Bemis's Best
BEST HOTEL SPAS: LAS VEGAS-
The Bellagio
A behemouth of a spa. Everything is super-sized and over-the-top at this newly renovated luxe hotel spa. In an unusual twist, the men’s locker room here is actually larger than the ladies and includes an outdoor terrace that overlooks the pool. Guaranteed to attract more spa-going men.
www.bellagio.com
Canyon Ranch Spa Club Las Vegas
A dedicated spa cafe, the best fitness facility in Vegas with a two-story climbing wall, and some serious massage therapists. Request a suite on the Spa Club floor.
www.canyonranch.com
Mii Amo, Sedona, AZOpened for biz in 2001. Beautiful spa beautifully situated among the Red Rocks of Boynton Canyon.The intention here is pure and real, with an emphasis on Native American healing therapies. Small and private, there are 16 nicely outfitted casitas that can accommodate up to 32 guests at a time. Noteworthy spa cuisine.
www.miiamo.com
Calistoga
Ranch, Calistoga, CAIt doesn’t get better than this. A breathtaking and luxurious newcomer situated in a picturesque, otherworldly natural setting...fantastic cuisine from chef Robert Leva. Inviting small spa called The Bathhouse with creative treatments, such as The Calistoga Cure, that draw on the history of Calistoga.
www.calistogaranch.com
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Rancho La Puerto
A tried and true destination spa with laidback accommodations, a plethora of fitness activities , including some great hiking. There are no-nonsense spa services and very good Pilates and yoga instructors. Vegetarian cuisine. The real deal and the grandmother of destination spas.
www.rancholapuerta.com
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Mauna Lani, Big Island
Perfect example of a spa that blends the outdoors with the indoors. The 15,000-square-foot spa is part village, part lush tropical garden home to gardenia, ginger, pikake, etc., and a healing garden, as well as nine treatment hales, or huts with outdoor showers. Original touch: two outdoor saunas made from lava rock. Very, very good Hawaiian treatments here that stay true to the culture.
www.maunalani.com
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Ritz-Carlton Central Park
Lovely little La Prairie hotel spa. Elegant and understated with some of the best facials in New York.
www.ritzcarlton.com
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Mandarin Oriental
Some of the nicest spa suites I’ve come across that overlook Biscayne Bay. This is a chic, Asian-inspired spa with a menu that combines Ayurvedic, Asian, and European therapies.
www.mandarinoriental.com
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Four Seasons Beverly Hills
Okay, so maybe the DVD monitors in the saunas and underneath the face cradles on the massage table are a bit much, but it’s hard to beat the service at this luxe little spa. There are only eight treatment rooms here, but the services, such as the Margarita Scrub (yes, tequila, lime, and salt are indeed slathered on one’s body) are quite good.
www.fourseasons.com
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Spa Village at Pangkor Laut
An extremely unique spa concept: the whole island of Pangor Laut is a Spa Village. Features three “healing huts,” where one can choose to focus on Traditional Chinese Medicine, Malay, or Ayurvedic therapies during one’s stay. Nicely designed spa villas set on stilts over the sea.
www.pangkorlautresort.com
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Chi Spa at the Shangri-La, Bangkok
If you love teak, you’ll love this beautiful new spa that features immense carved sliding teak screens in each spa suite. An inviting new spa brand, Chi raises the bar for hotel and resort spa design.The treatment menu takes its inspiration from the ancient healing techniques of the Himalayas. One of the best rooms: the Garden Suite with an infinity tub.
www.shangri-la.com
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Esperanza, Cabo
Upscale resort with great cuisine and a thougtfully designed spa, just the right size, that successfully brings the outdoors in. Some creative spa treatments here, including a facial that counts Corona as an ingredient.
www.esperanzaresort.com
Four Seasons, Punta Mita
Love the location,the understated little spa, the Mayan-inspired spa treatments.
www.fourseasons.com
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Willow Stream at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess
An under-rated spa that deserves more attention.
www.willlowstream.com
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Jiva Spa at the Taj Green Cove Resort, Kovalum, Trivandrum
A brand new beach resort dotted with hillside cottages and an intimate contemporary spa in the state of Kerala (the birthplace of Ayurveda). A perfect place to ponder. Noteworthy South Indian cuisine.
www.tajhotels.com
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Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Love the architecture that seamlessly blends into the environment, the light-filled two-level, 16,000-sqare-foot-spa with wonderful orginal artwork from local artists and artisans, the fitness center with attentive attendants ready and armed with cool, citrus-scented washcloths, the simple but good spa menu that features indigenous spa treatments using Costa Rican sea salt and mud.
www.fourseasons.com
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Canyon Ranch Spa on the Queen Mary 2
It’s Canyon Ranch at sea...nicely designed contemporary spa aboard an elegant ship.
www.canyonranch.com
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Allure Salon and Spa
Don’t expect to be wowed by the décor at this humble little day spa and salon that has been doing a booming East Side business for 10 years. You may feel like you’ve stepped into a full-service salon straight out of the mid 1990s, but you can’t beat the unwavering service. And the pedicures are quite nice, to boot.
www.alluredayspa.com
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Paul LaBrecque East
I refer this day spa more than any other in New York. Located in the Chatham on East 65th and Third Avenue, this contemporary day spa and topnotch salon offers an eclectic menu that mixes energy treatments with the more standard massages and facials. It also offers some very good manicures and pedicures and one of the best brow men in New York (ask for Taymour, who’s also an excellent makeup artist). Men come from miles away to book the private barber room with Pirkko who has a special way with scalps. An added bonus: The well-stocked retail boutique. www.paullabrecque.com
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Kinara
A Hindi word that translates to “on the edge,” Kinara, located in West Hollywood, is what I like to refer to as the day spa of the future. It’s a neat package that touches all of the important bases. The design is airy, the skin care services superb, and the organic café and outdoor garden real winners. A must: Book a facial with Olga, the co-owner and esthetician extraordinaire.
www.kinaraspa.com
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Kabuki Springs & Spa
If you’d like to experience a traditional Japanese bathing experience, this is the place for you. If you’re a bit timid about taking communal baths in your birthday suit, this isn’t the place for you. Spa facilities include a hot pool, cold plunge, sauna, steam room, individual bathing areas, and showers. There’s a serious funk factor here ( I love the light fixtures in the lady’s locker area with lampshades crafted from vintage silk kimonos), but Kabuki offers some very good energy work, such as Polarity.
www.kabukisprings.com
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Splash Spa at the LA Sportsclub
This is a new “destination cityspa” that’s part of the 50,000-square-foot LA Sportsclub located in the new Four Seasons Hotel & Tower. I was pleasantly surprised by the 80-minute Splash Signature Facial which uses the French marine-based line, Thalgo and involves a “face-lifting massage,” which my therapist likened to a deep-pressure massage for the body. Miami’s hip Rik Rak Salon has an outpost here. There’s also a nicely stocked spa boutique.
www.thesportsclubsla.com
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TRU
If you’re a spa snob and you can’t get past the fact that this modern day spa is located within a Holiday Inn, then you’re surely missing out on a unique experience. Tru is contemporary in its design and in its philosophy, opting to cater to the time-crunched. The signature room here is the Tropical Rainforest Room, designed by New World Design Builders of Clifton, NJ. It’s a wet room like no other and offers good and healthy doses of steam, a warm rain that falls gently from the ceiling, and a 100-gallon-a-minute waterfall. Got an hour to spare? Then go for the Jungle Love experience.
www.truspa.com
