Top 10 Destination Spas in the United States
Miraval Life in Balance Resort & Spa
www.miravalresort.com
ARIZONA
Catalina
Miraval is devoted to make you reconnect with yourself and, as the name implies, bring harmony to your life. Here in the high desert of Southern Arizona, surrounded by cacti, canyons, dry riverbeds and a crisp blue sky, you have the option of silently retreating and practicing Loving Kindness Meditation, healing visualizations, Awakening Feminine Wisdom or Zen drawing, or you can go all out with the luxury of treatments that will make you glow from head to tow—all in all, 100 choices, from wraps and scrubs to Ayurvedic massage, acupuncture and hydrotherapy. The 106 rooms, most with private patios where you can finally read that novel you’ve been dying to devour, are casita-style, set at the foot of Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains.
Golden Door
www.goldendoor.com
CALIFORNIA
Escondido
Escondido gets 248 days of sunshine per year. But that’s not the only reason spa-goers regularly get all blissed out in this serene Southern California enclave with its meditative sand gardens, koi ponds, gorgeous courtyards and ancient Japanese Honjin inn-inspired design. A staff-to guest ratio of four to one allows for the utmost personal attention. Only 40 guests per week are present to experience classes in Feldenkreis, archery or Qi Gong, or enjoy a stress-release facial or Thai Massage. Escondido (which refers to a “hidden” valley) itself has been named by Money Magazine as “the place in the West” to retire. Go figure!
Sea Island Spa at the Cloister
www.cloister.com
GEORGIA
Sea Island
Install yourself in a cottage by the sea with a view of salt marshes and tidal creeks, then turn yourself over to a skilled staff, which promises to “make you forget the real world exists.” Start with a nutritional and fitness evaluation, perhaps a personal training session or just laze the hours away with treatments like Island Pine Regenerative Soak, Seaweed Therapy, the deeply relaxing Wild Lime Scalp, Body Bliss or CranioSacral therapy, or the detoxifying Juniper and Cypress Lymphatic Flush. Since its opening in 1928, the Cloister has been known for gracious Southern hospitality. It’s all very “old world” and quiet. In addition, the folks here know: “A morning spent alone with an Atlantic Ocean sunrise just might change your life.”
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa
www.grandwailea.com
HAWAII
Wailea
This one will be the typical Hawaiian honeymoon, complete with perfect beaches and brilliant sunsets, except that it’s for your soul. The lavish property on Wailea Beach, on the southwest shore of the island of Maui, feels like its own island, sitting on an expansive 40-acre property. A $30 million art collection, including pieces by Picasso and Botero, should give you an idea of the level of luxe celebrated here. The pride and joy is Spa Grande, a luxurious escape for body, mind and soul. Imagine Maui lava stones to soothe your muscles or relax your face; anti-aging via caviar or rose petals; a sacred Hawaiian lomi lomi massage or Cascading Waterfall Massage; the aromatic waters of Terme Wailea Hydrotherapy…
Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires
www.canyonranch.com
MASSACHUSETTS
Lenox
Enjoy the crisp air and colorful New England setting in this scenic corner of the Southern Berkshire Mountains. Pleasures at “the land of ahhhhhhhhs” include massage, aromatherapy, polarity, reflexology, glycolic skin treatments, thalassotherapy and numerous other approaches. You will find health specialists, nutritionists, bodyworkers, naturopathic doctors and behavioral therapists. Or opt just for a simple massage and a stroll through fall foliage to the hamlet of Lenox, Edith Wharton’s former residence, with tree-lined avenues, galleries and shops.
Ten Thousand Waves Japanese Health Spa
www.tenthousandwaves.com
NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe
In New Mexico, known as the “Land of Enchantment,” the magical high desert quality of the American Southwest meets Japanese serenity at this retreat to create a unique healing environment. People love the hot tubs at this property, located at the base of the 12,000-foot-high Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Picture yourself lounging in warm water with beautiful views of the mountains, valley or rising moon. The health spa on a pinion-covered hillside is designed like a Japanese onsen, but it’s adobe style. Their signature facial, the Japanese Nightingale, employs the “processed nightingale droppings, which have been used for centuries by geishas in Japan to lighten and smooth their skin.”
Woodlands Spa at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa
www.nemacolin.com
PENNSYLVANIA
Farmington
Twelve hundred acres of rolling Southwestern Pennsylvania scenery are the backdrop to this property situated in the Laurel Highlands. The spa’s mission is not just to offer you temporary relief but to instill a lasting sense of wellness through an endless menu of massage, body “kurs” and treatments like Aroma Body Paraffin, Detoxifying Seaweed Mask or Ayurveda treatments to calm your “third eye”… and any yogi will tell you that when the latter is in order, all is well in the body. Stay in the Chateau or in one of the private homes like Walden Pond in a wooded hollow or the English country style The Cottage at Grouse Glen.
The Spa at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island
www.thesanctuary.com
SOUTH CAROLINA
Kiawah Island
Regroup yourself on the sun-swept beach in this remote island paradise on the coast of South Carolina. The spa at this luxurious resort is equally posh, and its treatments (using botanical extracts, seaweed and minerals) are inspired by the setting. Get an ocean view room or suite, enjoy the sounds of the ocean and tinkling chimes and the way the light falls in this unspoiled setting. Visit historic Charleston, just 30 minutes away, and treat yourself to the signature facial, which includes custom peel and eye and lip refining treatments.
