Sauna with a view: Best hot rooms for lazing and gazing
Krisanne Fordham, CNN • Updated 21st August 2017
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(CNN) — There's nothing quite as restorative or relaxing as kicking back in a nice, hot sauna -- except, perhaps, one that comes with a beautiful view.
From glittering city skylines to tranquil alpine landscapes, here are eight saunas that also feature stunning views:
1. Aro Hā (Glenorchy, New Zealand)
You don't need to climb a mountain to see incredible views of New Zealand's South Island -- some of the best vistas can be enjoyed from the comfort of this award-winning wellness retreat in Glenorchy. Its dry-heat sauna is a particularly good vantage point for soaking in some seriously Instagram-worthy views.
From within its compact walls, you can admire the glittering expanse of Lake Wakatipu and New Zealand's snow-capped Southern Alps in the distance.
Aro Hā, Glenorchy, South Island, New Zealand; +64 3 442 7011
Aro Ha's dry-heat sauna offers a window over Lake Wakatipu and New Zealand's Southern Alps.
Aro Ha
2. Mama Thresl (Leogang, Austria)
Everything about the Mama Thresl lodge feels curative, from its secluded alpine location to its cozy pinewood rooms. But perhaps most therapeutic of all is the hotel's Finnish-style sauna, which lets you soak in tranquil views over the Kitzbühel Alps as you sweat out all your stresses. Immediately outside the sauna, you'll find cooling rock showers and comfy rest coves to encourage further relaxation.
Mama Thresl, Sonnberg 252, Leogang, Austria; +43 6583 20800
3. Rifugio Lagazuoi (Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy)
Perched on a mountaintop 9,000 feet above sea level, Rifugio Lagazuoi boasts the highest sauna in the Dolomite Mountain Range. It might be small -- the tube-shaped sauna accommodates just six people -- but the views are expansive and unforgettable.
Best of all, it's accessible to everyone, not just Rifugio guests, and affordable at just €15 ($17.7) per person (the rate includes a bathrobe and access to shower facilities).
Rifugio Lagazuoi, Monte Lagazuoi, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; +39 340 7195306
4. The Hotel Brussels (Brussels, Belgium)
Hotel Brussels' lofty sauna lets you sweat and snooze while enjoying the views.
Hotel Brussels
Why go to a crowded rooftop bar when some of the best views of Brussels can be enjoyed from a sauna?
At the Hotel Brussels, you can sweat it out while admiring the city's glittering skyline, 23 floors up. Afterward, you can indulge in a relaxing treatment followed by a detox tea in the spa's dedicated herbal tea room.
The Hotel Brussels, Boulevard de Waterloo 38, 1000 Brussels; +32 2504 1111
5. Ponta dos Ganchos (Santa Catarina, Brazil)
The only thing better than a sauna with a view? A private sauna with a view.
At the blissfully secluded Ponta dos Ganchos resort, you can enjoy sweeping vistas over the beautiful Emerald Coast of Brazil from the privacy of your own dry-heat sauna. It doesn't end there, either -- bungalows also come equipped with enormous jacuzzis, outdoor infinity plunge pools and ocean-facing relaxation decks.
Ponta dos Ganchos, Rua Eupídeo Alves do Nascimento, 104 Governador Celso Ramos, Santa Catarina, Brazil; +55 48 3953 7000
6. Grand Hotel Tremezzo (Lake Como, Italy)
For opulence and show-stopping luxury, it's hard to beat T-Spa, a 10,700-square-foot wellness oasis on the banks of Lake Como in Italy. In addition to its lavish, marble-lined hammam and five hot tubs, the spa also boasts a dry-heat sauna with fairytale views over the lake and its surrounding villages.
Afterward, guests can cool off in an infinity pool so impressively large that it begins indoors and stretches outdoors, towards the lake's edge.
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Via Regina, 8, 22016, Tremezzo, Lago di Como, Italy; +39 034442491
7. Juvet Landscape Hotel (Valldal, Norway)
This isn't your average sauna: it's made out of brightly painted concrete and features floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the Valdolla River and the western fjords. But the Juvet Landscape Hotel isn't your average hotel, either.
Built by architects Jensen & Skodvin, it's carefully camouflaged to blend into the lush, rugged landscape and is so architecturally striking it was featured in the film "Ex Machina."
Juvet Landscape Hotel, Alstad, 6210 Valldal, Norway; +4795032010
8. Hotel Arts Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain)
With its hydrotherapy pools, ocean-facing treatment suites and crushed-diamond facials, the spa at this Ritz-Carlton property is as luxurious as they come.
Even its sauna is on a whole other level -- quite literally. Located on the hotel's 43rd floor, the glass-encased sauna boasts sweeping views over the Mediterranean Sea, the Barcelona coastline and the surrounding cityscape.
Hotel Arts Barcelona, Marina 19--21, 08005 Barcelona, Spain; +34 93 2211000
