Best spas in Singapore

By Karleen Stevens
Published: July 18, 2024
Couple look from a rooftop pool over Singapore Marina

Think of Singapore, and certain experiences always come to mind – taking a selfie underneath the Supertrees, drinking a Singapore Sling in the historic Raffles Hotel, and watching the sunset from a traditional bumboat are all top-rated tourist traditions not to be missed. But for those of us who like a little luxury, there’s no better place than Singapore to pause for a bit of pampering and to shake off the jet lag. Whether you need some reflexology for tired feet, a romantic couples escape, a pool with a view or an invigorating scrub to rejuvenate your sun-soaked skin, you’ll find it all and more in Singapore. Here’s our recommendations for the best spas and experiences in the Lion City:

  • The Thai Spa
  • Aramsa Garden Spa
  • Banyan Tree Spa
  • St Gregory Spa at ParkRoyal
  • Remede Spa at St Regis
  • Auriga Spa at Capella
  • Oasia Resort Sentosa
  • Yunomori Onsen and Spa

The Thai Spa

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Possibly the most famous spa in Singapore and certainly one of the most popular, The Thai Spa is located in Suntec City, a large, modern mall north of the river between Raffles Boulevard and Nicoll Highway. Here you can experience a traditional Thai massage, renowned for its use of yoga poses, aromatherapy and pressure points, or choose Thai reflexology, slimming therapies, a peppermint body scrub or Swedish, Balinese and Lomi Lomi massage. Couples can even luxuriate in a private rose honey milk bath jacuzzi, and everyone gets a private shower.

Aramsa Garden Spa

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A bit of a trek – but worth it once you get there – the Aramsa Garden Spa is situated in Bishan Park, a 153-acre reserve along the banks of a former canal. The spa itself has 17 treatment rooms, all of which have their own private courtyard with outdoor showers and jungle backdrop, so it’s perfect if you want to get back to nature – or at least to escape the city for a while. Enjoy a mineral garden bath or rainforest shower with botanic views, then continue your nature escape with a walk around the park’s wandering paths, butterfly habitat and lotus pond.

Banyan Tree Spa

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Head to the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel and on the 55th floor you’ll find the Banyan Tree Spa, there to offer you city escapism with an unmatchable view. From your treatment room you’ll be able to look out over the bay, perhaps down at the ArtScience Museum or Floral Fantasy, or even watching the sun set over the Supertrees in the Gardens by the Bay. After your pampering, have a wander around the oriental-themed water gardens then head up to the Ce La Vi SkyBar to enjoy more of the views with your favorite cocktail.

St Gregory Spa at ParkRoyal

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This is a hotel spa with all the trimmings. Here you’ll find a rooftop infinity pool and jacuzzi with a cocktail bar to match, set in an architecturally stunning hotel complete with living balconies draped in greenery and colorful cabanas. Try a workout in the glass-walled gym-box or stroll along the 300-meter-long garden walk, looking out over Hong Lim Park and the city skyline. Try a treatment – they specialize in skin treatments and Chinese medicine – then complete your zen experience by joining a traditional tea ceremony at Tea Chapter, a short walk away in Chinatown.

Remede Spa at St Regis

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It’s all about luxury at the St Regis, which is known around the world for its sumptuous décor and superb service. The spa features steam chambers, a Finnish dry heat sauna, a hydro massage pool and a Vichy shower. Guests will also be treated to exotic teas, champagne and the hotel’s own floral-scented chocolates. Treat yourself to a mani-pedi or a black soap and rhassoul hammam ritual (which involves a soft steam scrub with a face and scalp massage), stretch out on a warm, eucalyptus-scented marble slab and drift along in the heated outdoor whirlpool. Afterwards, take a tour of the hotel’s decadent décor and private art gallery, then top up on fresh air in the UNESCO World Heritage Botanic Gardens nearby.

Auriga Spa at Capella

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Sentosa island is made for leisure lovers, with beaches, theme parks and luxury hotels aplenty. One of the best of those is the Auriga Spa at Capella, where you’ll find a herbal steam room, a vitality pool for full-body water massages and a relaxation lounge with ‘sound wave’ chairs. For treatments, you can choose from Balinese, Thai and Shiatsu massages, or a soothing Senja Sunyi massage which uses warm moon stones and scented body balm. Auriga uses only natural and organic products, and each of the treatment rooms has its own private, alfresco garden. It’s located on the south-western edge of the island, so once you’re done it’s an easy walk to spend the evening relaxing on the beach or watching the Wings of Time evening light show over the water.

Oasia Resort Sentosa

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Another one on Sentosa, the Oasia offers some unique experiences including the cryotherapy facial, bamboo scrubs and ‘Mini-Me’ treatments for 13-16 year-olds. There’s also a meditation room which offers forest bathing therapy, and outdoor classes including pool aerobics and sunset yoga. The Oasia is in a convenient spot right in the middle of the island, so it’s easy to get there on the Mount Faber Cable Car and is close to Universal Studios, Madame Tussauds and most of the island’s beaches.

Yunomori Onsen and Spa

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Located in the Kallang Wave Mall next to the National Stadium, Yunomori gets you relaxed and limber for your massage by offering a Japanese Onsen experience. The onsen baths are treated with hot spring minerals imported from Japan, and you can choose from soda, silk, bubble, jet and cold baths, each at varying temperatures. One admission fee gets you all day access to the onsen, steam rooms and saunas, and you’ll get a traditional milk drink to enjoy after your treatment. Just be sure to learn and follow onsen etiquette before you go – men and women bathe separately, always shower first, and note that underwear and swimsuits are not allowed – though you can take in a small towel or use disposable underwear if you want to.

Treat yourself with Go City

Singapore is a great place for a bit of pampering. Give yourself a boost on your next trip and grab your Go City Explorer or All-Inclusive Pass today!

Karleen Stevens
Go City Travel Expert

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Best Places for Laksa in Singapore

Ah, laksa, that most versatile of Southeast Asian dishes. So versatile in fact that you’ll find more variants across the region than there are characters in the Pokémon universe. You’ll also discover disagreement from Indonesia to Malaysia over where and by whom this beloved noodle soup was invented. Almost certainly Peranakan in origin, it appears to have evolved along the spice route over several centuries, with the first known use of the term ‘laksa’ to mean ‘noodles’ dating to 1391. But what does it taste like? Well, again, that depends where you eat it. But in its most recognized form laksa is an aromatic noodle soup flavored with a fish or shrimp broth, creamy coconut milk, tamarind and herbs including coriander and mint. Usually topped with beansprouts and fish, shrimps or chicken, it’s rich, spicy and just begs to be slurped noisily, though its vibrant yellow color makes wearing a white shirt while dining an absolute no-no. Best of all it’s deliciously moreish and available in every Singapore restaurant, food court and hawker center worth its salt. It’s also eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner so no need to limit yourself to just one bowl a day! We took a deep dive to discover some of the best places for laksa in Singapore and you’ll find a small election of our faves below. Sungei Road Laksa This near legendary laksa kitchen is run by a tiny team of crack chefs from its unassuming location along the Sungei Road. But believe us when we say there’s nothing pedestrian about the laksa, with great steaming bowls of noodle broth being served up to long queues of hungry punters most days from morning until late afternoon. The laksa here is both delicate and rich at the same time. Cooked over charcoal, packed with thick bee hoon noodles and topped generously with cockles, crunchy beansprouts and fragrant herbs it’s a satisfying lunch and all for just a few dollars. Afterwards, head south over the Rochor Canal and into Kampong Glam, where alongside the landmark Sultan Mosque, you’ll find trendy boutiques and antique emporia galore, for all your souvenir-shopping needs. Find it: 27 Jalan Berseh, #01-100, Singapore 200027 Depot Road Zhen Shan Mei Claypot Laksa The clue’s in the (rather long) name of this Alexandra Village Food Center stalwart, which has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand every year since 2016 for its impossible-to-resist laksa. The gravy is cooked and served in a claypot, lending it an aromatic, smoky flavor and ensuring your meal retains its heat regardless of how long you spend chatting to friends between each delicious mouthful. This rich, creamy almost curry-like take on laksa is ideal fuel if you’re off for an afternoon’s hiking in the nearby Southern Ridges, where an elevated walkway weaves through the treetops south of the city, colorful native birdlife is in abundance and the Henderson Waves Bridge – a striking landmark with undulating steel ribs that snake over and under the walkway – has to be seen (and walked across) to be believed. Find it: 120 Bukit Merah Lane 1, Alexandra Hawker Centre, #01-75, Singapore 151120 Janggut Laksa Janggut Laksa is one of at least two laksa joints at the Queenstown Shopping Center (and countless more around the city) to claim ownership of the ‘original and best’ Katong laksa in Singapore, Katong being an orange-hued take on the more commonly found yellow lemak variety, cooked with a little less coconut and a little more spice. Whether original or best is probably moot in a place with this much choice, but Janggut’s take on the dish is certainly up there. A refreshing and aromatic broth with notes of coriander, ginger and lemongrass, it comes packed with thick, chewy noodles, shrimp and a great big dollop of sambal sauce to add further heat and depth to your soup, should you be feeling bold enough to stir it through. Like most laksa eateries, the menu is short and to the point, but we’d also recommend trying the curried chicken here if you can find an appetite big enough. Find it: 1 Queensway, #01-59, Singapore 149053 328 Katong Laksa Another claimant to the title of ‘original and best’ is 328 Katong Laksa over the other side of town on the East Coast Road (why one of these joints didn’t just go for ‘Original and Best Katong Laksa’ as their shop name beats us). However, 328’s rivalry with fellow Singapore eateries is as nothing compared to their epic 2013 cook-off with Gordon Ramsay, a battle which saw the East Coast crew triumph, catapulting their already legendary laksa into the the stratosphere (no, not literally). Join the snaking queues to find out what all the fuss is about, but expect to pay a premium for the ‘number one laksa in Singapore’. The white sands and swaying coconut palms at nearby East Coast Park provide the perfect setting for sleeping it off in the afternoon sun. Find it: 51 East Coast Road, Singapore 428770 928 Yishun Laksa There are plenty of reasons to make a day trip out to the northeast region of Singapore. Singapore Zoo, for example, one of the biggest and best on the planet. Then there’s the natural hot spring at Sembawang, a pungent high-sulfide pool said to have healing properties. Woodlands Waterfront Park boasts the longest jetty on the island and a lovely promenade with views across the Straits of Johor to Malaysia. But perhaps the best reason to head north is to pay a visit to 928 Yishun Laksa, a stalwart of Singapore’s noodle soup scene with the long queues to prove it. Expect thick, creamy broth with a kick of spicy sambal at this family-run stall, where the laksa is prepared from scratch using fresh ingredients daily. Be sure to get there early: this ever-popular joint often closes mid-to-late afternoon when their addictive soups sell out. Find it: 928 Yishun Central 1, #01-155, Singapore 760928 Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Woman in a red hat smiling and pointing towards the distant Singapore Flyer
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5 Days in Singapore

Singapore is packed full of great things to do, from spectacular gardens and high-octane adventures to shopping high-end boutiques and stuffing your face with zingy chili crab in huge open-air hawker centers. No surprise then that, alongside stalwarts of the world stage including Paris, London and New York, it’s one of the most-visited cities on the planet, welcoming just shy of 15 million tourists in 2022. Five days in Singapore is just about enough time to scratch the surface of this magnificent garden city, ticking off its bucket-list attractions and getting a flavor of its hip neighborhoods and world-class foodie culture, a glorious mish-mash of Malay, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese influences. The sheer number of things to see and do around the island can be a little daunting for newbies though, so check out our suggested 5-day Singapore itinerary below for inspiration. And remember: far better to spend time appreciating a little of the city rather than rushing around trying to see everything at once and ultimately experiencing very little. Day 1: Bucket List Adventure Start your 5-Day Singapore itinerary as you mean to go on: by immersing yourself in over 200 years of Singaporean art and culture at the National Gallery. The collection here is huge. So huge in fact that it requires two national monuments to house it, namely the former Supreme Court and City Hall. Step inside these stately buildings to admire pieces that range from 19th-century woodcuts and oil paintings to 21st-century sound and video installations. Feeling suitably cultured, exit the gallery and cross the bridge to where a stroll past the iconic Merlion statue (part mermaid, part lion) and around Marina Bay conjures up some of the city’s finest views of the Central Business District’s soaring skyscrapers and the three towers of the Marina Bay Sands Resort. Head up for a cocktail in its SkyPark, accompanied by 57th-floor views across the city and beyond, or stay on terra firma to experience all the delights of the resort’s cavernous Shoppes mall, an ultra-luxe shoppers’ paradise complete with sampan boat rides along Venetian-style canals. As night falls, get yourself down to the Gardens by the Bay, a vast acreage of parkland that incorporates towering futuristic supertree structures, tranquil gardens and two massive durian-shaped glass hothouses. It’s the Supertree Grove light show you’ve come here for though; a free event that runs twice every evening and sees the trees burst into spectacular life with a dazzling display of light and color accompanied by a rousing symphonic soundtrack. In a word, wow. Day 2: Sentosa Island Located just off the southern tip of Singapore, the island resort of Sentosa is a mini adventure playground that’s chock-full of cool attractions, sandy beaches and high-octane thrill rides for adrenaline junkies. Start your day two adventure with an exhilarating cable car ride across the bay, then take your pick from the myriad entertainments on offer here in this tropical paradise. Families with kids might fancy the epic Universal Studios SIngapore with its white-knuckle rollercoasters and larger than life Sesame Street characters; or perhaps the vast aquarium or waterpark. Bone-white sand, turquoise lagoons and swaying coconut palms await on the resort’s sandy Palawan, Tanjong and Siloso beaches, with a handy free shuttle serving all three. Siloso keeps things exciting with its fearsome Skybridge, which includes opportunities to bungee jump or test your nerve on a giant swing high above the sands. End your day with a sunset ascent on board the SkyHelix Sentosa at Imbaiah Lookout, where a gently rotating gondola takes you 80 meters above sea level for 360-degree views of Singapore’s skyline, the Southern Islands and beyond. Day 3: A Feast for the Senses One of the great things about Singapore is that many of its attractions are open more or less around the clock, making planning your sightseeing itineraries relatively straightforward. The sprawling 200-acre tropical oasis that is Singapore’s urban Botanical Gardens is open from 5AM ‘til midnight almost every day, so you really have no excuse not to pop by. Visit in the morning to maximize your experience. There’s plenty to explore here after all, from tranquil Swan Lake to the aromatic Ginger Garden, iconic bandstand and miles of tree-lined walkways. Don’t miss its undisputed highlight, the National Orchid Garden, with thousands of eye-popping aromatic blooms. Mosey over to the nearby Adam Road hawker center where dozens of bustling street food stalls ply their trade, serving up authentic south Asian cuisine to hungry punters. Try rich, spicy laksa with prawns or gorge on chicken satay skewers drenched in sticky peanut sauce. Then there’s pungent fish head curry and the ubiquitous national dish of sweet-and-savory chili crab – all good enough to make a grown man weep. Your only difficulty will be deciding what to have for lunch. Wash it down with a traditional Singapore Sling at the iconic colonial-style Raffles Hotel back in the Civic District. The classic gin-infused tropical cocktail was actually invented here way back in 1915. Day 4: Back to Nature Singapore is one of the greenest cities on the planet, with an absolute multitude of outdoor activities on offer, from elevated walkways through jungle canopy along the island’s Southern Ridges to kayaking through the mangroves at Pulau Ubin. Pick of the bunch though is Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, a sprawling green space that’s slap-bang in the middle of the island and contains 400 (count ‘em) acres of untamed tropical rainforest. Don your hiking boots and pith helmet (optional) for a day in this absolute treasure trove of biodiversity, where you might be lucky enough to spot critters including reticulated pythons, flying lemurs and crab-eating macaques on a ramble through dense forests of trailing vines and towering trees that teem with colorful birdlife. If you’re feeling game, a hike to the top of the hill (the highest in the country at over 500 feet, fact fans) rewards the intrepid explorer with glorious 360-degree views across Singapore and – on clear days at least – far beyond. Day 5: Souvenir Shopping in Kampong Glam Singapore’s Muslim district is also one of its hippest neighborhoods; an Instagrammer’s dream-come-true crammed with heritage charm, colorful shophouses and super-snappable street art. It also happens to be an ultra-cool shopping hotspot where ultra-hip indie boutiques rub shoulders with ancient antique emporia, textile shops and modern ceramics specialists. A wide selection of cute cafés and some of the best restaurants in town make it a fine destination for a day’s sightseeing, snapping and souvenir-hunting. Impossibly narrow Haji Lane is your destination for chic boutiques hawking the latest batik fashions as well as one-off jewelry pieces handmade by local designers. Meanwhile, the cavernous antique stores on Bussorah and Arab Street are like something from a long bygone era, but there are great treasures waiting to be unearthed here by the keen-eyed browser. Think ornate Turkish lanterns, great ceramic pots, jugs and vases, old paintings and baroque carved wood furniture that could have come straight from a sultan’s palace. If ceramics are your vibe, hit up Supermama’s on Beach Road for something from their stylish Singapore Blue Range. Or pick up a perfume customized to your specifications from one of the multiple atmospheric perfumeries in Kampong Glam, where your intoxicating creations are decanted into fine little decorative bottles, ready for you to take home. Finally, grab a decadent cookie from Guilt or a life-changing almond croissant from Mother Dough to fortify you for the metro ride back to your hotel. Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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