Why book?
For award-winning treatment and fantastic views of Zurich and the Alps in Europe’s biggest and, arguably, most beautifully designed spa.
Set the scene
Perched in the hills above Zurich city and Zurich Lake, this multi-award-winning spa at the Dolder Grand hotel is a hit among locals and the international crowd who make a beeline here for relaxation, massages and high-end facials. After handing over their supercar keys to the valets, they lounge by the Norman Foster-designed swimming pool or gather with friends in the Jacuzzi on an outdoor terrace overlooking the snow-capped mountains. After a day here, it’s impossible not to feel renewed in body and mind.
What’s the backstory?
Launched in 1899 as a sanatorium and wildlife park, the Dolder Grand has evolved into one of Switzerland’s top luxury hotels. Occupying a castle-like Belle Époque building in the Zurich hills near Lake Zurich, it opened its spa in 2008 as part of a major redevelopment and expansion of the hotel. Star architect Norman Foster was enlisted to do what he does best: seamlessly adding a modern touch to classic-style buildings. His glass-filled extension is a vast 4,000 square-metre space with Japanese-style wooden interiors and views of the mountains.
What’s the wellness concept?
It’s based on life balance and the four pillars: Relaxation, Vitality, Beauty and Detox, using Swiss luxury skincare brand La Prairie. The mixed gender spa and separate men’s and women’s nude spas (charmingly referred to as “textile-free”) contain saunas, Jacuzzis and steam rooms, a mirrored mosaic meditation dome, sunaburo pebble bed baths, and a snow room. The 25-metre teardrop-shaped indoor pool is a divine space with glass walls looking out onto the outdoor terrace where hotel guests and external day visitors sunbathe on lounge seats or have social, group dips in the jacuzzi, enjoying the rooftop and mountain views while ordering cocktails and fresh juices from roaming staff.
The 19 treatment rooms offer a range of massages. They include Ayurvedic aroma massages using organic aromatic oils; foot reflex-zone therapies, and warm Swiss marble stone massages to ease muscle tension and back pain. More ambitious offerings include the Bamboo shiatsu, based on gentle and rhythmic tapping with bamboo to exert pressure on specific points in the body and harmonise energy flows. You can also mix and match all of the above treatments in customised massages.
High-end therapies include the Endermologie with LPG Endermologie, a non-invasive treatment that uses mechanical skin stimulation to tighten the skin, reduce cellulite and stimulate body fat-burning.
Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant can have full-body oil rubdowns and massages that apply unique formulas (plant extracts like crocus and wild ginger; special peptides, plant oils and neurocosmetic ingredients) to combat stretch marks, reduce water retention and tighten the skin.
Guests can have a health MOT through the cardio scan body composition analysis, which examines metabolism, body composition and blood pressure and includes an electrocardiogram to evaluate heart rate and stress levels. Individualised training and diet programmes are tailored around the results.
The Technogym-kitted workout room is open 24 hours, and personal trainers and yoga instructors are on hand for group or individual training sessions, as well as pilates, boxing, outdoor boot camps, mountain biking and meditative Shinrin-yoku forest bathing in the nearby Adlisberg forest.
What are the signature treatments?
I went for the Uplifting Contour and Sculpt Facial by La Prairie in which the therapist used her fingertips and sculpting stones to apply Skin Caviar over my face. A shoulder and neck massage was an added bonus. By the end, my skin looked noticeably firmer and uplifted, my cheekbones were popping, and my face looked 10 years younger.
I followed this up with a Luminous Detox Facial by Margy’s Monte Carlo. It detoxified my increasingly ashy skin, removing dead skin cells, opening up the pores so that the nourishing substances could penetrate deeply. By the end I had the kind of dewy glow that made me want to throw away my makeup bag.
What makes it different?
Few spas offer high-end treatments in such beautiful surroundings. There’s a sense of uncrowded exclusivity, and a combination of science and relaxation in partnership with high-end brand partnerships like La Prairie.
What else do they offer?
The Spa Café offers vegetarian and meat-based dishes that are designed to fill you up without weighing you down. My “vitality bowl” (containing chicken breast, cashew nuts, baby corn, carrots, cucumber, mango, glass noodles, and Swiss Chard in a ginger and lime dressing) was delicious and kept my hunger at bay until dinner time. There are detox juices like pineapple, cucumber and green apple, or alcoholic options such as Rieslings or Champagne with elderberry syrup, lime and mint. Some naughtiness is allowed in the form of carrot and hazelnut cake or cupcakes.
Early-riser hotel guests can also look forward to a morning meal at the Saltz Restaurant, which is rightly considered the best breakfast in Switzerland. The light-flooded space serves a huge array of cooked European breakfasts, chia pudding pots, pastries, French toast, smoked fish, as well as congee and dim sum on Sundays.
At The Restaurant, German chef Heiko Nieder’s fine dining cuisine has earned him two thoroughly deserved Michelin stars.
Where do you stay?
The rooms are split between the old part of the building and the modern wing.
Our Junior Suite came with a balcony with panoramic views of the Swiss Alps and Lake Zurich in the distance. There’s dark wood flooring, a cream leather sofa and a pouffe that looks something out of an ’80s American glamour soap opera (in the best possible way). A spacious dressing room leads into a large galley bathroom with a walk-in shower and bathtub by the balcony.
The hotel has a strong art focus, with sculptures and paintings displayed throughout the public spaces, making you feel as if you are walking through a modern art gallery. Works include modern classics by Keith Harding, René Magritte and Takashi Murakami; while other pieces are playful modern takes, such as the Starbucks Swiss cuckoo clock.
Anything else to mention?
The spa has a hair and makeup salon, as well as pedicure and manicure services. In the boutique you’ll find swimwear, clothes, Beni Durrer makeup, and products by La Prairie, Margys Monte Carlo, Amala and Coola.
The spa is open 6am – 10pm but those wanting privacy can reserve exclusive use of one of the 70-sqm spa suites for two hours from 10.30pm to half past midnight. Each suite comes with treatment couches, a steam bath, whirlpool, snail shower, reclining area, balcony, fireplace and TV for champagne and patisserie treats by candlelight. The deluxe spa suite also contains a sanarium.
Final word
Spas don’t get much better than this; the Dolder is the final word in relaxation.