There are spas and then there's Aqua Dome.
Time is best spent roaming outdoor thermals, from sulfur to salt to sprudel (lots of bubbles) floating in the circular pools until you can't handle admiring the Alps any more...
The other half of the spa is sauna central, no textiles allowed; a al nu, nacht, naked which takes time for this american prude to get used to, but I do, soon, gently eager to engage in every single item offered on the menu.
The selection of saunas is insane, from dry to herbal to steam to manger (I'm not sure I even get it so can't explain it), from earth to musical saunas, to petite spaces that mirror a storm and you stand while the water cascades down covering your entire body.
Then there's the glacial caves where you enter a room full of ice and mirrors and a bowl atop a table in the middle full of crushed ice, available to whomever wishes to rub it wherever they must, which I do, then you run outside in shock, diving back into the nearest thermal pool just feet away, steam conveniently clearing so you can once again see the Alps, you lean back, your circulation increases, relaxes; it tis, bliss.
The natural elements everywhere, heightened, simplified, then emphasized in your hotel room; sparse yet somehow luxurious, this is what makes staying in Germany and Austria such a different experience than staying at hotels in NY, Paris, any major city in Italy.
Wood inhabiting, surrounding the quiet environs; rustic, clean, comforting, a fire, life's just fine.
