Including Ayurvedic rituals from India and skincare from South Korea, treatment tourism is having a moment. These are the traditional beauty treatments worth travelling for.
In an increasingly global world, beauty lovers are very lucky to be able to walk into almost any spa and experience countless treatments originating from different cultures and communities. But, with treatment tourism continuing to soar, in-the-know travellers are increasingly planning itineraries around authentic spa, retreat and beauty-based experiences.
Whether it’s surrendering to a pampering Japanese head spa in Tokyo or emerging from an authentic Moroccan hammam with impossibly soft skin, these rituals offer something extra special, cocooning you in the culture from which they stem.
Rooted in centuries of tradition and shaped by local ingredients, philosophies and expertise, these are the beauty treatments worth boarding a plane for.
Japanese Head Spa, Japan
Before ‘scalp health’ became a global beauty buzzword, Japanese beauty insiders understood that healthy hair begins at the root; they were treating their tresses to ‘facial-grade’ treatments long before anyone else. Now, the Japanese head spa has become a bonafide trend, celebrated not only for making your hair glossier, but because it’s a seriously pampering and relaxing experience. And, of course, nowhere does it quite like Japan itself. Head to one of Tokyo’s specialist head spa salons (there are plenty of them to choose from, although Head Spa Kuu and The Head Spa Tokyo are two of our recommendations), and you’ll receive far more than a luxury blow-dry.
A traditional head spa combines deep cleansing, targeted scalp treatments, acupressure massage and aromatherapy to improve circulation, remove product build-up and encourage healthier hair growth. What elevates the experience even further is the ritualistic nature of the treatment. Warm water is allowed to flow across your scalp in carefully choreographed movements, while pressure-point massage releases tension from the neck, shoulders and temples, making it potentially one of the most relaxing treatments you can have. Many salons also begin with a microscopic scalp analysis so that the treatment can be personalised to your needs, from dryness and sensitivity to excess oil production. And don’t worry too much about language barriers; a lot of this can be show-and-tell, facilitated by basic translation apps or by choosing locations that specifically note tourist-friendly language skills.
Korean Facials, South Korea
There’s no denying that South Korea and K-Beauty has had a huge influence on our skincare routines, from popularising multi-step, layering rituals to starting our quest for flawless, ‘glass-like’ skin. And Seoul is at the heart of treatment tourism, with beauty lovers flocking to the city to experience the very latest treatments and products first hand. We understand the appeal. New technologies, ingredients and techniques often appear in Seoul months – sometimes years – before reaching international markets.
Seoul’s Gangnam district is the place to visit. It’s home to many of the country’s leading skin clinics, and visitors can expect far more than a standard facial. Many clinics create entirely bespoke treatment plans that encourage you to have multiple procedures back-to-back (known as treatment stacking), such as LED therapy, oxygen facials, collagen-boosting treatments and cutting-edge injectables. Most significantly, beauty in South Korea is approached as preventative rather than corrective, with an emphasis on hydration, barrier protection and consistency. You’ll walk away with better skin, but also a better understanding of how to look after it when you get home too.
Shirodhara, India
A treatment our beauty director described as “one of the most grounding rituals she’s ever experienced”, Shirodhara is a core Ayurvedic therapy, and there’s something extra magical about experiencing it in India, where the ancient healing tradition originated. The treatment involves a continuous stream of warm herbal oil being gently poured onto your forehead, specifically over the area associated with the “third eye”. It is specifically designed to calm the nervous system, ease mental fatigue and encourage a deeply restorative state, tapping into the Ayurvedic concept that true wellbeing comes from a balance between the body, mind and spirit. The sensation is almost hypnotic: as the oil flows rhythmically across the forehead, many people describe drifting into a meditative state somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.
What makes the experience in India particularly special is the way Shirodhara is integrated into a broader Ayurvedic approach to wellbeing. Rather than being offered as a standalone spa treatment, it’s often prescribed following a consultation with an Ayurvedic practitioner, and combined with therapies such as massage, herbal remedies, yoga and dietary guidance. For travellers seeking a truly authentic wellness experience, the best place to try it is in Kerala, which is widely regarded as the heartland of Ayurveda, making it one of the most rewarding places in the world to experience this centuries-old ritual.
Traditional Thai Massage, Thailand
Traditional Thai massage offers something rather different to the oil-based massages that are offered in many Western spas (as detailed in our complete massage guide), and that’s because it’s not just a body rub. It’s actually a therapeutic practice rooted in centuries of Thai healing traditions, drawing influence from Ayurvedic medicine, Buddhist philosophy and traditional Chinese medicine. Bangkok’s historic massage schools and Chiang Mai’s traditional wellness centres offer some of the country’s most authentic – and effective – experiences.
More specifically, traditional Thai massage doesn’t just focus on teasing out knots. It also focuses on improving energy flow throughout the body, with your practitioner using their hands, elbows, knees, and even feet, to apply targeted pressure. The environment you have your treatment in is unique too. It tends to take place on a padded mat on the floor rather than a massage table, and you’ll be fully clothed as you’re guided through a series of – sometimes a little intense – stretches that are more reminiscent of assisted yoga. It’s particularly great for travellers balancing long-haul flights and packed itineraries, with benefits that extend beyond muscle relief to include improved mobility and increased circulation.
Moroccan Hammam, Morocco
A traditional Moroccan hammam is a totally immersive experience from the moment you step through the door, so no trip to Marrakech is complete without visiting either a local bath or hotel facilities. More than a spa treatment, the hammam is one of Morocco’s oldest and most cherished social institutions, woven deeply into everyday life and cultural identity as a place to cleanse and relax, but also to connect with friends, family and neighbours. That means that hammams are a brilliant way to absorb Moroccan culture first hand. Then, there’s the joy of the ritual itself.
Carefully designed to purify both body and mind, the experience typically begins in a steam-filled room where the warmth gradually softens your skin, relaxes your muscles and calms your brain. Traditionally, a therapist then applies savon noir – a mineral-rich black soap made from olives – before exfoliating your body with a rough glove-like kessa to remove dead skin cells. The process is famously vigorous – often far more thorough than Western body scrubs – but it reveals astonishingly smooth skin beneath. The ritual also reflects Morocco’s long-standing beauty traditions and the use of natural ingredients sourced from the country’s landscape; often concluding with a nourishing application of rhassoul clay from the Atlas Mountains, or argan oil, one of Morocco’s most celebrated beauty exports.
Balinese Boreh Ritual, Indonesia
While Bali is now a true wellness playground – well-known for its abundance of incredible spas – its traditional treatments are perhaps less familiar to Western beauty lovers. But this is changing, with Balinese rituals – especially Boreh – increasingly cropping up on Western spa menus due to their ability to deliver targeted body-boosting results while remaining ultra pampering. Ultimately though, no one is doing it better than the wellness retreats and traditional spa spaces in Ubud.
Boreh originated centuries ago among Indonesian rice farmers, who created warming herbal pastes to ease muscle fatigue after long days working in the fields. That practice has now evolved to become a treatment that involves a specific blend of spices – including ginger, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper – ground into a fragrant paste and applied across the body. Guests are then wrapped in cloth or blankets, allowing the ingredients to gently heat the skin, detoxify the body, improve energy levels and leave skin exceptionally soft. Equally appealing is the sensory experience: the scent of freshly ground spices, the tropical air and the feeling of being immersed in a tradition that remains closely connected to local life.
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Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty, wellbeing, and aesthetics. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
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