Lanserhof Lans hotel - Innsbruck, Austria

With a spa tradition dating to the Roman era, Austria has long been a destination for pioneering systems in holistic health. Now it has another draw: the newly renovated Lanserhof Lans, one of three European spas from the Lanserhof Group.

Based in the village of Lans, just minutes from Innesbruck, the 30-year-old medical spa sits amid a scenic setting of meadows, expansive forests and the dramatic Alpine backdrop of snow-capped mountains. The real draw however, is what lies behind its brand new facade. A recent makeover by Düsseldorf-based architect Christoph Ingenhoven has elevated Lanserhof from a resort to a bells and whistles mega-retreat with the addition of a five-storey curvilinear building. The new structure houses a collection of light and airy modern suites dressed in a soothing mineral-based palette and filled with sensory materials such as wood, stone, linen and loden, while a chosen few also include access to a bucolic roof terrace.

And while the architectural renewal is stunning, it’s the spa menu that is the real game changer. New facilities — including a new bathhouse, medical cold chamber and a saltwater pool — support the spa’s signature LANS Med Concept programme, which is tailored to guests’ needs and touted as a regeneration process involving detoxification, purification and de-acidification. A minimum of seven days is required to complete the plan, not that anyone is complaining.