Greece Spa Guide: The Best Spas in Athens

Athens, Greece. [Photo credit: Spencer Davis]

It’s not just one of the world’s oldest metropolis—the word metropolis is Greek and remains the prototype for urban design to this day. One can spend several days hopping from one ancient ruin to the next and still only touch the surface. From the Acropolis to the Parthenon, the National Archaeological Museum to the Temple of Hephaestus, history does live and breathe at every corner. Strolling through the narrow winding streets of the old city, one is overwhelmed by nebulous thoughts of time, place, and continuity.

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But the ancient Greeks gave more to civilization than temples and amphitheaters. Health and well-being was the subject of many ancient philosophers and doctors were a booming business. Greeks were surprisingly healthy for their time, thanks to a diet abundant in fruits and vegetables. Holistic practice was common, and it was not rare to prescribe willow bark to treat ailments due to it being nature’s version of aspirin.

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Most visit Athens to soak up the archaeology and the deliciously fresh cuisine, but wellness was an essential element of ancient Greek culture, and a visit to one of the city’s spectacular spas should be on your itinerary. From sleek and chic hotel spas to traditional Turkish hammams, Athens is one of the best cities for a wellness getaway, especially for those willing to explore local options.

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Check out our Greece spa guide to discover the best spas in Athens. If you’re looking for the best deals on flights to Greece, click here.

Aegeo Spa at Electra Metropolis Athens

Mitropoleos 15, Athina 105 57, Greece; (+30) 214-1006-200

An exalted example of modern style and luxury, Electra Metropolis Athens Hotel was designed by architect  Patroclos Karantinos to encompass classic Greek elegance and modern eclecticism. Just steps from Syntagma Square, Electra Metroplis is walking distance to every sight, sound, and aroma to tempt your palate for an Athenian adventure. Situated next to the premier shopping district on Ermou Street and adjacent to the city’s new culinary hub, Electra Metropolis is percolating with energy.

Aegeo Spa is an extension of this flair for the finest. Its design aesthetic displays its commitment to the Greek concept of holistic well-being. With an emphasis on healing through water, the indoor therapy pool soothes, mends, and helps to decompress after a hectic day. The treatments feature the finest European brands and original ointments fabricated from local herbs and botanicals.

For a facial worthy of Cleopatra, we suggest the Beauty Slip, a uniquely natural method to reduce signs of aging and tension in your face. Light pressure increases the flow of energy and reduces tension to encourage a youthful glow. The skinalso becomes firmer and more elastic. This method stimulates lymph flow, increases collagen and elastin production, removes toxins, and brightens under-eye circles.

Al Hammam Traditional Baths

Tripodon 16, Athina 105 58, Greece; (+30) 21-1012-9099

Enter the opulent world of an Ottoman Turkish bath house at Al Hammam Traditional Baths. Gray stone walls contrast with jewel-toned blankets, pillows, and Byzantine fixtures. Ornate Oriental furnishings display glass perfume bottles and candles spreading notes of myrrh and Turkish rose as if in a fragrant bath.

A refuge of relaxation and purity, experience the rejuvenation only experienced at a traditional hammam. Start with steam to open your pores and then proceed to a warm marble table for a full-body exfoliation surrounded by glowing candles.

Follow with a massage or body treatment of your choice. Choose a customized massage based on your personal preference such as a rose massage, olive oil and raki, or the ultimate in indulgence: the Royal Oriental. Deluxe facials, waxing, and body wraps are also available. Complete the Oriental fantasy with tea in an Ottoman-inspired salon lounge while the old city bustles outside.

Aman Spa at Amanzoe

Agios Panteleimonas, Kranidi, Argolida 21300, Greece; (+30) 275-4772-888

Located a 2.5-hour drove from Athens International Airport, Amanzoe is a modern-day Acropolis on the east coast of the Peloponnese near Porto Heli that offers 360-degree views of olive groves and the Aegean Sea. Accommodations feature pavilions and villas with private pools, stunning views, and fragrance garden while speedboats down at the beach will transport guests to nearby islands.

The property reopens on April 1 for the summer season and is also home to the 30,000-square-foot Aman Spa, a spacious and light-filled sanctuary that includes a gym, Pilates studio, yoga pavilion, Watsu pool, six pools, finishing salon for manicures and pedicures, seven treatment suites, and changing areas with a hamman, sauna, cold plunge, and steam room.

The treatment menu highlights Aman’s signature massages, facials, body scrubs, and wraps, as well as a range of specialty treatments offered in five indoor and two outdoor spa suites. Throughout the season, Amanzoe also welcomes various well-being experts and healing specialists to offer guests exclusive treatments and therapies ranging from craniosacral therapy and reflexology to traditional Chinese medicine.

New for the 2024 Summer Season, Amanzoe is offering a series of outdoor adventures including cycling and hiking routes that take guests to historic villages, ancient monasteries, a nearby farm, and more so they can enjoy exercise along with the calming effects of Mother Nature. Guests can also sign up for private and group movement classes in the seren hilltop yoga pavilion for all levels, as well as full-moon yoga classes in the resort’s amphitheater.

Apivita Beehive Spa

Solonos 6, Athina 106 73, Greece; (+30) 21-0364-0560

On the 5th floor of the new Apivita Experience Store, Apivita Beehive Spa awaits guests to experience relaxation and well-being with unique holistic face and body treatments by Apivita. The decor is reminiscent of a beehive, augmented by a honey-colored ceiling and soft lighting.

The spa menu is based on the ancient Greek philosophy of Hippocrates, aromatherapy and the products of bees. The combination of natural ingredients with innovative treatments offer a total experience of relaxation and wellness for body and mind.

Fifteen different treatments are available such as Mediterranean Skin Food Menu, Deep Face Detox, Queen Bee, Body Sculpture, Golden Honey & Caldera Hot Stone Massage, just to name a few.

GB Spa at Hotel Grande Bretagne

1 Vasileos Georgiou A, Syntagma Square, Athina 10564, Greece; (+30) 210-333-0799

A Luxury Collection Hotel, Grand Bretagne celebrates 150 years of unsurpassed European excellence. Since its opening in 1874, Grand Bretagne has born witness to every major historical event and hosted world leaders, dignitaries, and the most glorious names in cinema and the arts.

Situated on Syntagma Square with unobstructed views of the Acropolis, Grand Betragne is a triumph in the art of design and hospitality with priceless art works that bestow its storied walls, a wine library that hosts over 3,500 premium bottles, and a world-class haute spa that is among the highest rated in all of Europe 

GB Spa is where tranquility, rejuvenation, and Old World glamour converge in one divine spa experience. Pamper your mind and body like a Greek goddess in the heavenly spa amenities that are worlds above the ordinary. The palatial indoor pool imparts Aegean hues against a sleek backdrop of light for the ultimate Roman bath indulgence in salt water infused with therapeutic ozone and hydro-jet massage.

Enter the Amethyst Grotto where you will cocooned among amethyst tiles and jewels while aromatic herbs swirl in a heady flow of mind and body restoration.  An herbal steam bath melts away stress, while the golden laconium room bestows vital minerals while you inhale sweet maracuja essential oils. For unapologetic splendor, try the Serial Mud Chamber where specialty clays detox and revive body, face, and hair. 

To give your skin the gift of glow, we propose the GB Prickly Pear Luxury Facial. Inspired by the ancestral Japanese art of the 15th century, “Kobido” is a natural lifting method with immediate rejuvenating effects. Using excellent natural active ingredients such as prickly pear seeds and aci  berry, the face becomes more youthful and radiant. Afterward, sip herbal tea in the relaxation lounge or head off to the state-of-the-art gym for a post-spa sweat.

Hammam Shaharazad

Porinou 12, Athina 117 42, Greece; (+30) 21-0923-7527

The tales of “A Thousand And One Nights” comes alive at Hammam Shaharazad, a Moroccan-inspired spa. Iridescent tiled walls and benches cast a golden glow in the expansive steam sauna. Glass shower doors are intricately etched in gold. Golden kettles and mint tea await after a thorough steam and scrub.

We highly recommend the Ritual Hammam to feel like a mythical princess on her magic carpet ride to eternal beauty.  Start with a compete physical exfoliation from head to feet plus cleansing with an olive oil soap to hydrate and revive. Top it off with a shampoo and mesmerizing scalp massage.

If you have a few hours to kill and imagine fanciful tales where you are the star, then opt for the VIP Hammam. This extravagant service commences with the Ritual Hammam followed by a Dead Sea mud body mask. Next, enjoy a hydrating olive oil soap massage followed by a 60-minute hot aromatic oil body massage. A gold algae face mask and facial contour massage completes this lavish service.

Finally, enjoy tea and fruit snacks in a private lounge. The only thing missing are servants to feed you grapes.

Old City Hamam

Athanasiou Diakou 1, Ακρόπολη 117 42, Greece; (+30) 21-0924-6666

Channel your inner Aphrodite and indulge in a day of beautification ancient Greek style next to the Acropolis. Lie atop a warm marble bed accented with gilded gold tiles while a professional scrubs and polishes until you shine like a freshly minted Greek coin.

And because you’re a goddess, you deserve their ultimate Special Day treatment that starts with Old City Hamam absconding you by private car from your hotel and escorting you to your day of pampering. You’ll commence with steam to detox and a thorough body wash with special soap. Next comes the exfoliation and body massage followed by a hydrating mask of honey, lavender, and sesame seed oil, followed by an Argan oil facial treatment to plump and revive the skin with natural antioxidants and nutrients.

If you choose, you may opt to add a one-hour Swedish massage to relieve tired legs and muscles after days of exploring ruins and museums and exploring the city’s myriad treasures.

Polis Hammam

Avliton 6-8, Athina 105 54, Greece; (+30) 21-0321-2020

The elegance and simplicity of ancient Greece. A sleek gray and white marbled room is where the ancient bathing ritual takes place beneath a domed ceiling atop a marble bed called a polygonal.  All clothes and materials are provided for an authentic and gratifying experience.

The traditional bath is divided into three stages: purification, sanitation, and enjoyment. After the initial stay in the warm steam section of ​​the hammam, the therapists take over—first for a general exfoliation of the skin and washing with olive soap is done followed by an invigorating massage of the body and head. 

Polis Hammam offers a vast service menu inspired by Mediterranean rituals from Cleopatra to King Solomon. We highly recommend the Greek Ritual, a magical 70-minute service for a legendary revitalization. Using an ancient recipe of volcanic clay combined with nutrient oils to treat and regenerate the skin of the face and scalp, this precious mask eliminates toxins and dead cells, leaving skin bright and luminous.

The corporal journey continues with a recipe used by Alexander the Great. A unique tonic of therapeutic oils with an enchanting aroma to relax muscles, immediately soothe the nervous system, prevent rheumatism, relieve musculoskeletal pain, treat skin infections, and protect the respiratory system.

Next comes a body and face exfoliation using the Hippocratic technique for healthy, smooth, perfectly clean and youthful skin. Skin is then nourished with cream and oils infused with Greek herbs that, according to mythology, the goddess Hera used for anti-aging, hydration, firming, and rejuvenation. This is followed by a special massage from the Hippocratic technique for absolute relaxation.

Finally, a delightful Greek drink made from a cocktail of herbs and a side dish inspired by the habits of the ancient Greeks for strength and longevity.

The Spa at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens

Apollonos 40, Vouliagmeni 166 71, Greece; (+30) 21-0890-1000

Explore the ancient wonders of the Mediterranean at the seaside resort of Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, located just 30 minutes from Athens’ city center. The 75-acre sanctuary boasts three beaches, eight restaurants, lounges, and bars, and a relaxing respite from a day of sightseeing and shopping.

Hire a private archaeologist to escort you to museums or the Acropolis, or jettison to an island on a luxury boat. From your suite, submerge your senses in the blue waters adorned by rustic rock formations and delicate breezes.

Inspired by Hippocrates, The Spa at Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens is a refined homage to the healing properties of water. The adults-only Fountain House is dedicated to the spractice of ancient healing water rituals. This enclave includes an aroma steam grotto, chill showers, sauna, and hammam facilities. Enjoy signature facials featuring premier French skincare brand Biologigue Recharge and body therapies which blend ancient and modern technique.

We highly recommend the Storgi Ritual to fully experience the power of native Greek healing remedies.  This mindful beauty experience silences the mind and submerges your whole self into a sense of recovery and relaxation that includes a full-body stimulating loofah exfoliation, relaxing massage accompanied by warm crystals, and a vitality facial using organic Greek herbs and botanicals.

[Photos courtesy of spas and resorts]

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Jody Miller is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles with a primary focus on beauty, spa, travel, fashion, and dining. She has a BA in Social Science and completed an accredited aesthetics program. Jody believes having this background gives her a unique insight and knowledge about beauty and skincare. She has been fascinated by travel and other cultures since she was a child, and savors every travel opportunity and experience.