Let us be clear: spas are for everyone. Though traditionally they have been a preserve of females marking special occasions or just basing some ‘me time’ around dressing gowns and glasses of fizz in a hot tub, these days men are just as likely to be enjoying a hot-stone massage or a facial. Some hotels even have designated spaces within their spas for male grooming — such as Bovey Castle’s gentleman’s quarter, with its facials for men and signature grooming experiences and The Ned City of London’s barbershop.

But this International Women’s Day, we’re focusing on the hotels going above and beyond specifically for women’s wellness in their already superlative spa spaces — whether the focus is on moonbathing, the menopause or a journey to deeper self-connection…

Franschhoek, South Africa

Every season, there’s a ‘Wise Woman Retreat’ at this spectacular South African smallholding in Franschhoek, billed as ‘a celebration and reclamation of the Wise Woman within’. Even if you’re not feeling especially enlightened when you arrive at Sterrekopje Farm, the chances are you will be after six nights here. Instead of self-improvement, the theme is far gentler, with the focus on building a deeper connection with your female strength — celebrating and reinforcing your sovereignty and power, and how you can harness it to forge bonds with yourself and your community. You’ll explore the ‘thread that binds women’ through past and future, and ‘journey through anger to create space for pleasure and play’, coming together in a sisterhood to connect, create and celebrate with each other.

Fittingly, the southern-hemisphere summer edition kicks off on International Women’s Day, with upcoming retreats taking place in the autumn and winter. Nourishing meals are provided, with a stimulant-free menu (ie no coffee or alcohol). Sign us up.

Maldives

In many cultures, the moon has long been associated with fertility. The average menstrual cycle matches the length of the waxing and waning cycle of the moon (29-and-a-half days). Many women can recall a time when a Full Moon has sent them fully tropo. And it may not be a myth that the lunar cycle has an impact on our biology — studies have shown that lunar phases can indeed affect sleep and moods for women in particular.

At Gili Lankfanfushi in the Maldives, you can harness the power of moonlight from the comfort of your overwater villa. The practice of soaking in the moon’s nocturnal glow is thought to calm both body and mind, in turn reducing stress and improving your sleep. It could also boost your hormones and positively impact your cycle, fertility and menopause symptoms. Just wait for the moon to rise and head out to the stargazing bed set up on your roof deck, which will be soundtracked by the Indian Ocean waves. If that hasn’t quite sent you off to sleep, book the soporific ‘Mindful Dream’ treatment, where a therapist visits your villa and ushers in the Land of Nod with breathwork, sound healing and aromatherapy. We feel sleepy just thinking about it.

Devon, UK

When we recently despatched a writer to experience a life-changing five-day Yeotown Devon retreat, her stay happened to be populated entirely by women, since that particular programme had The Times’ fashion director Anna Murphy at the helm. While malekind are welcomed, there are regular retreats throughout the year that appeal more to women, such as the ‘Cracking the Menopause and Beyond — Building Resilience for Mind, Body and Soul’ programme with presenter Mariella Frostrup and health journalist Alice Smellie, who co-authored a book on the topic.

The focus of the retreat will be on health and hormones through the menopause and beyond, helping participants ‘build resilience for mind, body and soul’ and navigate the inevitable changes that come at this stage of life, while leaving the outdated misconceptions firmly in the past. You’ll experience holistic practices alongside the latest medical insights. ‘The main reason I run midlife reboots at the wonderful Yeotown Devon retreat is so I can take part in them,’ shares Frostrup. ‘From the luxury accommodation to the transformative programme, it really is life-enhancing. My highlights over the five-day stay include hikes on the beautiful north Devon coast (and cold swims for the brave), meditation and the incredible food — which resets your digestion and provides rocket fuel, particularly for those experiencing menopause symptoms. You’ll meet new friends, discover hidden strengths and build resilience, as you power yourself into your “second spring”.’

The weekly programmes start on Wednesday and wrap on Sunday (Tuesday to Saturday, with a Monday arrival, for the Madeira edition over in the Atlantic); occasionally three-day retreats are available for the time-strapped.

Arizona, US

In the Sonoran Desert, Miraval Arizona has all the ingredients for a wellness-bestowing stay, from Tibetan singing bowls to equine-therapy stables, but it’s the backdrop, of Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains, that’s likely to supply the most exultation — especially if you’re surveying them from your private deck and basking in the sunshine (all 350 days a year of it). Throughout the year, there are workshops, visiting authors and specialists on hand (from beekeepers and spiritual drummers to clairvoyants and sleep experts) to craft your wellness experience.

Before your arrival, you can determine the intention you’d like to set for your self-connection journey, by taking a quiz that will help you identify the ideal itinerary for you, whether it’s based around leadership fulfilment in your career, a couple’s retreat or a solo escape embracing the healing power of the great outdoors. You can also expect to unplug from the tech. The self-connection journeys on offer are the perfect reset, promising physical, spiritual and mental wellness by way of facials and floating meditations, tightropes in the desert and balancing massages that end in the warm embrace of a herb-scented hot towel.

India

An elevated state of mind is inevitable at this altitude, but helping things along even further is Ananda in the Himalayas’ spa, which hosts wellness programmes designed to help with problems such as stress, chronic pain and fertility issues.

There’s also a dedicated menstrual-health programme, helping participants deal with disorders, and any pre- or post-menopause symptoms, by using a holistic ayurvedic approach. You’ll benefit from personalised treatments and diet plans, alongside yoga and meditation to help restore hormonal balance and detoxify your system. Enhancing your metabolism is a priority, as is emotional wellbeing and finding dosha equilibrium. There’ll also be some cleansing Panchakarma therapies, a traditional ayurvedic detox and rejuvenation method.

Retreats at Ananda can be as long as 21 days, with week- and fortnight-long retreats on offer, too. However long you stay, this is the place for a full-body reboot.

Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza is famous for its feel-good factor. It has something to do with its magnetism, apparently — more specifically, Es Vedrà’s, a limestone rock off the island’s coast that’s thought to be the third-most magnetic place on the planet. Also assisting with the legal highs is one of the world’s leading wellness hotels: Six Senses Ibiza, which is launching a female-focused wellness programme this year.

You’ll be able to attend three-, five- and seven-day retreats consisting of sleep tracking and analysis, glucose monitoring, and tailored guidance on hormone cycles, fasting, blood-sugar balance and changes to body composition. This all takes place alongside holistic spa treatments, meditation and sound healing, and bespoke nutrition plans for optimal gut health. Designed as an antidote to ‘rushing woman’s syndrome’ — the result of our busy modern lives — these programmes aim to restore your nervous system and empower you with a better understanding of your hormonal and metabolic health.

Bale, Croatia

Wine and wellness may not always go hand in hand, but at Meneghetti in north-west Croatia, not only can you drink the fruits of the estate-grown vines, but you can sign up for some vinotherapy. The wine hotel is in the municipality of Bale, once the Roman settlement of Castrum Vallis, in the Istrian countryside; and the estate has 50 acres of olive groves and vineyards, so, naturally, olive oil features on the treatment menu, too.

The just-launched ‘Ladies Boost and Balance’ retreat is a three-day escape where women can gather for sunrise yoga, sunset massages and nightly candle-lit suppers — with Olympics-style opening and closing ceremonies bookending your experience. You’ll partake in aqua-movement and ‘strength and grace’ sessions, with Pilates and functional training assisting the improvement of posture and balance; self-care and beauty workshops; and lymphatic-drainage massage, performed with compression boots (which aren’t as terrifying as they sound). In your free time away from the Tranquility Zone at the spa, you can cycle around the estate or, during the summer, take the shuttle to the beach.

The retreats can be booked on request for a minimum of two participants, and each day has a declared purpose — with a wider aim of improving and healing both mind and body, and helping women find a balance between busy careers, family commitments and making time for self-care.

See more of our luxury wellness hotels, or read about last year’s IWD heroes