, or smooth bezels or fluted bezels and melt down the bracelets or polish the center link so they looked like a standard Day-Date. Those dealers should have learned that what goes around, always comes around. Now with these interesting Rolex watches on the rise, they’ll become even harder to find.

A Wind Vintage 1980s Day-Date with “bark” engraving and a gem-set “string dial”
Courtesy of Wind Vintage

If you’re interested in the piece and want to speak to Wind about it IRL, he will be at Robb Report’s House of Robb event in San Francsico today during the NBA All-Star weekend.

Buy the Magazine

Subscribe today

Stay Connected

Soccer Star Kylian Mbappé Is Now an Investor in Watch Marketplace Wristcheck

Just like Jay-Z.
Published on February 7, 2025

By Abby Montanez 11/02/2025

Kylian Mbappé just went from brand ambassador to investor.

The celebrated French footballer, who currently plays for Real Madrid, has taken a stake in luxury watch trading platform Wristcheck, Hypebeast reported lat week.

Off the filed, the 26-year-old soccer star is a known timepiece collector and has served as an ambassador for Swiss marque Hublot since 2018. With this new partnership, the forward joins a growing group of influential backers, including Jay-Z. The rapper and business mogul took an equity stake in the Hong Kong-based company last summer as part of a recent funding round of $7.9 million.

“I’m thrilled to join Wristcheck as an investor through Coalition Capital,” Mbappé said in a press statement. “As a Hublot ambassador and someone passionate about watches and innovation, I see Wristcheck as a platform that truly understands the next generation of collectors. They’re reshaping the watch industry with a forward-thinking approach that blends technology, transparency, and creativity.” Mbappé did not immediately respond to Robb Report‘s request for comment on his new business endeavor.

Kylian Mbappé is an investor in online watch shop Wristcheck.
Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Launched in 2020 by renowned horophile and Instagram personality Austen Chu, Wristcheck offers a platform for collectors to buy and sell pre-owned watches that have been authenticated by Swiss-trained watchmakers. Since it was founded, the company has raised more than $21.6 million in funding from investors including the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners GBA, and K3 Ventures.

Mbappé, meanwhile, has achieved remarkable success in his soccer career. He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, becoming the youngest player to score in a final since Pelé. At PSG, he has secured multiple Ligue 1 titles and domestic cups. Individually, Mbappé has earned the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and regularly features in top European scoring charts. And in 2020, he was ranked the world’s highest-paid player, surpassing rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Buy the Magazine

Subscribe today

Stay Connected

Sotheby’s Will Put on the Largest Auction of Breguet Watches in Decades This Fall

To celebrate the revered watchmaking house’s 250th anniversary, the sale includes rare collectibles belonging to living Breguet family members.

By Paige Reddinger 11/02/2025

Interest in Breguet has experienced a quiet resurgence among savvy collectors who appreciate the brand’s deep-rooted watchmaking heritage. This growing enthusiasm will soon take center stage with an upcoming auction that shines a significant spotlight on the storied Maison.

Founded in Paris 250 years ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet was one of the most influential watchmakers in history, best known for inventing the tourbillon and the automatic winding system—along with many other groundbreaking innovations. His legacy continues to inspire modern masters such as F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour. You can see Breguet’s influence pointedly in pieces like F.P. Journe’s famous Chronomètre à Résonance timepiece, voted one of Robb Report‘s 50 Greatest Watches of All Time.

Now, Sotheby’s has announced “the largest sale of Breguet timepieces in three decades.” Though the auction won’t take place until November, the auction house is already working to build anticipation. In the meantime, it might be wise to brush up on the most coveted Breguet references.

Breguet 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV Breguet

What may pique collectors’ interest is the sale is being curated in conjunction with Breguet and Emmanuel Breguet, the vice president and head of patrimony, who happens to be a descendant of the original Monsieur Breguet. So far, the only timekeeper publicly associated (at least visually) with the auction is the 1827 Perpétuelle à Tact watch made for King George IV. Still, it hints at the historic level of pocket watches, wristwatches, and clocks that will be on offer. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a frequent supplier of high-end and state-of-the-art timepieces for royalty, including Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, and King George III.

Other highlights include an open-faced montre à tact (a watch that replicates the internal hour hand on the cover of the pocket watch via an arrow so that time could be read via touch) with a calendar and moonphase indications that was the inspiration for the Ref. 3330. A pendulette with alarm, perpetual calendar and repeater, and a two-color gold open-faced tourbillon watch is said to be a part of the sale, although no images were provided as of press time. More info on what will be in the sale will come this spring.

Buy the Magazine

Subscribe today

Stay Connected