The Saxon Spa — Johannesburg, South Africa

With hotel spas becoming something of a staple fixture, properties are jockeying to outdo each other with new-fangled, and at times gimmicky, attractions.
Thankfully the newly relaunched spa in Johannesburg’s Saxon hotel, offers the best of spa culture, without the unnecessary bells and whistles. An equal reverence to science and human awareness is evident in the collaboration of modern therapies with ancient techniques for an experience that is a celebration of simplicity. Here, eight treatment rooms guide guests through a holistic journey that also includes access to a series of thermal spaces, including a steam room, heated hydro pool, hammam centre, plunge pool, a Himalayan salt sauna and outdoor treatment zone.
Yet it never feels overwhelming. A thoughtful continuity of design features, such as the use of locally handcrafted Himalayan salt, purported to ionise surrounding spaces, brings cohesion to the two-floor spa. Recycled glass chandeliers too, make a frequent appearance; the minerals used are said to purify the air, stimulate circulation and increase energy levels. And throughout the space, interior designer Stephen Falcke has brought together dark wood, copper, linen and water for an aesthetic that is warm and rustic. The result is a soothing space that feels a world away from the clatter of the city and truly in touch with the holistic disciplines of a traditional spa.
ADDRESS
36 Saxon Road
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Lauren Ho is the Travel Director of Wallpaper*, roaming the globe, writing extensively about luxury travel, architecture and design for both the magazine and the website. Lauren serves as the European Academy Chair for the World's 50 Best Hotels.
-
Prodrive updates its sleek racing simulator with new craft and fresh tech
Race at home in style with the latest version of Prodrive’s racing simulator, now equipped with Bang & Olufsen sound
-
A local architect’s guide to Joshua Tree
Mirtilla Alliata di Montereale shares her favourite things to do to slow down, look closely, and discover Joshua Tree through a more intentional lens
-
Art meets perfume in cross-disciplinary fragrance series Nez 1+1
Talents from film and fragrance come together to create Ansongo, the latest scent resulting from a creative matchmaking project by perfume revue Nez
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Few & Far Luvhondo: an intimate South African eco-lodge
With just six cliffside suites, Few & Far Luvhondo offers front-row seats to the untamed wilderness of South Africa’s Limpopo
-
The world’s best new hotels to love without reservation
Explore the best new openings in the world, from Aman’s exclusive mountain retreat in the Dolomites to Pak Hyatt’s debut in Johannesburg
-
Singita Ebony Lodge celebrates 30 years of wild beauty
Singita Ebony Lodge in Hazyview, South Africa, begins a new chapter with a refresh by Cécile & Boyd
-
A refreshed Cape Grace hotel embraces the best of South African heritage
Cape Town’s Cape Grace hotel reopens its doors following an extensive and playful renovation by international interior design studio, 1508 London
-
Cape Town: 8 things to do and see for the design-minded traveller
Cape Town is a capital of art, design, food and wellness; local resident Sean O’Toole on the best things to do and see, from a Bree Street meander to a Constantia wine route
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia