Why not unwind in a pleasantly warm relaxation pool while admiring the surrounding Graubünden mountains? At the Valsana, you can do just that. This four-star superior hotel offers all the wellness you could want over an area of 800m². And the good news for the environment? The Valsana Hotel Arosa is a pioneer when it comes to minimising its ecological impact. Its ingenious energy concept – including an innovative ice storage unit – ensures, among other things, that the thermal energy from the spa can be reused. Special aerators significantly reduce water consumption in the taps, while the spa products from “The Organic Company” allow the spa’s guests to not only do something good for themselves, but for the environment too.  

What could be more exciting than stepping into a turquoise bath from 1928 after an intense sauna session? The bijou spa at Schlosshotel Wartegg offers just that! No other Swiss hotel can boast the same careful use of resources in day-to-day work as this small paradise in the town of Rorschacherberg in Eastern Switzerland. For example, the hotel restaurant’s kitchens are organically certified – a trait it shares with only a handful of other restaurants of this kind in Switzerland! Wherever possible, herbs and vegetables come from the castle’s own gardens or from local producers. Locally sourced and organic materials generally take top priority at Schloss Wartegg – no matter whether for building materials, the way electricity is generated, or even bath towels. 

Bathing in the heart of the town of Baden – what was normal in the Middle Ages and up until 150 years ago has once again become part of the spa town’s urban landscape since 2021. The hot thermal water fountains are fed with natural thermal water and are available to residents and guests free of charge. With temperatures of between 37°C and 43°C, the thermal water fountains are pleasantly warm and invite you to relax and enjoy yourself. By the way, the fountains are cleaned three times each week. An energy-efficient experience that is unparalleled throughout Switzerland!

Every day, 3.9 million litres of thermal water bubble up from 65 springs in Leukerbad, more than anywhere else in Europe! What happens to the 51°C thermal spring water? A geothermal heat exchanger heats up cold water, which is used to provide heating and hot water in various hotels and thermal baths in the Valais winter sports and thermal spa resort. The wastewater from the thermal baths is even used to ensure that the car park entrance to the Lorenzbad remains free of snow and ice in the winter. A sustainable approach to energy recovery that could hardly be more sophisticated. 

You’ll see your children’s eyes light up at the prospect of the Swiss Holiday Park, an undisputed bathing and wellness paradise for the whole family. And it also impresses with its efforts to protect the environment. In 2015, the recreation facility’s green credentials were recognised with the Milestone Award – the most important tourism prize in Switzerland – in the Environment category. What factors prompted this? For example, the switch from oil heating to district heating, which allows the park to save 1,800 tonnes of CO2 each year. The leisure park has even been entirely carbon-neutral since 2017. And it hasn’t stopped there: water consumption is to be reduced by 2% per year, and only native plants are to be found in the gardens. With its very own farm, the Swiss Holiday Park is also self-sufficient when it comes to dairy produce, and thus avoids unnecessary emissions.

The focus is on renewable resources at the spa of the 4-star hotel by Lake Sarnen: the spa building is a sustainable timber structure designed by local architects and built by local companies – regional added value at its finest. In addition, valuable solar energy is used to heat the outdoor and saltwater pools, which allows considerable resources to be saved. The “comfort zone” cosmetics line used in the spa is not tested on animals and is based exclusively on natural ingredients. Incidentally, the commitment found here also spills over into the lakeside hotel of the same name. A number of other measures are being implemented there in order to minimise the ecological footprint of the enterprise and its guests.

An authentic Finnish sauna experience by Lake Sarnen in Central Switzerland! Guests can book the mobile sauna online and heat up the sauna themselves using the wood burner – a sauna experience with a difference and with a minimal carbon footprint. Because a wood-fired sauna is heated in harmony with the natural carbon cycle: when wood is burned, the same amount of CO2 is released as trees remove from the atmosphere as they grow. Take a dip in Lake Sarnen to cool off afterwards. A natural experience for your circulatory system and your soul!

Clear ecological principles determine the way in which these beautiful thermal baths in the heart of the city of Zurich are operated. At temperatures of between 35°C and 41°C, the warm water comes from Zurich’s “Aqui” spring, and would otherwise seep away unused into the ground. The electricity is generated from CO2-free Swiss hydropower, and the heat from renewable sources. Wherever possible, the cleaning agents used are also biodegradable, and chemicals avoided. The spa is located in an important 19th-century industrial area, where guests can bathe and relax under the historic stone vaults of the former brewery and above the roofs of the city of Zurich.

Brave sauna fans can experience the unique combination of sauna and lake bathing in a converted wooden trailer. On Maladaire beach in the charming town of La Tour-de-Peilz, the sauna trailer is heated up in traditional Finnish style – you won’t find any harmful emissions here. You can then cool yourself off in the refreshing waters of Lake Geneva. And if you’re seeking a moment’s peace and quiet, try the yurt right next door. The focus here in the traditional nomad tent is on peace, relaxation and regeneration. 

Whether under a clear starry sky or in a flurry of snow, the chance to relax in the bubbling warm water while the temperature outside is below zero is a feeling everyone should experience. Many traditional farms in the Appenzellerland are happy to warm up their wooden barrels for their guests if you book in advance. Incidentally, the experience can be perfectly combined with an Appenzell farmer’s brunch, with produce taken straight from the farm, or a typical overnight stay on an Appenzell farm.