At some high-end hotels, a spa is an afterthought, an almost obligatory amenity. At others—and increasingly so—it’s the main attraction and reason enough to book a stay.
“You see more and more hotels putting a lot of energy into their spas because they realize that wellness is something that their guests really value,” says Andrew Steinberg, an adviser at the luxury travel company Ovation Travel. “The experience you can have in a hotel spa today gives you access to aestheticians, massage therapists, and other practitioners who are top in their fields and to amazing environments that are design gems.”
Plenty of luxury properties globally have notable spas, but a handful of them are truly exceptional and definitely worth a trip.
The relaxation room at The Well.
The Well and Mayflower Inn & Spa, part of Auberge Resorts Collection, recently debuted The Well at Mayflower Inn in Washington, Connecticut. The 20,000-square-foot countryside wellness escape offers a range of treatments, a rotation of visiting masters across Eastern and Western healing practices, daily movement and fitness classes, and seasonal retreats.
Spa-goers can look forward to an infrared sauna, traditional hammam with light therapy and aromatherapy, and a thermal pool surrounded by 400 plants.
Design-wise, the space mirrors the modern and clean aesthetic of The Well in New York but combines it with architecture emblematic of the Connecticut countryside. “We’ve tried to marry the two,” says Kane Sarhan, cofounder and chief creative officer of The Well. “You have light tones, floor-to-ceiling windows, and high ceilings, but you’re looking out at rolling green lawns, a pine tree forest, and a pond.”
The spa at the Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown includes seven treatment rooms.
Christian Horan