From hot-stone massages and soaking tubs, to roaring fireplaces and bottomless mugs of tea — there's no better way to unwind this winter than at a warming spa retreat. Here are 10 spas with seasonal treatments, from coast to coast and plenty of places between.
L’Auberge de Sedona, Sedona, Arizona
New at L’Auberge de Sedona is a totally zen treehouse that thrusts you right into a stunning red-rocks view, coupled with guided meditation. L’Apothecary’s unique treatments include Sedona Dreams (90 minutes, $235), a full-body treatment using coconut-argan oil and warm stones to unkink your muscles. Visiting during a new moon? Check out the Mindful Moon Meditation series. You’ll never view the moon the same again.
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico
A 20-minute drive from Santa Fe’s plaza is this luxe Four Seasons spa, which includes a fireplace in the relaxation lounge, adobe structures for treatments, and a glass-walled yoga studio to sweat it out through downward dogs. The new Signature High Altitude Oxygen Facial (50 minutes, $250) gets your skin ready for winter. Post-spa, sip chili-infused hot chocolate in Terra, the resort’s restaurant.
Kohler Waters Spa, Kohler, Wisconsin
Linked to a leader in luxury bath fixtures, this spa at The American Club, an hour north of Milwaukee, knows how to pamper. There's a see-through fireplace on the top floor and a plunge pool with an eight-foot waterfall you can actually swim in. Both the Great Lakes Stone Massage, which uses locally procured stones (50 minutes for $165), and the Woodsman Massage, with pine-infused oils (50 minutes for $165, or 80 minutes for $215) are ideal for the season.
Chuan Spa at The Langham, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Snug in downtown Chicago, Chuan Spa (chuan means “flowing water” in Chinese) features deep purple linens and regal decor. Treatments such as the Ginger Renewal massage, with ginger oil and heated stones (80 minutes, $295), include a bathing ritual that ends in the Oriental Steam Room, where you'll find a pool under a ceiling of glittering stars. Post-massage, splurge on the afternoon-tea service.
Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, California
Even if you don't ski, the 17,000-square-foot spa at the Ritz is a fab place to hunker down. It has 17 treatment rooms (some with private fireplaces) and a 55-foot granite fireplace in the lounge area. New for the season is the Warming Winter Scrub — a massage with coffee, almond oil, and warmed essential oils (100 minutes, $325) — as well as the Cinnamon Maple Body Treatment with organic maple syrup and cinnamon (75 minutes, $265).
Argentta Spa at The Watergate Hotel, Washington, DC
Two years ago, the Watergate reopened with a more modern look that extends to Argentta Spa, where treatments — like the seasonal Argentta Blessings massage (90 minutes, $210), which comes with hot cider and an apple-cider donut — include access to a 50-meter pool boasting three lap lanes. For extra winter fun, stop for a drink at the hotel’s Next Whisky Bar, which sets guests up in igloos through February.
Four Seasons St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Earlier this year, the city’s iconic Gateway Arch unveiled a sprawling park area, viewable from the glass-walled spa at the Four Seasons. For the spa menu, local chocolatier Bissinger’s partnered on three treatments — a 40-minute mani/pedi ($50), a 50-minute facial ($150), and an 80-minute massage ($240) — which utilize the healing benefits of cocoa.
The Red Rock Spa by Well & Being, Las Vegas, Nevada
Though Vegas is known for its party scene, head west towards Summerlin and Red Rock Canyon and you'll find a more laidback feel. Not only is Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa much smaller than the mammoth properties on the Strip, it's also home to the high-end Red Rock Spa. Treatments ideal for winter include the Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, where instead of hot stones, the skin is massaged using Himalayan crystal salt stones (50 minutes from $180, 80 minutes from $245).
Shibui Spa at Greenwich Hotel, New York City
The contrast between this zen-like spa and the hectic pace just outside its door is reason enough to book an appointment. Every treatment is created with balance in mind and inspired by nature, such as the Elemental Well-Being treatment and massage, which begins with a soak in a Japanese ofuro tub (75 minutes for $280, 105 minutes for $360)). Also at the spa is a lantern-lit pool under a 250-year-old farmhouse reconstructed on site.
The Whitley, Atlanta, Georgia
In the heart of Atlanta’s boutique-shopping district (Buckhead), The Whitley’s spa (within a former Ritz-Carlton property as of a year ago) is a true retreat, with the entire ninth floor devoted to wellness and pampering (including adjacent overnight suites). If holiday-related stress has added some kinks to your body, then The Calm Down can be a cure (50 minutes for $150, or 80 minutes for $210), or The Hotlanta, the spa's signature hot-stone massage (50 minutes for $185, or 80 minutes for $245).
