5 Wellness Resorts in Ultimate Bucket-List Destinations

And you don’t even have to choose between indulgence and adventure—the best properties let you dabble in cultural and wilderness experiences while unwinding, too.

HIMALAYAN HALE AND HEARTY

The Oberoi Sukhvilas Resort & Spa, India

Oberoi hotels are known for their palatial feel and hyper-attentive service, but the year-old Sukhvilas Resort & Spa, in the forested foothills of the outer Himalayas, puts an extra emphasis on wellness. At the new spa, guests can take advantage of an infrared sauna for intensive muscular relaxation, a Turkish hammam and a Roman tepidarium (where heated walls and floors gently relax the body). More ambitious health-seekers can sign up for one of the intensive programs—for stress, weight management, detoxing or rejuvenation—which last for 7 to 28 days and are personalized by an Ayurvedic doctor. The plans might involve Ayurvedic treatments, yoga, dietary changes or mindfulness activities like gardening and forest bathing—meditative guided walks in the woods. All 60 guest villas and tents come with a private pool, and the three eateries source their ingredients from local growers and the on-site farm. From about $375 a night, oberoihotels.com

CREATURE COMFORTS

Bushman’s Kloof, South Africa

If you’re eager to look your very best when staring down wildlife, you’re in luck. Set in an 18,530-acre game reserve a few hours outside of Cape Town, this Relais & Châteaux property has four spa treatment rooms plus a stand-alone treatment gazebo with views over the Boontjes River. Many offerings incorporate indigenous ingredients, such as rooibos, Cape aloe and baobab tree oil. The foot ritual is especially geared toward tired travelers. Guests can go on hikes, fishing expeditions, mountain bike outings or game drives in search of the resident zebras, lynx and antelope, then sample the seasonal cuisine at the property’s three restaurants. From about $273 a night, including meals and activities, karkloofsafarispa.com

OM TURF

Aro Ha Wellness Retreat, New Zealand

Aro Ha, a 40-minute drive from New Zealand’s adventure hub of Queensland, offers a more rigorous approach to wellness. Here the rooms are comfortable but simple, featuring recycled wood and organic cotton linens, and the bathrooms are shared (though only between two rooms). Aro Ha’s signature health program, which lasts for at least four nights, includes daily yoga sessions, hiking, interval training and massage; the food is entirely plant-based and gluten-free, to cleanse and restore the body. The resort is environmentally friendly—solar- and hydro-powered, with the food kept cool in cellars—and intimate, maxing out at 18 guests per retreat. From about $3,250 for a four-night retreat, aro-ha.com

FJORD FOCUS

Puyuhuapi Lodge, Chile

Bid your Insta feed goodbye. On the edge of a fjord in northern Patagonia, this lodge doesn’t have cell service, Wi-Fi or TVs. What it does have are mineral springs, views to the snow-capped Andes and an escape from digital inundation. The spa focuses on water-based therapy, with indoor and outdoor thermal pools; treatments include an algae wrap, in-water massages and varied baths (including a wine soak). Opened in 1990, Puyuhuapi has serious eco-cred: It was originally built from fallen trees, the springs provide bathing water and heat, and the resort generates shockingly little nonorganic waste. Off-property you can go kayaking, hiking or boating—or just enjoy the fresh-as-can-be air. From $130 a night, puyuhuapilodge.com

TIME TO SHRINE

Amanemu, Japan

Set among natural hot springs and sacred sites on Japan’s southwestern coast, Amanemu is a modern and luxurious take on traditional Japanese homes, with pale-wood interiors and broad blue-tiled roofs. The nearly two-year-old resort, the Aman group’s second in Japan, offers digestive health, stress relief and antiaging programs that last from 3 to 14 nights and are customized for guests. Offerings involve everything from acupuncture to movement sessions, macrobiotic meals to healing baths, in the 21,500-square-foot spa. When you’re not engaged in self-care, you can venture out to nearby attractions around the surrounding Ago Bay, including one of Shinto’s holiest sites, the centuries-old Ise Grand Shrine, or go fishing for catch that the hotel chef will later fry up, tempura-style. The property accommodates 24 suites and four villas, each with a private onsen (hot-spring bath). From about $987 a night, aman.com