The World's 13 Best Airports for De-Stressing

Airports are not places that are generally associated with wellness. Between long security lines, hard-backed chairs, and incessant announcements, many of the world's busiest airports seem like they were actually designed with traveler discomfort in mind. These transit hubs don’t have to be so anxiety-inducing, though.

Netflights, a website that finds travelers the best airfare deals, has gathered up some data to rank the best airports for wellness in the world, and a few of them are in U.S. cities. The travel company started out with 25 of the world’s busiest airports, then ranked them by the number and quality of wellness facilities they offer, including everything from running tracks to spas to meditation rooms.

Wellness is a rising trend in travel, and many airports around the world have been revamped to meet this consumer demand. “Along with incredible shopping and a wide choice of places to eat and drink, it’s natural that more of them should now also reflect the general impetus toward people maintaining a healthy lifestyle wherever they are, with an increasingly broad range of gyms, studios, or places of worship and reflection,” Andrew Shelton, Netflights's managing director, said in a statement.

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Number one on the list is Germany’s Frankfurt Airport, which is the eighth busiest airport in the world—but also one of the most comfortable. Netflights gave the airport an overall score of 21 out of 23 possible points, thanks in part to its designated “Quiet Room” and its “silent chairs” (which have integrated speakers and jacks so you can play your own music and are located throughout the facility). The airport also offers massage services and has two yoga rooms with instruction videos, which can be used free of charge.

Since Netflights ranked 25 of the busiest airports, some of the ones at the bottom of the list are not ideal places for rest and relaxation (especially LAX, which received a score of zero). Below, we’ve listed a ranking of the airports with above-average wellness facilities that received a score of at least 12 from Netflights.

1. Frankfurt Airport, Germany

1. Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

1. Dubai International Airport, UAE

1. Changi Airport, Singapore

1. Hong Kong International Airport, China

1. (tied) Vancouver International Airport, Canada

1. (tied) John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York

1. Haneda Airport, Tokyo

1. (tied) San Francisco International Airport, California

1. (tied) Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada

1. (tied) Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

1. (tied) O'Hare International Airport, Chicago

1. (tied) Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, India

You can find Netflights's full rankings here.