It’s been a long week. Or a long month. Either way, you just need to get away from the noise of it all. What better way than to do it alone, at one of Europe’s best spas?
Solo travelling has been gaining popularity over the last few years, thanks to a few contributing factors. Like not having to fuss around a travel partner that just doesn’t know where the gate is. Or travelling with someone who overpacked so much that it’s their turn to stuff things in your suitcase. Sometimes, it’s nice to be alone, and a spa break is a great answer.
Just like solo travelling, wellness holidays are booming. People are more stressed than ever, and thanks to that, the Global Wellness Institute says that wellness tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors, expected to increase by 21% in 2025. Wellness holidays allow the opportunity to reduce stress by focusing on mental, physical and emotional well-being, and they are expected to continue growing in popularity.
Thermal spa holidays are a fantastic way to destress and treat your body to some needed rest and recovery. They are said to combat stress, reduce anxiety and help you feel rejuvenated. With over 400 thermal spas located around Europe, there are plenty to choose from!
With that being said, new research from Iglu Cruise has revealed the best thermal spas in Europe. The team looked into 40 of the biggest thermal spas across the continent and ranked them out of 10 for the following categories:
- Price per day
- Number of pools (indoor and outdoor)
- Number of saunas and steam rooms
- Percentage of Tripadvisor scores that were excellent (five out of five stars)
The thermal spas were then organised from 1st to 10th place for their combined rankings for each category.
| Spa | Location | Ranking | Total Ranking Score |
| Avita Therme Resort | Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Austria | 1 | 28 |
| Cron4 Spa Paradise | Riscone, Italy | 2 | 27 |
| Spa Therme Erding | Erding, Germany | 2 | 27 |
| Tauern Spa | Kaprun, Austria | 4 | 24 |
| KissSalis Thermal Spa | Bad Kissingen, Germany | 5 | 23 |
| Alpentherme Gastein | Bad Hofgastein, Austria | 6 | 22 |
| Therme Stegersbach | Stegersbach, Austria | 7 | 20 |
| Aqua Dome | Tyrol, Austria | 8 | 17 |
| Therme Bad Wörishofen | Bad Wörishofen, Germany | 9 | 16 |
| Fontane Therme | Neuruppin, Germany | 10 | 10 |
1. Avita Therme Resort
Price (per day): €39
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 17
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 2
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 67%
Total score (out of 40): 28
Avita Therme Resort, located in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, is often regarded as one of the most beautiful wellness resorts in Austria. The 17 pools range in temperatures from 10 to 36 degrees Celsius and include organic natural swimming pools, plunge pools, infinity pools and even a nude pool (if you’re brave enough).
Treatments available at Avita Therme include a range of massages, including lymphatic drainage, aroma oil massage, head, neck and shoulder massages and hot stone massage. Other treatments include manicures, pedicures, vinotherapy, facials and more.
2. Cron4 Spa Paradise
Price (per day): €12
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 6
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 12
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 63%
Total score (out of 40): 27
Cron4 Spa Paradise is the only Italian thermal spa on the list. Located in Riscone, Italy, guests visiting the spa can enjoy 12 saunas and 6 pools, including a huge 50m sports pool, open-air outdoor pool and a fountain pool. It is recommended that guests take a dip in the outdoor pools to enjoy picturesque views of the Dolomites mountain range.
Wellness treatments available at Cron4 include full-body mud-wraps, salt scrub massages and sports massage. Visitors can also enjoy the on-site zoo, featuring deer, rabbits, peacocks, goats and ducks. Prices start from as little as €12 per day.
3. Spa Therme Erding
Price (per day): €62
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 27
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 30
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 52%
Total score (out of 40): 27
Spa Therme Erding, located in Erding Germany, is the first German spa included in the top 10. The thermal spa has an impressive 27 pools and 30 saunas and steam rooms, as well as 28 waterslides and a wave pool, making the complex extremely family-friendly. The spa has multiple healing baths, which aim to help with degenerative joint pain, arthritis, skin problems and sports injuries.
The Vitality Oasis, for those aged 16+, offers a range of saunas, including herbal chambers filled with essential oils and fresh aromas, a Russian Banya sauna (which can fit over 100 guests) and a women’s only waterlily steam bath.
4. Tauern Spa
Price (per day): €38.50
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 11
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 10
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 58%
Total score (out of 40): 24
Tauern Spa in Kaprun, Austria, boasts over 20,000 square metres of relaxation amidst the Austrian Alps. Visitors can use 10 saunas and steam rooms, as well as speak directly to the onsite sauna coaches who offer workshops about the benefits of using a sauna, and how long you should stay in.
The Spa Water World also includes 11 outdoor and indoor pools while enjoying views of Austria’s highest mountains. There are also relaxation exercises and sports activities on offer for those looking to get moving.
5. KissSalis Thermal Spa
Price (per day): €37
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 9
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 9
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 61%
Total score (out of 40): 23
KissSalis Thermal Spa can be found in Bad Kissingen, a German spa town just under two hours drive from Frankfurt. All nine of the pools at KissSalis are filled with thermal water from the Schönbornsprudel, one of the seven healing springs in Bad Kissingen.
The minerals in the water are said to have a positive effect on the body. According to their official website, scientific measurements have shown that after just a 25-minute bath in thermal water, cortisol levels (sometimes referred to as a stress hormone) in the body are significantly reduced.
6. Alpentherme Gastein
Price (per day): €45.50
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 9
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 13
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 52%
Total score (out of 40): 22
Alpentherme Gastein offers 9 pools and 13 saunas and steam rooms. The spa, located in Bad Hofgastein, Austria, is famous for its Gastein thermal water which is collected from the Hohe Tauern in Austria. Up to five million litres of water emerges from 16 different springs at the foot of the Graukogel in Bad Gastein every day, creating a natural spring temperature of around 48 degrees Celsius.
The spa offers everything from thermal pools (including Austria’s first thermal swimming lake), a variety of sauna chambers, beauty treatments, a fitness centre and a Ladies World, a unique retreat only accessible to women.
7. Allegria Thermal Spa
Price (per day): €89
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 11
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 8
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 80%
Total score (out of 40): 20
Another Austrian thermal spa included on the list is Allegria Thermal Spa in Stegersbach. The spa has 11 pools and 8 saunas and 80% of reviews on Tripadvisor are excellent. Guests can enjoy a variety of experiences and treatments including aqua-floating massages, anti-stress facial treatments and cosmetic procedures.
Massages available at the spa include a stone massage, head and neck massage, full body massage and Bruess massage, a massage devised by Austrian healer Rudolf Breuss which is effective for tension in the spine area.
8. Aqua Dome
Price (per day): €78
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 13
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 7
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 54%
Total score (out of 40): 17
Located in Tyrol, Austria, Aqua Dome is nestled in the breathtaking Ötztal valley, surrounded by mountains. Three of the spa’s 13 pools are outdoor floating pods, a truly unique experience for guests to relax in 35-degree Celcius natural waters whilst gazing upon the Ötztal Alps.
The spa also has seven saunas, including a loft sauna, stone sauna, essential oils sauna and brine steam bath. There is also a steam dome bath, shaped from white and black marble which includes treatments with salt from the Dead Sea.
9. Therme Bad Wörishofen
Price (per day): €49
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 8
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 12
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 48%
Total score (out of 40): 16
Therme Bad Wörishofen in Germany is the next thermal spa included on the list. The thermal paradise includes 8 pools and 12 saunas and steam rooms. Several health pools are onsite for healing, including a iodine-selenium pool which is meant to strengthen the immune system and a sulphur pool which can treat joint stiffness.
Saunas at Therme Bad Wörishofen include a Roman sauna, meditation sauna, beach sauna and tunnel sauna, as well as a Blue Grotte steam bath and ice-cold waterfall shower which plunge up to 500 litres of water every second!
10. Fontane Therme
Price (per day): €65
Number of pools (outdoor and indoor): 4
Number of saunas and steam rooms: 10
Review score (percentage of excellent reviews): 48%
Total score (out of 40): 10
Fontane Therme is located in Neuruppin, Germany, an hour north of Berlin. The thermal spa has four pools including a natural saltwater pool to relax the muscles. Several saunas can also be enjoyed including Germany’s largest floating lake sauna – a 70 sq. metre sauna which can fit hundreds of guests.
Massages, facials and beauty treatments are also available, including a special fruit acid exfoliation, specially tailored to each guest and applied to the face with a gently massaging brush.
Looking for something else?
If you’re searching for a different type of wellness holiday, a wellness cruise could be for you. Not only will you be able to explore extraordinary destinations, but you’ll have time onboard in between stops to take it easy and unwind.
With many of the onboard spas offering state-of-the-art saunas, steam rooms, calming lounge areas and indulgent treatments, you can escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy a morning or afternoon of pure relaxation.
