Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you’re planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it’s worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.

Why go here?

If the name Gleneagles sounds a little familiar, it’s likely due to this classic country hotel’s long-standing associations with golf. It was host to the Ryder Cup in 2014, and there are few settings in the world quite as spectacular as its three championship courses with the misty Scottish Highlands as a backdrop. (So esteemed is Gleneagles, in fact, that it even hosted the G8 summit in 2005, led by Tony Blair.)

Yet this beloved grande dame has evolved over the years (or more accurately, over the decades, given it first opened in 1924) into a playground for thrill-seekers of all stripes. The list of outdoor activities is head-spinning: shooting, fishing, off-road driving, horseback riding, walking, cycling, and sessions with birds of prey. (The British School of Falconry is actually based on-site.) But like any adventurous stay, half the fun is returning to the luxurious surroundings of your home base for a cup of tea, a soak in your roll-top bath, or a visit to the hotel’s impressively appointed spa.

Ah, yes, that spa. Make your way to the hotel’s northernmost wing and you’ll find a gleaming white lobby leading you through to the hotel’s deceptively sprawling complex of primping and pampering. On one side of the reception desk, there’s an expansive indoor pool (two, actually: one for kids and one for lap swimming) alongside mixed-gender saunas, steam rooms, and an outdoor jacuzzi. On the other side, you’ll find their impeccably refurbished complex of treatment rooms and all the classic spa facilities in more intimate spaces divided for men and women, as well as an elegant Art Deco room for beauty treatments and a café to enjoy post-treatment salads and cold-pressed juices while still swaddled in your fluffy white spa robes.

Where other corners of the hotel are all about gilded opulence, the vibe in the spa is light, bright, and airy—with Art Deco touches in a palette of taupes and dusty pinks to lull you into a state of tranquility after a morning trudge through the Highlands. But the real star of the show is the light-filled waiting area, with its tasteful indoor water features and tropical plants. The team behind Gleneagles know how to get your adrenaline pumping, but they’re equally adept at helping you wind down.

Photo: Courtesy of Gleneagles

What’s the vibe?

Classic Highlands grandeur, but with the latest mod cons where you need them. The magic of Gleneagles is twofold. First, there’s its ability to feel strangely intimate despite its enormous scale (232 rooms, six restaurants, four bars). This is in part thanks to the cozy decor, which takes all the classic design tropes you might expect in this corner of the world—oak paneling, grand chandeliers, tartan galore—and gently refreshes them in a way that still feels current. Then there’s the hospitality, rooted in a bygone era—from the personal touches offered by the delightful check-in staff (many of them are locals, and their enthusiasm about recommending the best of the area for you to experience is infectious), to the world-class dining on offer. Most striking of all is the cavernous, old-world dining room The Strathearn. With its Art Deco stylings and hulking beef Wellingtons being wheeled around and carved up on trolleys, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back in time to the world of an Agatha Christie novel.

Photo: Courtesy of Gleneagles

The history?

There are few UK hotels as steeped in history as Gleneagles. It’s a tale that begins back in 1910, when Donald Matheson, the general manager of the Caledonian Railway Company, was inspired to construct a new railway line to this corner of the Highlands, with a suitably grand hotel and golf course to match. After some delays imposed by World War I, it flung open its doors in 1924 and quickly became one of the most glamorous getaways for London’s Roaring Twenties glitterati. It became known as a “Riviera in the Highlands.” A century later, it’s still a destination for well-heeled travelers from all corners of the world. (The hotel is especially popular with travelers from the States, offering the kind of service and attention to detail that American guests expect from a five-star property, but may not always find in rural Scotland.)

Photo: Courtesy of Gleneagles

What should you try?

The hotel may be deeply embedded in its local culture and surroundings, but the spa at the Gleneagles has a broader, more global scope, offering everything from Goop-worthy facials that incorporate breath work and singing bowl rituals, to ​​Ayurvedic Marma therapies inspired by ancient wellness wisdom from India. Still, there are a handful of closer-to-home treatments on offer too, like the An Taigh-Smuide ritual, which includes a Scottish sea salt exfoliating scrub, a full-body mud mask, and finally a private steam room session infused with the scent of pine from the nearby forests.