The winter ski season is fast approaching, and after a day carving down powder-white slopes, few things feel more welcome than a sauna with a mountain view. With cinematic snow-capped peaks and crisp Alpine air, the Dolomites offers some of Europe’s most delicious wellness retreats – where après-ski means soaking in a thermal pool rather than sipping vin chaud (or, perhaps, both). Whether you’re staying for a week or just 48 hours in the Dolomites, these are the region’s best luxury spas to rest weary ski legs.
Hotel Granbaita Dolomites
Just next door to the world-famous Dolomiti Superski, Hotel Granbaita feels like the quintessential Alpine chalet: warm wood, cosy corners, and windows framing the Sassolungo massif. Its SPA Savinela isn’t just for show – hydrotherapy pools, a salt grotto, and alpine botanicals make it the perfect pit stop for tired ski legs. With a menu so extensive you’ll want to try everything – from facials to sports massages to Ayurvedic rituals – there’s genuinely something here for everyone.
S.da Nives, 11, 39048 Selva di Val Gardena BZ, Italy
Treatment to try: Light Legs. There’s nothing quite like that post-slope wobble – legs a little shaky, achy, and reminded they actually worked hard. The Light Legs treatment is made for remedying exactly that. It’s 50 minutes of targeted techniques to relieve heaviness, reduce water retention, and even combat cellulite. Squeezed in-between your skin sessions, your legs will be ready to take on the mountains again tomorrow.
granbaita.it
Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti
Lefay feels more like a sleek mountain hideout than a hotel. Blonde wood, glass, and stone frame the Brenta Dolomites, while the infinity pool looks like it’s spilling straight into the valley below. The location is unrivalled: private transfers are available to the surrounding 150 kilometres of slopes and four snowboard parks. What might keep you indoors, though, is the three-level spa. From floor-to-ceiling views of snow-filled forests and jagged peaks to an impressive 1,800m² of saunas, you’d be forgiven for swapping the piste for the pool.
Via Alpe di Grual, 16, 38086 Pinzolo TN, Italy
Treatment to try: The Paths of the Black Tortoise. The spa menu has everything from body scrubs and massages to facials, but it’s worth booking in for one of their ‘energy therapies’ instead – a combination of saunas, pools, and massages based on the concept of Qi. There are four to choose from, including for emotional tension, fatigue, and stress. The Black Tortoise is best for aiding sleep and anxiety. The ritual itself? A 20-minute float in the salt-water pool, a melt-into-the-bed massage, a facial massage, and a Qi Gong activity.
lefayresorts.com
Aman Rosa Alpina
Aman resorts are instantly recognisable by a few things: their sleek, minimalist design, intuitive service that feels almost telepathic, their holistic spa and wellness programmes, and their seamless integration with nature. In the San Cassiano mountains, Aman Rosa Alpina resort ticks all the boxes – but is particularly impressive if you prefer spas to snowsports. Set over two floors and surrounded by the Dolomites’ towering forests, there are multiple pools, saunas, and steam rooms.
Strada Micurà de Rü, 20, 39036 San Cassiano BZ, Italy
Treatment to try: Dolomites Body Ritual. This is two hours of utter bliss. There are two parts to it: a body scrub infused with invigorating peppermint and spearmint oils that helps slough away dry winter skin and improve blood flow, and a detoxifying massage that makes aches, pains, tension, and puffiness disappear. The treatment is more invigorating and refreshing rather than sleep-inducing, but you’ll still feel, just, ahhh…
aman.com
Forestis
Perched at 1,800 metres above Bressanone, Forestis feels otherworldly, like a retreat in the clouds. The hotel’s architecture is a striking mix of raw concrete, stone, and glass, perfectly balanced with soft timber interiors that bring warmth to its modern Alpine aesthetic. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Dolomites in every direction. Whichever way you look, you’re guaranteed a stunning view. As for the spa? Expect a menu of grounding treatments, panoramic saunas, treatment rooms with breathtaking views, and multiple pools.
Palmschoß 22, 39042 Bressanone BZ, Italy
Treatment to try: tree circle ceremony. You’ve likely had a massage based on a gemstone or scent you’re drawn to. This is similar, except you choose from a selection of healing woods: spruce, larch, stone pine, and mountain pine. What follows is a deep full-body massage that uses a combination of your chosen tree’s wooden sticks and its corresponding healing stone. It may sound a bit woo-woo but it gets the job done, in that your body feels entirely relaxed, and your mind is, well, thinking of booking another massage, pronto.
forestis.it
COMO Alpina Dolomites
Attention, snow sporters! This hotel is a no-brainer for ski season thanks to its ski-in ski-out location in the Alpe di Siusi – but even off the slopes, the spa alone is a draw. Wellness is taken very seriously here: expect herbal and Finnish saunas, salt and aroma steams, multiple pools, and an extensive menu of massages, and Guinot facials. A word of note: the Tyrolean spa etiquette for saunas and steam rooms is to go naked (or with a towel) – no swimming costumes allowed…
62/3, 39040 Alpe di Siusi BZ, Italy
Treatment to try: regenerating mountain hay bath. This treatment is exactly how it sounds – but stay with us. While it sounds a bit gimmicky, it follows an old South Tyrolean tradition that comes from the farmer’s habit of resting tired muscles and joints on freshly mown mountain grass. Indeed, mountain hay improves circulation and soothes and warms the body, which is much welcome when temperatures reach sub-zero. After a full body COMO Shambhala massage, you’re immersed in a hay-filled bathtub while the therapist gives you a 30-minute facial using local products.
comohotels.com
Wondering how to hit up the slopes without your children falling behind at school? We spoke to Quintessentially Education, our in-house international education consultancy, all about après ski school.
