Traditional spa towns such as Bad Tölz (whose mineral-packed mud baths are credited with relieving back pain and rheumatoid arthritis) are just under an hour from Munich, whilst results-driven Alpine retreats like Schloss Elmau are 45 minutes from Innsbruck.
With health – both physical and mental – at the forefront of our consciousness more than ever before, wellness retreats, spa holidays and treatment-focused trips are no passing trend. And whilst a couples massage sounds lovely in theory, self-care is one of the few spaces in which you’re meant to be entirely self-focused, without anyone else’s expectations, time restraints or itineraries being imposed upon you. But it needn’t feel clinical, either – Bavaria’s many baths are drawn from naturally medicinal hot springs and are often surrounded by glassy lakes, snow-topped mountains and fairytale forests deep in Germany’s countryside. Traditional spa towns such as Bad Tölz (whose mineral-packed mud baths are credited with relieving back pain and rheumatoid arthritis) are just under an hour from Munich, whilst results-driven Alpine retreats like Schloss Elmau are 45 minutes from Innsbruck. Flights to both are extremely affordable and take less than two hours from the UK.