It’s January and that means bear-style hibernation mode is fully sanctioned — unless you’re a member of the new-start-embracing, resolution-decreeing crew, in which case this is the month to kickstart some wholesome new habits for 2026.
There’s no better place to do it than at one of these wellness retreats, where the spas are supersize and inhabited by healing practitioners, the treatments are herbal and borderline life-altering, and the views are guaranteed to make you feel better with one glimpse. Here are some places to start the year horizontal, in the best way (at the mercy of a masseuse).
The Ranch Hudson Valley
Upstate New York
If the diary and your personal sense of industry allow, channel a reclining railroad baron and live out your ‘over-achiever of the Gilded Age’ fantasies at The Ranch Hudson Valley, built on a 200-acre estate in 1902 by the banker JP Morgan for his newly married daughter. If you’ve been overdoing it on the Zoom calls lately, this wellness retreat proposes a new calendar you can get on board with, swapping virtual meetings for strength classes in the mansion’s restored ballroom, spells in the solarium and hikes in Harriman State Park. Therapists are also available for energy healing, hypnotherapy, reiki and deep-tissue massages. The hotel’s only an hour from Manhattan but may as well be on another planet.
Broaden your horizontals: You’re never far from your next massage at The Ranch Hudson Valley — a 50-minute treatment is included every day.
The Newt
Somerset
Surrounded by the gently rolling hills of Somerset, The Newt welcomes idle guests in search of some bed rest, whether you choose to siesta in the spa, in your room or in a meadow after one too many cyders (sic — that’s how they spell it around ’ere). The current custodians of this 800-acre estate, which has the Grade II-listed Georgian manor Hadspen House at its heart, have transformed it into one of Britain’s most beloved country-house hotels, complete with former stables you can stay in, a yoga studio and a croquet lawn.
Still in operation on the productive estate is an ancient cyder press, alongside a beehive, vegetable garden, butchery, bakery, and orchards supplying the necessary apples. Unsurprisingly the spa puts nature’s bounty to good use, with rose facials; massages performed with herb-filled linen poultices; and orange, honey and olive hammams just some of the soporific treatments on offer.
Broaden your horizontals: These grounds lend themselves to a period drama — be the main character of your own with dips in the bathing pond, strolls around the maze of apple trees and other wholesome activities designed to usher in a serene state of mind.
Heckfield Place
Hampshire
The clue’s in the name of the spa at Heckfield Place: The Bothy by Wildsmith, named after the manor’s former head gardener, William Walker Wildsmith, and a hint at the botanical alchemy to come. The 400 rural acres, with wildflower fields and walled gardens, deliver fresh air by the lungful. Ready to receive you all rosy-cheeked afterwards are six treatment rooms, where you can enjoy craniosacral or movement therapy, Thai massages, myofascial release and reflexology. The spa is also home to assorted ‘Master Practitioners’, including an eco-psychologist and nature therapist, an acupuncturist and a naturopath. All of this expertise can be called upon with an individual retreat programme, designed just for you.
Broaden your horizontals: If you’d rather remain sedentary, the well-equipped manor house is also furnished with a cinema, which hosts regular screenings and talks.
Saltus
South Tyrol
As the Dolomites embrace snow- and ice-based hijinks for the Winter Olympics, you can leave the vertical adrenalin-seeking firmly to the athletes. When Saltus emerges from hibernation in the spring, embrace some entirely more sedentary activities at its stellar spa. The forest-shrouded sanctuary, set 1,100 metres above sea level, is just a short drive from the city of Bolzano, but miles away from any notions of urbanity.
Instead, there are swimming pools in the sky, views of mighty snow-capped peaks in the distance and a spa with saunas, a yoga studio and relaxation room with a view. The lofty treehouses are rooted in their serene surroundings, formed from larch wood, limestone and clay for a supremely soothing backdrop to your holistic health journey. Naturally, forest-bathing is the default activity here.
Broaden your horizontals: Dial up the wellness with the resident team of doctors who are on hand to create a bespoke programme for guests seeking a reset.
Como Uma Ubud
Bali
Influencer Instagram would have you believe that Bali is one of the healthiest places on the planet, awash with juice bars, yoga retreats, plant-based menus and Adanola activewear — and it’s not wrong. Como hotels have long been leading the charge, championing wellness since before it was popular. At Como Uma Ubud, a heavenly scented Como Shambhala Retreat spa is of course the star of the show. You can set off on hikes past rice paddies from the front door, join the free daily yoga class in the open-air pavilion, calm your mind in the meditation balé or stay horizontal as you have knots expertly eased in one of the rooms set off a wooden pathway by a koi pond. The valley scenery and wildlife soundtrack are also a tonic, and in the unlikely event that you crave some buzz, Ubud is just a five-minute drive away.
Broaden your horizontals: Book a suite or villa with a private pool and we guarantee you won’t make it very far from the sunlounger on your tropical-foliage-framed deck.
Gallicantu Stazzo Retreat
Sardinia
This wholesome stay in the heart of the Gallura countryside reveals a sleepier side to the high-glitz Costa Smeralda, inland from all the super-yacht action along the coast. It’s set in a clearing in the woods, with the original stone farmhouse remaining and every new addition blending in seamlessly. As well as hikes around the grounds — ticking off curiously shaped granite boulders typical of this part of Sardinia as you go — peak wellness can be achieved on sailing trips around the Maddelena islands, yoga and painting classes, wine tastings in the ancient cave-cellar and even a round of golf — former pro-golfer turned hotelier Marco can give you a few swing-perfecting tips.
Gallicantu Stazzo Retreat has a wellness area with a sauna, sensory shower and Turkish bath, bookable for €40 an hour, with a treatment menu for extra-relaxing add-ons if you wish. Or just lean back and contemplate the meaning of life in the shade of ‘the King’, the estate’s millennia-old olive tree.
Broaden your horizontals: Linger over a lunch of local produce at the estate’s low-key, home-style restaurant as you gaze out to Corsica in the distance.
Siro Boka Place
Montenegro
Wellness is the Siro group’s raison d’être — so much so that every room in its Boka Place outpost has resistance bands in it. But it welcomes gymphobes with open arms, too; it’s an inclusive kind of place that will help to gently coax you into better habits should you be seeking them. The sporty squad on hand includes nutritionists, personal trainers and guides to take you out on hikes in natural parks, canyoning and kayaking or rafting on the river.
You’ll also be able to enjoy yoga classes, holistic treatments at the Recovery Lab, lengthy swims in a pool above the bay and — the antidote — cocktails at the rooftop bar. More unusual spa treatments on offer include myofascial cupping, dry needling and percussive therapy. And for guaranteed sound sleeps during your stay, there are cooling mattresses, climate control, soundproofing and meditation playlists on standby.
Broaden your horizontals: Pass out post-workout with some red-light therapy, or pencil in some time with the in-house nutritionist to complete your reboot.
Find more stays that will knock you sideways in 2026, or explore our collection of Europe’s best spas