Relax & Pamper yourself at these Spa Hotels in Tuscany
Wellness and relaxation: while you're on vacation, this is the essence of what you should do to recharge and take time off your normal routine. Often, however, we have visitors planning their vacations trying to go down a checklist of all there is too see (lots and lots in Tuscany!) and not knowing how to fit it all.... returning home more tired than rested, particularly when they had little time to begin with.
We encourage all of our visitors to plan to visit Tuscany in a more relaxed style, including some down-time to rest and relax into their itineraries! Whether it is just spending time by the pool or enjoying a fine meal over an hour or two, it is important to take time to pamper yourself. It becomes easier if you plan your vacation around this concept, particularly if you choose to stay at a hotel or villa that has a wellness center which offers a sauna, massages, hydro-massage and the like. You don't have to go far to get some attention to your body and soul.
Since hot springs are a source of relaxation, we've used this as a launching pad to compile a list of some of our top choices in some of the centers in Tuscany well-known for their thermal/hot springs. They will be the source to encourage you to RECHARGE and PAMPER yourself! Some of these areas offer establishments around the hot springs, some already include a natural outdoor area where you can enjoy bathing in the hot springs and the majority also offer rooms to stay there as well. Take a look at our recommendations below to get your relaxing vacation planning started.
Montecatini Terme // Monsummano Terme
Montecatini Terme, located between Pistoia and Lucca, is considered the most famous in all of Italy for its wellness centers surrounding the use of its mineral waters and hot springs.
Its hot springs are in the heart of the city, around a large thermal water park, so it is easy to move around and visit both these establishments as well as the city center. While they were already known and used in Roman times, it wasn't until the 19th century with the Grandduke Leopold of the Lorraines that actual establishments were built here, the first ones being the Leopoldine and Tettuccio baths. All throughout the 20th century, Montecatini drew people who wanted to cleanse their body by drinking its thermal water but the city has grown and offers many opportunities to just relax and enjoy taking care of oneself, enjoying mud baths, massages and more. The beauty is thus that you have both the hot springs as well as an active city center, with shopping, theaters and other events you can enjoy while staying here.
Monsummano Terme is Montecatini's lesser known twin, just 5 km away. It's hot springs were discovered relatively recently, in 1849, in several grottoes where you can enjoy vapor baths from its 35° waters.
LHP Hotel Montecatini Palace & SPA
This 5 star hotel is in an elegant, Art Nouveau building from 1910. Its rooms offer air-conditioning, free WiFi, a free outdoor rooftop pool and fitness center. All of the bathrooms have bathrobes, slippers and free toiletries for guests. You can take particular advantage of its in-house restaurant or enjoy drinks on the veranda. Its wellness center includes a sauna, Turkish bath, ice room, sensory shower and indoor pool with hydro-massage, and chromo-therapy.
It is just 700 meters from the town's thermal parks, with a large park nearby perfect for strolls; there is lots of shopping opportunities nearby.
Hotel Arnolfo & Aqua Laetita Spa & Beauty
This hotel is "only" 3 stars but it has services and amenities of a higher level, consistently receiving great reviews for its great staff and for the good value. It is just 200m from the Montecatini train station, with its own on-site restaurant and free WiFi. Its wellness center includes a Turkish bath, sauna, hot tub, and offers beauty treatments and a relaxation area. It is walking distance to all thermal establishments and shopping in Montecatini.
Resort Grotta Giusti
Set in a 19th century villa in a private park, this super hotel offers elegant rooms and top class amenities in Monsummano Terme. Staying here gives you free access to the wellness center, including its outdoor thermal pool with waterfall, hydro-massage jets, natural cave with steam bath, plus its outdoor Bioaquam thermal circuit.
All rooms include a marble bathroom with soft bathrobes for use around the entire establishment, some bathroom bathtubs even have thermal water and some rooms overlook the park. You will enjoy fine evening meals at its "La Veranda" restaurant on site if you don't wish to leave the estate in the middle of your relaxing break!
Saturnia
Located in Maremma in southern Tuscany, the outdoor Saturnia hot springs are natural sulphurous waters between Manciano, Scansano and Pitigliano - the waterfall is what you see in the photo above! The site has been known since Etruscan times and known through time for their curative powers. They come out at 37.5°C at 800 liters per second, with a large concentration of sulphurous hydrogen and carbon dioxide. They relax you just by sitting in them! They are recommended for all types of skin problems as well as cardiovascular conditions since they lower blood pressure. They reduce tension in the respiratory system, making it easier to breath. So in general, very good for you, even if you have no ailment ;).
While the outdoor waterfall is gorgeous (you should definitely try it! it does get crowded in the summer months and weekends), it has no services whatsoever other than a bar for snacks - there are no changing rooms or showers to take away the smell of sulphur after your dip in the water. If you want the benefits of the the hot springs here with a bit of pampering, we recommend trying the Spa resort Terme di Saturnia!
Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort
Enjoy world class services of a luxury hotel, with an 18-hole golf course, Roman baths and natural swimming pools. All of the luxurious rooms have bathrobes and slippers to use in the natural outdoor pool fed from the hot springs source. The hotel offers treatments and massages on site, as well as a hot tub, Turkish bath and sauna, as well as on-site restaurant.
Bagno Vignoni
Bagno Vignoni is the most famous hot springs in the Val d'Orcia, the splendid area located to the south of Siena. It is famous for its very unique central square, which is basically a large basin with water from the hot springs. While it is a small town, the hot springs are a favorite destination for a quick weekend getaway and for relaxing vacations with great visual impact. You cannot fault anyone: the views in every direction as also splendid, including ones across a ridge behind the town that show the castle of Castiglione d'Orcia.
The hot springs have been known for centuries, it is likely that they are particularly known because they are not too distant from the Via Francigena, the pilgrimage road that heads south to Rome. Famous historical figures, including Pope Pius II and Medici dynasty head Lorenzo the Magnificent, enjoyed the hot springs at Bagno Vignoni on a regular basis.
The hot springs just south of San Quirico d'Orcia have always allowed water to flow even during the warm summer months, thus several water mills were constructed along the Orcia river over the centuries. These ancient mills, along with a complex system of water canals and gorges today constitute the Park of the Mills created in the 1990s. Read more about the hot springs at Bagno Vignoni here.
There are 4 main locations for enjoying the hot springs with a bit of pampering and luxury: Santa Caterina, the historical establishment right next to the main square, dedicated to treating ills, such as arthritis, osteoporosis and other pains. Then there are 3 main hotels/resorts that use the hot springs for their treatments and which offer lodging as well: the Hotel Adler Thermae, Hotel Posta Marcucci and Hotel Le Terme.
The Adler Spa Resort Thermae
This luxurious 5 star resort has a large wellness center where you will find a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, outdoor and indoor pools, herbal caldarium, well-equipped gym, many treatments and massages. The temperature of their pools is at 36°C. Includes an on-site restaurant and panoramic views of the Val d'Orcia countryside from most of its rooms. The resort is right off the road as you first turn off the Via Cassia to the town.
Hotel Posta Marcucci
The hotel Posta Marcuci only has 37 rooms, but it has incredible views, a spa center, indoor and outdoors thermal water pools and an on-site restaurant. They will provide guests with bathrobes and free toiletries so you can really decide to stop by without much planning ahead (just don't forget a swimsuit!).
The Marucci family was in Bagno Vignoni since the mid-1800s when they first managed a small grocery shop, which also provided postal service for the area. Fast forward to the 1950s, the family expanded into the hospitality business by building the current hotel on a flattened vineyard just outside the town center. Intuition played its part when the owners saw marshy land behind the hotel, so they began to dig deeper and out sprung hot water which has fed the two outdoors pools since then. In the first pool the water stabilises at between 35 and 38° C, and in the second between 28 e 32° C. The hotel is located near the main piazza to the side of the cliff that overlooks the Orcia castle across the valley.
Hotel Le Terme
While this is a 3 star hotel, it sits right along the eastern side of the main pool in the center of Bagno Vignoni and offers quality services, hospitality and a view of the main square pool!
Guests have access to the hydro-massage pool (at 32°C), the Roman sauna with therapeutic pools (at 40°C) and the main thermal hot springs pool (at 38°C). The vast assortment of beauty treatments and massages let you decide what you need to pamper/treat/cure! Includes on-site restaurant and a beautiful historical setting to your entire stay in this small, family-run hotel (with only 36 rooms). It is one of the most affordable hotels in town.
Come back soon, as I'm adding more places across Tuscany!
