Kilolani Spa at Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort—Wailea, Hawai’i
This $55 million spa is so different from its predecessor that it’s not even fair to call it a renovation. The Grand Wailea’s previous spa felt like a back-up plan for rainy days, but this new iteration, now the largest in the state, feels like a destination unto itself. Treatment rooms face the ocean, open air hydro baths let you capture the scent of flowers on the breeze, and bananas plucked from the on-site trees are offered as relaxation room snacks. No detail here is overlooked—down to treatments’ use of essential oils crafted by a woman on the island named Loleilani who grows botanicals according to the lunar cycles.
The treatment to book: The Ho’omāli Ritual, a 120-minute treatment incorporating rhythmic traditional lomi lomi bodywork techniques, as well as a warm pōhaku stone foot treatment and hydrating coconut scalp massage.
SIRO One Za’abeel—Dubai, UAE
Dubai has a reputation for excess, and the city’s first completely wellness-centric hotel is no exception. At the 31st floor “Recovery Lab” (don’t call it a mere “spa”), you’ll find saunas, steam rooms, cold plunge pools, as well as twelve recovery rooms outfitted with top-of-the-line tech, like a vibroacoustic waterbed which combines binaural acoustics via headphones with vibration frequencies via the bed for deepest relaxation.
The treatment to book: INDIBA Activ, a radio frequency treatment to promote accelerated tissue repair.
Lapis Spa at Fontainebleau—Las Vegas, NV
There’s nothing small about Vegas, and the Lapis Spa at the Fontainebleau—all 55,000 square feet of it—is over the top in all the best ways. There’s even a spa-within-a-spa “Supernova Suite” for parties of up to eight people, complete with its own vitality pool, steam, shower, lockers, restrooms, grooming area, dining area, and treatment tables. Bachelorette parties will never be the same.
The treatment to book: The Lapis Signature Facial, which incorporates GeneoX cleansing, Cryotherapy serum, Oxfoliate exfoliation using oxygen bubbles, ultrasound therapy, lymphatic drainage, and red-light LED therapy—all in ninety minutes flat.
Southern Spa at Southern Ocean Lodge—Kangaroo Island, South Australia
One of the great comeback stories of the last year has been Southern Ocean Lodge, a beloved Luxury Lodge of Australia that was entirely lost to the brutal bush fires of 2020. As opposed to the rest of the lodge, which was rebuilt to its former footprint, the spa here was completely reimagined. Now north-facing, the spa turns its back on the ocean views to instead focus on the stark and powerful beauty of the landscape’s regenerating bush. Body and face treatments draw on the island’s rich bounty of lavender, eucalyptus and honey, for an experience that is aromatic, efficacious, and deeply moving.
The treatment to book: The “alkene Dreaming,” a signature facial and body wrap treatment that integrates nourishing Australian essential oils and botanical extracts.
The Spa at The Little Nell—Aspen, Colorado
Located at the base of Aspen Mountain, this intimate newcomer and the long-loved Little Nell is the area’s only ski-in, ski-out spa, so you can go from a day on the slopes into a treatment and then on to dinner without skipping a beat. Treatments here are tailored to suit individual needs, whether that means you’re looking to soothe your tired ski legs, or if you’re more focused on an anti-aging skin treatment. Partnerships with Dr. Barbara Sturm, Seed to Skin Tuscany, and local Colorado favorite ISUN ensure that some of the field’s most en vogue products are used in your treatments.
The treatment to book: Aspen sits 8,000 feet above sea level, and the Altitude Adjustment Ritual—a full-body exfoliation and body mask, followed by a detoxifying facial and Swedish massage—is a great way to ease your body into this environment.
