Eriro

Vogue

2 days ago

Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue's global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you're planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it's worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.
Why go here?
'I want to live here' is the sentence I find myself saying over and over as I walk through the boutique hotel Eriro, nestled at an elevation of 1,500 meters among the peaks of the Zugspitze, Germany's largest mountain. Space, pace, and a fluid relationship to nature: These are the main motifs for this cozy nine-suite retreat surrounded by majestic mountains, lakes, and the dense pine forest of Seebenwald. It is not a coincidence that in ancient German the word eriro means 'forest entrance.' The chalet feels like a portal to a green aquatic world. All around, the presence of water is tangible. Down the hill from the hotel flows the Loisach river, which crosses an ancient mossland and separates Ehrwald and Lermoos. Up in the mountains above Eriro are the wonderful lakes Seebensee (Seeben Lake) and Drachensee (Dragon Lake). There is snow in the winter with skiing and in summer mountain bikes and hiking trails among the wildflowers. At the hotel the experience is visual, tactile, and sensorial: Wood, stone, wool, and glass are the dominant materials. Guests are encouraged to touch, smell, and engage with everything. This place feels like an actual dream home, a magical dwelling that is both familiar and wild. And the spa center certainly reflects this philosophy.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
What's the vibe?
To reach Eriro, you park your car in the Austrian village of Ehrwald and ride five kilometers up the mountain on a gondola. Every bedroom comes equipped with a small wooden box, the place where phones go to die. Wi-Fi is present but not visible. The challenge is clear: Relaxation begins once we access our inner self, and this requires a true forfeiting of manic screen life. (Another great touch is each room's vinyl record player and collection.)
The spa exemplifies Eriro's ethos of reconnecting to nature and disconnecting from the digital realm. It is situated on the bottom floor with all the larger suites, its architecture encouraging a grounding experience. (One of the guest rooms has a gorgeous, built-in sauna, and all the suites have bathtubs made from carved pine.) The floors are rough, the wood is only partly treated, and the water comes from a mountain spring collected from Eriro's own well.
A feeling of freedom and fluidity runs through this very special place. The spa has no opening or closing hours. You're just as likely to see after-dinner guests in the spa with a mug of tea as a flute of Champagne.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
The history?
The hotel is a collaboration between hoteliers Amelie and Dominik Posch, Christina and Martin Spielmann, and South Tyrolean architect Martin Gruber, who decided to renovate a 1936 Alpine hut and transform it into a refuge for the soul and mind. (A nice touch: Most of the wood here is recycled from old barns or the inn's first 1930s incarnation.) The inn's original owner loved this place so much that he wanted to ensure it would be sold to people who would maintain its original spirit. This means there is no grand entrance, no driveway, no arrival procedure. The official entrance is actually through the back door. The minute you cross the threshold, you are immediately in the main room, which is a kind of spacious yet cozy living room with stunning views of the valley below. It's all an homage to old-school Alpine tourism, as it was in the '30s.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
What should you try?
The main idea for the spa is to access as many outside elements as possible, so you would be remiss to skip the water therapy. There are three hot-water relaxation pools, and the water from the pools and showers is all filtered in-house, without chemicals or chlorine. In the summer, the grasslands are visible from the large pool windows, giving the impression that you're floating over a wild field of flowers. Along with the pools and sauna is a so-called straw room, inspired by the stables used to store straw and hay for animals in winter. Here you will find the only television of Eriro, screening exclusively produced footage of the surrounding mountain peaks and lakes. Deerskin swings and infrared vibrations help the relaxation process.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
Every treatment at Eriro begins with a ceremonial foot bath followed by an intuitive holistic massage, a combination of energy work as well as physical work focusing on acupressure and energetic flow. My masseuse showed me a collection of mountain arnica, St. John's wort, and stinging nettle she picked herself. 'Everyone is so afraid of nettle,' she says. 'But it's one of the herbs with the greatest variety of benefits. It boosts immunity, controls inflammation, cures arthritis, and helps with diabetes.' The hotel purposefully chooses not to work with cosmetic brands, using local, natural products instead. An array of herbal teas—Alpine mix, chamomile, and mint—is served at all times; the herbs are collected in the summer and dried for the winter season. After the massage, I took a contemplative walk around a lake, followed by a breathing meditation on the water with a Tibetan bowl. The wind was the only sound I heard for hours, and I could feel my body begin to change.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
What else should we know?
Before reaching Eriro I made a pit stop at a sister property, an Alpine hideaway called La Posch in the gorgeous chalet village Biberwier—and you might want to extend your trip at Eriro to include this spot as well. The idea running through both La Posch and Eriro is that the spa should be a seamless experience.
Who can go?
Eriro is for adults only. Children under 16 are not permitted as guests. Because of its intimate, almost domestic feeling, the spa is also open exclusively for hotel guests. Reaching the chalet is a romantic adventure in itself, so guests must keep that in mind when venturing up.
Photo: Alexander Moling / Courtesy of Eriro
Booking details for Eriro
Address: Ehrwalder Alm 4, 6632 Ehrwald, Austria
Read more from Vogue's Global Spa Guide. Read more about Eriro on the Conde Nast Traveler Hot List.