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?
If you’ve ever found your curiosity piqued by the principles of Ayurveda—the ancient Indian traditional medicine system that places particular focus on movement, breath, and diet—then there are few places in the world better to experience it than Santani. Nestled in the heart of Sri Lanka’s breathtakingly beautiful Hill Country, it blends a rigorous Ayurvedic program with elements of the Western spa tradition, revolving around a 6,000-square-foot wellness complex and a restaurant with spectacular views over the Knuckles mountain range and equally spectacular food.
What’s the vibe?
Santani is situated in one of the most picturesque settings for a retreat I’ve ever seen: Its dramatic central building of metal, glass, and salvaged timber is set upon the peak of a dramatic ridge, while the 18 villas for guests spill across its sides, ensuring panoramic views across the lush terraced tea fields from every corner of the property. (My favorite spot to hang out every afternoon was the pool situated at the highest point of the property, where you could listen to Buddhist chants from nearby temples drifting on the breeze.)
The spa itself is part of an enormous open-air complex that includes an expansive yoga pavilion, as well as an entire floor dedicated to treatment rooms that open up directly into the jungle. Before every treatment, you’re encouraged to soak in the mineral pool, watching vividly-colored butterflies flap by or monkeys swinging through the canopies—during one afternoon sauna session, an especially bold macaque pressed its paw to the glass—or tune out to the sound of tropical birds. The word Edenic doesn’t even cover it.
It’s also very fairly priced, which makes for an enjoyable mix of guests. I am, admittedly, not always the most sociable person on vacation, but the group yoga sessions and intimate nature of the place led to me striking up plenty of friendly conservations with everyone from an American couple in their twenties on a month-long trip through South Asia who had decided to splurge for a few nights, to a German mother and daughter who were hardcore yogis and staying at the resort for two weeks. If you want to go about your days in total seclusion, that’s entirely possible too. If you book a room in one of the villas located a 10-minute walk or buggy ride up the road, which come with their own private pools, it’s even easier.
The history?
Santani was first established in 2016 by the Sri Lankan entrepreneur Vickum Nawagamuwage, who enlisted the help of architect Thisara Thanapathy to realize his vision of an “architecture of silence” where guests could truly switch off. (There’s no Wi-Fi in the guest rooms, and in lieu of air conditioning, the rooms have been cleverly designed to harness the natural ventilation of the winds that sweep through the neighboring valley.) Over the past decade, it’s developed a well-earned reputation as Sri Lanka’s very best wellness resort, and there are plans to expand the resort further in the coming years. Special mention again, here, for the food—whether you’re on a health-conscious meal plan for the week or are keen to sample one of the extensive, Michelin-level (but still very much nutrition-focused) tasting menus.
What should you try?
The programs here are hands-on and thorough: My week began with an extensive consultation with the in-house Dr. Nimesha, who recommended a plan to address an imbalance in my doshas—apparently my vata, which relates to movement, was overactive, while my pitta, which relates to the metabolism, was sluggish—and a full Ayurvedic detox that would culminate in a “purgation” on my final day. (I’ll spare you the gory details, but that final part isn’t for the faint-hearted—though the results were genuinely transformative, leaving me feeling lighter both physically and mentally than I had in years.) There are also twice-daily yoga sessions, with the morning featuring a vigorous set of sun salutations to get the blood pumping and a gentler, breathwork-focused afternoon session; I also particularly enjoyed the sound healing session, which the in-house yogi Rahul led with deep melodic chants, bells, and rattling Sri Lankan raban drums, gently vibrating through the body to leave you with a tingling-all-over sensation.
The sheer array of treatments on offer here is a little head-spinning, so I simply went along with what the doctor ordered, which included a 90-minute treatment each day. Each had its own sense of ceremony, as you were guided down to the room where a fire pit was lit outside, a gentle, smoky incense-like aroma wafting through. The famous Ayurvedic shirodhara treatment, in which warm, herb-infused oil is gently poured onto your forehead in a constant flow, was especially revelatory—it might sound a little like an obscure torture method, but it feels blissful, and I left feeling both like all my anxieties had melted away. And the massages were fantastic: None of the therapists were afraid to get stuck in and work out those knots, of which there were plenty after a long overnight flight to Sri Lanka. The open-air setting also means you have the soundtrack of nature accompanying every treatment, which on my final afternoon, included the pitter-patter of a rain shower falling through the jungle: pure magic.
How environmentally friendly is it?
Impressively so. All of the buildings have been constructed from local and reclaimed materials, and the lack of air conditioning reduces the resort’s energy consumption enormously. There are high-capacity solar panels and innovative biogas systems to power the resort, as well as an on-site vegetable farm (80% of the ingredients served are sourced locally) and water recycling plant. The resort also contributes to a wide variety of initiatives supporting the local community, including education programs for the tea workers and schemes to support local artisans and craftspeople. A stay at Santani will have you feeling good in more ways than one.
What else do we need to know?
Make the most of all the activities on offer. One of the highlights of my trip through the property’s tea fields with the in-house naturalist Sandu, who equipped me with a basket to pluck off the leaves then took me back to the hotel kitchen to guide me through the process of drying and brewing my own blends of black and green tea, which I sipped on later back in the comfort of my room. There are daily walks down to a river where you can take a quick cooling dip, or a longer, three-hour trek to a hanging bridge and picture-postcard creek, with stops along the way to spot black eagles swooping over the valley and circling overhead, or to watch baby monkeys clumsily leap from branch to branch. It helps work up a sweat and make that afternoon spa treatment feel well-earned, sure, but it also speaks to the overarching goal of a trip to Santani: to leave feeling fully in tune with the natural world that surrounds you. It might sound a little cheesy, but even after returning to my decidedly less tranquil home city of London, it’s reminded me to stop and pause when I see a colorful bird rustling in the branches of the tree outside my home—or when I’m feeling stressed at the office, to go sit in a nearby park for 10 minutes and switch off my phone. To put it succinctly, the Santani experience extends long after the moment you leave.
Who can go?
The spa at Santani is for guests only, which makes sense: You could only really tune into the frequency of the place by staying here for a couple of nights, and the remote location would make it tricky for a day trip.
Booking details for Santani
Address: Arantenna Estate, Werapitiya 20908, Sri Lanka
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.
