Welcome to the third iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, a compendium of the 100 best spas in the world, compiled based on first-person reviews and careful editing. This year, we’ve renewed our focus on establishments that have established a reputation for exceptional care of body and mind, though there is a great variety in the list. Whatever you are seeking when it comes to wellness, there is something here for you.
Why go here?
At the foot of the Leogang Mountains, surrounded by its own 90 acres of lush Alpine forests and backing onto the snow-dusted slopes of Asitz, sits the Forsthofgut. Here, you and every tier of the family have a chance to reset and absolutely no reason to leave. There are five varied restaurants and a bar, kids clubs, enclaves of saunas and wellness nooks, a private game reserve, and its own black run for the bravest of skiers. Ski in…and maybe don’t ski out.
What’s the vibe?
Family-friendly, gastronomic playground, and ataraxy-inspiring Alpine abode might seem like bisecting descriptors, but Naturhotel Forsthofgut oscillates between them all. Its sheer size helps with that. There are 112 rooms and suites, with five larger suites (some with their own private loggia, sauna, and hot tub). And with grounds spanning some 30 square miles—dotted with infinity pools, relaxation bolt holes, and a waterslide, as well as the multistory WaldSpa—I often found myself having whole, hushed areas to myself. Curated experiences—horse riding, winter hiking—can fill your days. In the evenings, you’ll be dining with Swiss families and ski-bunny couples from all over. (I spotted an international DJ, in between tour dates, also enjoying an evening swim.)
Alongside architect Andreas Hallinger and designer Katharina Naglich, the Schmuck family hoteliers have kept the aesthetic rhythm in harmony with its lush surroundings. It’s all warm timber and plush, spherical-backed chairs, with handpicked bouquets around. Stepping into my sun-dappled, multilevel suite, I audibly gasped. Not one but two terraces (and my own private sauna) looked out on one of the steaming infinity pools and a slaloming ski run.
Each morning, you’ll eat breakfast at the same table, with a daily newsletter in a chatty tone outlining the day’s activities, ski conditions, and general life at the hotel. It makes Forsthofgut feel like its own little townlet.
The history?
Forsthofgut can trace its history back 400 years, with the Schmuck family calling it home for five generations. The name of its rustic, Michelin Guide–recommended restaurant, 1617, is also the year it was founded as a forestry holding (the literal meaning of forsthofgut).
While the first holiday guests arrived in 1960 (you’ll find very fun retro photos of that summer’s retreat in the guidebooks), Forsthofgut was officially set up as a hotel in 1990, with 11 rooms and one sauna, and has steadily expanded over the decades. The first WaldSpa in Europe opened here in 2011, and subsequent expansions included its wellness areas, suites, restaurants, and outdoor spaces. Its lineage, so deeply linked to the surrounding landscape, has been the golden thread as Forsthofgut has grown. The family is also heavily involved in day-to-day operations (Christoph) and its ongoing design and architecture (Christina).
What should you try?
The sprawling spa focuses on four pillars of health: roots, strength, breath, and mind, taking cues from the flow of the forest. What that means: detox retreats and infusions (roots), personal training and hiking programs (strength), yoga and breathwork sessions (breath, of course), and forest bathing (mind).
I’d recommend donning a fluffy robe and slippers and taking a wander through the outdoor areas first. Do some lengths in the 25-meter infinity pool with the Leogang Mountains behind you, enjoy the old-wood sauna or the hot onsen pool inspired by Japanese bathhouses, and then be brave and step into the rocky-bottom natural plunge pool. At the Finnish lakeside sauna, you can pick up some birch branches to massage your body: The leaves are exfoliating, improve blood circulation, and provide natural essential oils. It’s even more fun if you have a partner to do it with you.
I opted for a full body massage, which used the WaldSpa’s own natural oils—dreamy, after a day of skiing. But the massage menu is long and inclusive, with considered pregnancy packages and several lymphatic-drainage offerings. If you’re in a couple, there’s a package that includes a forest hike, with a foot bath and head massage. It’s an expansive curation that tempers the active lifestyle encouraged at Forsthofgut.
The well-stocked gym also has a lively fitness schedule, with yoga and boxing classes, as well as a reformer Pilates studio. I tried out a Pilates class—maybe not my best idea after a ski session, but my teacher was diligent about what I needed in the small, six-machine studio. Fuel up in the cozy, bubble-sofa relaxation room with handfuls of the best trail mix you’ll ever have and a daily changing herbal tea.
How environmentally friendly is it?
The hotel uses clean energy and green electricity generated from its own forestry. The property runs a reforestation project, WaldLiebe, and has planted more than 70 trees so far, propping up its European & Austrian Ecolabel, which is awarded for ecological and social responsibility.
The restaurant offers a special R50 menu featuring ingredients cultivated within 30 miles; herbs, berries, and mushrooms are grown directly in the Forsthofgut forest. Every night, it’s delightfully changed, and the servers and chefs are incredibly knowledgeable. The buffet is also plastic-free.
The hotel’s own farm, the Mauthof, houses chickens, lambs, geese, and pigs, while the close-by and family-run Stechaubauernhof farm is its main vegetable supplier. Once a week, guests can visit the game enclosure and meet the fallow deer and dwarf goats with owner Christoph.
What else do we need to know?
Cuisine here is built on three pillars, and each of its six restaurants and bars traverses them all: Alpine-Mediterranean, vegan, and super regional. In the main restaurant, you’ll be given three daily changing menus to choose from. (The secret schniztel is a must-order on any evening.) In the traditional 1617, expect venison, beef tartare, and pike dumplings; in the Japanese restaurant Mizūmi, the freshest nigiri and sake-based cocktails. At the Botanist bar, even the drinks menu has a wellness bent, created in partnership with Saint Charles Pharmacy in Vienna; try a CBD-infused anti-stress cocktail, then switch to the excellent, extra-extra-dirty martinis.
While the hotel is very family oriented, there are many adults-only areas in the spa. (But you can have a go on the waterslide too!)
Who can go?
Forsthofgut offers a wide range of packages, wellness days, and retreats running throughout the year. Think babymoon packages, Pilates getaways, romantic couples weekends, and family-focused itineraries. There are also several day spa offers, and you can book any of the restaurants without staying.
Booking details for Forsthofgut
Address: Hütten 2, 5771 Leogang, Austria
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.
