SPA & Wellness in Latvia

A lakeside sauna house at a historic mill in Nītaure, with a guest house and spa rituals. Up to 8 people; day visits are possible too.

A pirts in the pine woods near Vecumnieki whose owners have written two books on the Latvian sauna and run a pirts school. Rituals led by a bath attendant use whisks chosen for each guest, natural scrubs and masks, and foam, honey or chocolate massages; the Māra and Laima saunas can be hired, and there is accommodation and a seminar room.

A floating Russian bath on the shore of Lake Ķīšezers in Mežaparks: a panoramic window, a mini cinema, a kitchen and the option to stay overnight. €40 an hour; a Japanese ofuro wooden tub, massages and scrubs cost extra.

A five-star spa hotel in Amatciems between forests and lakes that calls itself Latvia’s first eco-village spa hotel. Turkish and Finnish saunas, a hot tub overlooking the pond, a chlorine-free pool, a shungite room, sauna rituals with a sauna master and massages; open to day visitors too.

Latvia’s first social sauna club, on the waterfront in Andrejsala. Sauna masters lead 75-minute sessions set to music for up to 40 people, cycling through heat, cold plunges (there are three) and rest. Sessions are mixed-gender with separate changing rooms; tickets and passes are sold online.

A floating sauna on a forest lake, built from natural and recycled materials: a wood-fired sauna, a living room and a deck where two people can stay overnight. There’s no electricity, just solar lamps; the sauna is heated before you arrive, and whisks and rituals with the resident sauna master are booked in advance.

A pirts on the outskirts of Saulkrasti where you plan a sauna cycle tailored to you with a knowledgeable sauna master, from warming up and whisking to rest.

A private open-air museum founded in 2008, about 45 minutes’ drive from Riga. Seven bathhouses — six relocated historic ones and one newly built — including black (smoke) and white saunas, with a guided story and sauna sessions led by a pirtnieks, plus workshops and activities for children. Admission €2; visits may be limited in hard frost or deep snow.

Sauna rituals with a sauna master at Kārļi near Cēsis: vibration drums, herbal whisks, a plant-and-salt scrub, dips in the pond and rest on a hay mattress outdoors. Massages available; up to 6 people, no overnight stay needed.

A campsite on the Gauja in Cēsis with a traditional black (smoke) sauna on a terrace by an old river channel, so you can cool off right in the water. Rituals with a sauna master; up to 4 people, no overnight stay needed.

A spa hotel and campsite on the shore of Lake Usma: a counter-current and cascade pool, three saunas, a hot tub and fun showers, with breakfast and spa access included for overnight guests. In summer you can stay in floating houses on the water; conference hall for up to 60.

A lakeside retreat on the south shore of Lake Valgums, surrounded by forest: a sauna with a hot tub, a hotel, a restaurant with a glass-walled hall and a seminar room. It is also the start of a 2.6 km barefoot trail that ends with a herbal foot bath.

A guest house near Āraiši with sauna rituals: a flower foot bath, honey and herbal scrubs, whisking, a dip through the ice in winter or in the pond in summer, herbal tea and a hot tub. Up to 7 people; open to day visitors too.

A nature spa in a forest corner near Sigulda with three bathhouses: a Glass pirts by a pond with a jetty, a Smoke pirts under an old spruce by a spring, and a spiral-shaped Wool pirts with an outdoor tub. Rituals led by a sauna master last around four to five hours, with herbal compresses, a scrub, whisking, pond dips, an oil-and-honey massage, tea and home-baked bread. The architecture has been featured by international design media; book in advance.

Sauna rituals with herbs and meadow flowers for couples, families, friends and groups of up to 12. Suits both seasoned bathers and people trying a Latvian pirts for the first time.

An unrestored manor on the Dubna river in a historic park that keeps its original look; guests stay in the “gentlemen’s rooms”. On the riverbank is an old-style smoke sauna.

Sports complex with two pools and a spa area, a gym, a CrossFit hall, a multi-purpose sports hall and a football pitch. Café and free parking on site.

A Neo-Baroque palace built in 1896 for Baron Paul von Wolff, a four-star hotel since 2003, with antique furniture, fireplaces and tiled stoves. A nature spa with massages, saunas and a pool, and a castle restaurant cooking with local produce, including fish from the castle pond.

Leisure spot on the Lielupe: sunrise and sunset trips on a floating terrace, a floating jacuzzi, SUPs, kayaks and pedal boats.

A manor on the bank of the Venta beside the Riga–Liepāja highway, with hotel rooms in the main house and a separate building, banquet and conference halls and a park. The restaurant cooks with produce from local farmers; spa in a separate building.

Sauna and leisure spot with lodging, plus boat and SUP rental.