Method
How we rate
WellAtlas is an independent guide to the world’s best wellness destinations. Every place in the guide has been researched against the same standard, and every score comes from a real evaluation. Nobody can pay to be included, and nobody can pay for a better score.
Selection
What it takes to be included
Every destination must meet two criteria.
- 1. Real wellness substance. A named spa, a described treatment menu, named facilities or an articulated programme, verified on the property’s own website. Luxury, awards and famous guests tell us about prestige, not about wellness, so they do not count.
- 2. Genuine high-end positioning, judged against the destination’s own market.
Then we ask one more question: is the wellness a reason to come here, or just something to do once you’ve arrived?
Categories
What we cover
The guide spans eight kinds of wellness destination.
- Wellness Hotels & Resorts
- a hotel where wellness shapes the stay
- Wellness Retreats
- programme-based stays with a defined arc
- Medical Wellness & Longevity Clinics
- doctor-led, diagnostics-based
- Thermal Spas & Bathhouses
- bathing is the experience
- Day Spas
- standalone spas, booked by the treatment
- Urban Wellness Clubs
- membership spaces combining training, bathing and recovery
- Gyms & Movement Studios
- instructor-led training at the top of its market
- Recovery Centres
- cold, heat, compression and other recovery therapies
Hotels
Wellness hotels are held to a higher bar
A good hotel spa is not enough. Most hotel spas offer massages, facials and a sauna that could be moved to any five-star hotel unchanged, and those are not included. We look for a hotel where wellness shapes the stay: specialists beyond massage therapists, structured programmes, a real method or tradition, exceptional facilities, and wellness that runs through how you eat, sleep and spend your day.
The Score
The WellAtlas Score™
Every destination we evaluate receives a WellAtlas Score out of 100. Scores come from two sources only: WellAtlas Inspections, carried out by our team, and Verified Guest Reviews from people who can show proof of their stay or visit, such as a booking confirmation, receipt or membership. We do not accept unverified reviews.
What we rate
- Medical Care
- the quality and professionalism of medical or clinical care
- Programme Design
- how well wellness programmes are structured and personalised
- Facilities
- the quality, range and condition of wellness, fitness and treatment spaces
- Setting
- the surroundings, atmosphere and environment
- Staff & Service
- attentiveness and professionalism throughout the experience
- Food & Nutrition
- quality, variety and nutritional approach
- Movement
- the quality and variety of fitness and movement offerings
- Value for Price
- whether the experience justified what it cost
Each criterion is rated on a five-step scale. Criteria that don’t apply, such as medical care at a movement studio, are left out rather than counted against the destination.
Beyond the criteria
Did it actually work?
We also ask every guest how they felt when they arrived, how they felt when they left, and whether the experience helped them move towards their own wellness goals. A beautiful spa is not the same as one that changes how you feel, and we want to know the difference.
Recognition
The WellAtlas 100 and the WellAtlas Awards
The WellAtlas 100 is our annual ranking of the world’s best wellness destinations. The WellAtlas Awards recognise excellence across categories. Both are based on real evaluations, never on a checklist.
Prices
Price guide
Each destination shows a price band: Premium, Luxury, Prestige or Ultra-luxury. Bands are set from the property’s own published rates, not from how it presents itself, and reflect what a guest actually pays within that destination’s market.
Independence
Our independence
WellAtlas takes no payment for inclusion, placement or scores. Any commercial relationship is kept separate from our editorial decisions and never affects who is included or how they are rated.