Treat yourself to a spa day in Estonia
Explore Estonia's surprising spa culture. Travel north to Narva-Jõesuu, south to Pärnu, and west to the islands, and find the best places to unwind.
Wellness is a time-honored tradition in Estonia
Estonia has been a spa and health resort destination for hundreds of years.
In the 19th century, resorts in Haapsalu and Narva-Jõesuu attracted the well-heeled from St. Petersburg. Estonia's sauna tradition goes so far back that it's hard to say exactly when it started!
Estonian spas take advantage of the country's natural beauty by using local ingredients for their treatments, such as mineral-rich mud, juniper leaves and berries, natural spring water, and peat. No spa experience is complete without a sauna, and Estonia's smoke sauna ritual is even on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Estonia offers wellness holidays for travelers of all types. Spend quality time with your children in a shallow pool or zoom down slides in a water park. Here on business? Relax with quality health and beauty treatments after a stressful day. Enjoy a romantic weekend away with your special someone at a secluded spa.
Here is where to find the most relaxing spas in Estonia.
Pärnu attracts visitors from Estonia, Scandinavia, and further afield.
It's known for its romantic wooden resort architecture, a long sandy beach, and excellent sanatoriums and spas.
Pärnu — Estonia's top spa resort destination
Pärnu's reputation as a resort destination is nearly two hundred years old: the first mud bath opened here in 1838, the city was added to the list of imperial Russian resorts in 1890, and Pärnu became Estonia's top spa destination during the first republic. Pärnu is currently a member of the Union of European Historic Spa Cities, which includes more than 50 cities and regions in 16 European countries.
Near Pärnu, you'll find the surfing beaches, SunCity Waterpark, bike paths, and two high-quality golf courses. Enjoy an active holiday — take a nature tour, hike, camp, and explore — then top it off with a relaxing massage at one of the city's excellent spas.
Hedon SPA & Hotel
Visit Estonia
Jan Hendrik Pärnits
Estonia Spa Hotels AS
Tervise Paradiis
Kristi Kuusmik-OravPhoto author: Björn OÜ, toolbox
Haapsalu — a charming, historic spa destination
Once a summer destination favored by Russian monarchs and celebrities, Haapsalu enchants visitors with its fresh sea air, beautiful wooden Old Town, waterfront promenade, and castle ruins. Haapsalu is a great place for walking and bird watching; Old Town's narrow streets lead to the sea again and again. Haapsalu's Paralepa Beach is famous for its warm seawater — it's nicknamed the Chocolate Coast in honor of the locals who apply the beach's healing mud to relieve joint pain.
The Estonian tradition of mud therapy originated in Haapsalu.
Discover its healing properties and enjoy gorgeous sea views at Fra Mare Thalasso and Hestia Hotel Haapsalu SPA.
Kuressaare is where tradition meets innovation.
In addition to the large spa complexes, Saaremaa's biggest town has several cozy romantic boutique SPAs.
Saaremaa — an island made for relaxing
Due to the number of spa hotels on Saaremaa, Estonia's largest island is known as SPA-remaa. There you find a relaxing paradise, offering a wide range of wellness services, from medical treatments to beauty treatments, and from mud therapy to luxury services. Islanders are proud of their sustainable lifestyle. Explore the island's unique cultural heritage or simply step into unspoiled nature and smell the juniper or stroll along rocky beaches. Fresh air, seawater, and the sound of waves are nature's best stress relievers.
Grand Rose SPA Hotel
GOSPA
Asa Spa Hotell
Sörwespa
Meri Spa Hotell
Elina Engberg
South Estonia — spas in a natural oasis
Estonia's second-largest city and home to Tartu University, Tartu is a hotbed of creative and scientific thought. Throughout the year, there are interesting festivals, exhibitions, and performances, and the main attractions are all located an easy walk or bike ride away from the city center. At Tartu's V SPA, you can forget your worries and recharge your mental batteries. That's why V Spa offers 11 different pools, jacuzzis, and 13 saunas!
On the outskirts of Otepää, Pühajärve is an ideal place for those who want to improve their health and for lovers of luxurious spa holidays—their wide range of treatments offers something for everyone.
Photo author: Ken Oja
Setomaa's untouched nature makes it a great destination for wellness tourism.
Learn about Setomaa's ancient singing traditions, folk costumes, and local history. You can also get acquainted with Seto cooking traditions at small-scale tourist farms, cafes, and home restaurants.
Värska is the only place in the Baltic States where you can enjoy a full-body mud bath. Clean mineral water fills the jacuzzi in the sanatorium's water center. Every day, the center uses about a ton of therapeutic mud, and three types of mineral water are used for drinking water and procedures at the spa.
Photo author: Priidu Saart
Photo author: Priidu Saart, toolbox
In and around Tallinn — relaxing weekend getaways
Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is the perfect holiday destination if you want to combine modern conveniences, diverse nightlife, and culinary adventures.
At the four-star Kalev SPA Hotel, you can take some time for yourself or relax with the whole family — kids, will love the water park's slides. At Tallink SPA, you can relax in five different saunas, as well as enjoy four pools. Tallinn Viimsi SPA is located outside of Tallinn it is only 12 kilometers away. The complex has a sauna center, a cinema, and Estonia's largest interactive water park — the Atlantis H2O water park with eight slides.
To the east, you'll find Rakvere, a real gem!
It is worth spending at least one night here to really enjoy everything this city has to offer — the medieval architecture at the castle, museums, restaurants, and, of course, the wellness treatments at Aqva SPA. Eight different saunas are on offer to visitors to the sauna center. If you want, you can always cool off in the year-round outdoor pool or cold water barrel, while the kids can race down the water slides.
Narva, Narva-Jõesuu, and Ida-Viru — coastal spas at the crossroads
The main attraction in Narva is one of the most powerful fortresses in the Baltics and Northern Europe: Narva Castle. From the castle, you can admire the view across the border to Russia and learn what it feels like to stand at the point where East meets West. Stroll along the river promenade, visit the historic Narva bastions, and take a self-guided tour through the historic Kreenholmn Textile Factory complex.
In Narva-Jõesuu, in addition to the extensive sandy beach, you can see wooden houses decorated with lace-style carvings, bask in the sounds of the birds and waves, or marvel at the silence of the pine forest.
Spa and wellness centers have a long history in East Estonia
Nobility from Saint Petersburg and Moscow once spent their summer holidays in the region. Now you can treat yourself to luxurious spa treatments.
Alina Birjuk
Silver Gutmann
Kertin Vassar
Ken OjaTry a traditional sauna...
Bathe the way the ancestors of today's Estonians did. The smell of wood smoke alternates with aromas of smoked meat, birch whisks, and sauna honey.
Looking for more spas in Estonia?
Visit our guide to SPAtacular Estonia to see more, though there are so many spas in Estonia that the guide doesn't list them all!
How to create your own spa experience at home
Looking for the perfect souvenir to remind you of your visit to Estonia? Want to recreate that feeling of total relaxation? Most spas sell the products they use at the spa, and many of them are made right here in Estonia. Even if you forget to pick one up after your treatment, pharmacies, supermarkets, and souvenir shops often sell locally-made beauty and health products.
Here are a few ideas that will fit in your suitcase:
- Masks and scrubs made with therapeutic mud
- Natural soaps made with organic plant products, such as sea buckthorn, lavender, and peat
- Värska mineral water
- Products made from juniper, such as sauna whisks or creams
- Natural cosmetics made in Estonia (Joik, Hoia, Nurme, Aesti, Luuv, and more!)
Get inspired
Last updated
19.02.2025