The other week, we took a quick trip to Ystad, Sweden, for a lovely weekend escape at the Ystad Saltsjöbad spa. It was a fantastic experience, and I’d definitely do it all over again if I could!
I want to give a huge thank you to my amazing friends who gave me a gift card that let me enjoy a relaxing weekend with my boyfriend. It was exactly what I needed after such a hectic first half of the year. You guys are the best friends in the world! <3
When we left for the spa, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect since it was our first time visiting one. We knew we’d be in for a big surprise. I had booked some experiences with our stay and was aware there would be food and a pool, but the rest was a mystery. 🙂
We packed some books, or in my boyfriend’s case, his SteamDeck. I grabbed my swimsuit and reminded my boyfriend to do the same, and then we hit the road. Our check-in time was 3:00 PM, and we were scheduled for “The Creek Experience” almost immediately after arrival.
The weekend hadn’t even started, and I was ready to murder my other half. His only responsibility was to pack his swim trunks and guess what—he forgot. Luckily, the spa was prepared for people like my boyfriend, and they had a small store where he could buy new swimwear.
The Creek Experience
With a last-minute save, we stepped into a lush tropical forest, ready to immerse ourselves in the Creek Experience. Our journey began with a soothing foot soak in hot water infused with Dead Sea salt, accompanied by warm towels laced with essential oils for an invigorating face mask.
Next, we sat in a steam sauna, which quickly became my favorite. Afterward, we moved to a Finnish sauna, much hotter than the first. Here, we would occasionally step out to smear ourselves with ice provided outside the doors. I loved the intense heat and could have stayed forever, but my boyfriend wasn’t as fond of the baking experience. Shortly after we started, he left the sauna never to return. When I went to grab some ice, I found him happily chilling in a nearby pool.
After finishing in the saunas, we were given an unidentified red juice to drink and then cooled down in the pool. Once our temperatures normalized, we tried a third kind of sauna—a simplified version of a Turkish Hamam. This was particularly fun because two months earlier, we had experienced a real Hamam in Istanbul. This time, we performed the ritual ourselves, which was amusing, especially watching my boyfriend struggle to generate bubbles at first.
Following a full-body scrub in the Hamam, we enjoyed some aromatherapy and then moved to a treatment in the Rasul. Here, we applied warm, mineral-rich Moroccan mud masks all over our bodies. Once the mud dried, we took a hot shower, followed by tropical rain and waterfall showers. The spa ritual concluded with us applying moisturizing, ecological jojoba oil all over our bodies and then drying off in a hot airlock.
After all the sauna baking, scrubbing, showering, and smearing mud and oils, I was so relaxed I was nearly falling asleep, and the day was still far from over!
Pools
After the spa experience, we went to soak our relaxed bodies in the various pools available. I opted for the warm pools, while my boyfriend enjoyed one that was slightly cooler. There’s nothing quite like lounging in a warm outdoor pool with the sun shining, a gentle breeze blowing, and chatting while enjoying a drink with your favorite person. Although there were two saunas available, after trying so many earlier, we decided to simply relax in the pool instead.
The cool thing was that you could enjoy the spa area until midnight and the next day until 2 PM, even though you had to check out earlier. And have I mentioned the bathrobes? They were the fluffiest bathrobes I have ever worn. Only in this place could you see people at reception checking out while wearing just a bathrobe. Pure bliss.
Dinner
After chilling in the pools for a bit, we headed to a restaurant for a three-course dinner scheduled for 6:45 PM. We had several options to choose from on the menu, and the food was delicious. While the wine menu wasn’t included in the price, we could order a wine pairing for an additional cost.
What else to do
Once we finished our meal, we noticed the sun slowly setting. With such beautiful colors in the sky, we decided to take a short walk around the neighborhood. The hotel is right next to the beach, and while it was too cold to jump into the sea, the views were stunning. Small bathhouses lined the road, and the pink sky with the setting sun in the distance made for a perfect romantic evening. Couldn’t have asked for a better end to the day.
Once it got too dark and cold outside, we headed back and decided to explore the inside of the hotel. The hotel itself is styled in a charming 60s theme, with cute couches and relaxation areas. We played billiards and some other games in one part, and then we discovered a charming bar with delicious cocktails and various tabletop games. After being mercilessly beaten in chess by my boyfriend, I called it quits and retreated to the warm pool for one last soak of the day.
The next day, we packed our luggage, checked out of the room, and headed back to the pool area to chill a little bit more.
Summing up
I could picture myself spending more time at this place. There were additional treatments to book, and workout and yoga classes to join. Although we didn’t venture far from the hotel premises, the entire area seemed perfect for a walk or bike ride. If it had been warmer or if I were better at handling cold sea temperatures, we could have easily spent more time at the beach.
Would I try a spa weekend again? Definitely. It was so much fun that I’m surprised I hadn’t tried it before! It’s not the cheapest experience, but I noticed some sales on the spa’s Instagram where you could book a stay for two for the price of one.
