Barcelona is a frenetic city, packed with fashionable bars, award-winning restaurants, nightlife that lurches onwards until sunrise and endless tourist sites, with iconic Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia at its heart.
But there is another side to the Catalan capital. Many of its hotels are home to award-winning spas with Mayan-inspired saunas, hammams, wood-panelled treatment rooms and rainforest showers. After days pounding the pavement seeing the sights, or living it up at the city’s Primavera Festival, where music goes on until six in the morning, sometimes all you want is a comfy lounger by a rooftop pool to relax by and recuperate.
Barcelona’s best spa hotels offer a sanctuary from the city and a range of tailor-made treatments. Here are the best hotels for a spa break in Barcelona in 2025.
Best spa hotels in Barcelona 2025
At a glance
- Best five-star spa hotel: El Palace hotel
- Best spa hotel near cruise port: Soho House hotel
- Best city centre spa hotel: Mandarin Oriental hotel
1. El Palace hotel
Prior to its rebrand in 2005, El Palace, which first opened its doors in 1919, used to be The Ritz, Barcelona, and you can tell from the hotel’s plush furnishings and signature opulence. This five-star hotel is a stone's throw from the city’s high-end boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants and a short stroll to Gaudí’s La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. But its Mayan Luxury Spa is where you can shake off the stresses of the day with a Temazcal sauna session, followed by a ‘sensation shower’ with chromotherapy and finish with a tailored facial or massage. Fabulous dining experiences can accompany spa days, such as afternoon teas with live piano on weekends, or an indulgent breakfast in the hotel’s indoor garden, El Jardín.
Address: Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 668, L'Eixample, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: Unbelievable service, rooftop pool, stunning rooms
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2. Mandarin Oriental hotel
Amidst the busy metropolis of Barcelona, Mandarin Oriental – set back from the busy street by a long walkway – offers an oasis from the chaos courtesy of a rooftop infinity pool that overlooks the city’s gothic spires and offers panoramic views all the way to the Mediterranean sea. Its spa facilities are the best of any hotel in the city, with an expansive 12-metre indoor heated swimming pool, a hammam and rainforest showers, as well as eight spacious treatment rooms, whirlpools, plus a seriously calming relaxation room complete with tea, snacks and colouring books to chill you out before your massage. The treatments themselves are exemplary, with massage therapists working with each individual client to assess whether you’d rather relax or re-energise. They also offer extensive retreat packages that include everything from yoga classes to tea ceremonies alongside your massage or facial.
Read our full review of Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona here
Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 38-40, L'Eixample, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: Luxurious, attentive, a genuine commitment to calmness and tranquillity
Read more: The enchanting Spanish town that got tourism right
3. Soho House hotel
Known for its buzzy crowds and signature picante cocktails, Soho House might not be the first place you think of when it comes to chilling out. But 10 floors beneath its celeb-heavy rooftop pool and restaurant sits the member’s club’s farmhouse-style Cowshed spa, where re-energising and recovery take top priority. Open to members and the public, there’s an indoor pool with rustic terracotta-toned tiling, a steam room and four wood-panelled treatment rooms. Signature treatments include everything from a rapid Coffee Break 30-minute head and shoulder massage, to a Relax and Feast package that includes a 60-minute massage plus Sunday brunch at the nearby Cecconi’s Italian restaurant. Expect to leave glowing, calm and ready to plunge back into Barcelona’s thriving nightlife.
Address: Pl. del Duc de Medinaceli, 4, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: Good value, cool vibe, picturesque pool area
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4. Majestic Hotel & Spa
The Majestic has been open for over one hundred years and still strives for the traditional excellence you’d expect when you think of a five-star hotel. It’s successfully shaken off its somewhat fusty reputation and caters to a younger, cooler crowd with sunset DJ sessions every night of the summer at the rooftop La Dolce Vitae restaurant and bar. When it comes to spa treatments, they excel, offering everything from vitamin C cocktail facials to their 150-minute signature treatment involving masks, massage, exfoliation and sculpting. Elsewhere, in the picturesque Wellness Area, there’s a 12-metre heated pool and a 20-square-metre hydromassage pool with jets designed to relieve neck tension. Heroic.
Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 68, L'Eixample, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: Specialised treatments, uncrowded, glowing skin treatments
Read more: 11 best cities to visit in Spain: Where to stay and what to do in each one
5. Nobu Hotel
You might know Nobu from the famously delicious black cod in its restaurants. But the group is also responsible for its accompanying portfolio of hotels and spas, where the Japanese mix of modern minimalism and age-old tradition go hand in hand; specifically, the philosophy of Shiawase – a celebration of happiness and well-being, which is used to seamlessly infuse moments of fitness and relaxation into an otherwise lively stay, complete with rooftop parties and long lunches filled with sashimi and cocktails, set against a panoramic view of Barcelona’s cityscape. Nobu is as serious about relaxation as it is about partying, so it’s no surprise its spa facilities are a main feature of their Barcelona hotel, with a sauna, steam bath and water circuit situated in a serenely decorated wellness centre. Treatments are organic, personalised to spa visitors and designed to balance the mind, re-energise or relax, depending on what you need.
Address: Avinguda de Roma, 2, 4, Distrito de Sants-Montjuïc, 08014 Barcelona, Spain
Highlights: Calming minimalist design, amazing lunch
Read more: I was drugged and robbed in Barcelona – but I’d travel back in a heartbeat
Why trust us
The hotels featured in this list have been carefully selected by The Independent's expert travel writers, each with a deep knowledge of the destinations they cover. Our contributors either live in these locations or visit frequently, ensuring a personal and informed perspective. When picking which hotels to include, they consider their own experience staying in the hotels and evaluate location, facilities, service and all the other details that make for an exceptional stay for all types of traveller.
FAQS
When is the best time to visit Barcelona?
The best time to visit Barcelona is typically during spring and autumn to avoid the searing heat that blights the city in peak summertime. In this shoulder season period, temperatures are warm, but not too hot (18–26C), and there are fewer tourists than the busy months of July and August. There are also several open-air festivals at this time, including Primavera Sound and La Mercè festival. It’s worth knowing that many locals often holiday in August and that the city can become very crowded and expensive. The winter months of November to March are also a good alternative with fewer people, lower prices for accommodation and temperatures of around 10–17C.
How many days do I need in Barcelona?
In three days, visitors to Barcelona can see the city’s highlights, including La Rambla, Barcelona Cathedral, Sagrada Família, El Born, Gothic Quarter, Passeig de Gràcia (Gaudí's Casa Batlló & La Pedrera), eat tapas in Eixample, take the Montjuïc cable car, visit Park Güell and head to the beach. A few extra days enable you to take a day trip to Montserrat, Sitges or the Penedès wine region, visit museums such as MACBA or Museu Picasso, and explore Gràcia and its plazas.
What is Barcelona most famous for?
Barcelona is famous for its fantastical architecture, golden beaches, artistic spirit and a distinct Catalan culture that sets it apart from anywhere else in Spain. As the home of Antoni Gaudí, the city is full of his architectural marvels, including the surreal La Sagrada Família and the colourful and curving Park Güell, Casa Batlló, and La Pedrera. Barcelona was also home to Picasso in his formative years, as detailed in the museum devoted to his life and work, and incredible Catalan cuisine and tapas, from casual bars and markets to Michelin-starred restaurants. Medieval streets and Roman ruins can be found in the Gothic Quarter, while El Born and Gràcia are arty and full of character. Finally, the city’s beach scene is one of Europe’s best.
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