stellaluna

Which hotels/resorts in the US do you think have the best spas in terms of services, staff, atmosphere, location? What are your favorites and why?

LilMsFoodie

I've been to a few. I liked the Canyon Ranch in Tuscon but have heard that their one in the Berkshires is really top notch. I hope to go there next year. I also liked one in the Tampa area, Safety Harbor, but it has had changes in ownership, so I couldn't make a comment at this time.

I prefer to go to destination spas rather than the "spa" profit centers cropping up in hotels these days. If you have an upscale resort at this time, you almost have to have a spa. These places tend to have revolving staff owing to the ebb and flow of the clientele.

Destination spas have a tendency to have long term employees with better skills. That being said, I thought the Spa at Pebble Beach was just wonderful. I have a client who is a spa junkie that loves the spa at the Bellagio in LV and prefers it to Saturnia in Italy and some other pretty over the top spas.

Some magazine did a rating of all the spas and the various types a year or so ago. Not sure if it was Travel and Leisure or Conde Nast, might even have been Vogue. You might do a search. LMF

Johanna1

I'm somewhat new to the spa circuit, but found the spa at the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA to be very nice. It is relatively new and was constructed to really give one a feeling of "getting away from it all." It succeeds. I told my husband that I could have spent all day just in the Quiet Room, gazing out over the hotel's lovely formal gardens. The prices for the services were fairly reasonable, and I found the staff to be very professional and my skin has never looked better.

I would love to try the spa at the Greenbrier, but it's priced a little out of my league. Does anyone have any recommendations for a nice spa destination within driving distance of the Washington DC area?

clairelong

The spa at the Mirage--great atmosphere and facility before and after the massage. Great products. The staff was very "there" for you. The snacks and smoothies, just a really relaxing place.

Also i had a massage at Bally's, staff was excellent, massage was excellent, facility was good, great products after massage and that's a plus!

Both Las Vegas.

LN

Hi

A group of us get together and head up to Berkley WV and stay at Coolfont Resort. Their spa facilities have always been great and they're priced well for the DC area. We have found that in comparison to spas in NYC and Florida - Coolfont has great rates! The resort is off by itself and you can just contemplate all that peacefulness around you. The massages and facials pedicures et al are great and the food was outstanding.

I know you're probably a bit surprised but there are a couple of really good spas in Berkely Springs WV.

HowardR

Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires was just rated the top destination spa by Conde Nast Traveler. And, from my experience, it richly deserves the honor....and scores very highly in all four or your criteria!

Johanna1

The Washingtonian magazine just ran an article on a place in WV called Glade Springs, about 45 min. beyond The Greenbrier in Sulpher Springs, WV, saying that it's almost as nice as The Greenbrier, but about a third cheaper. Has anyone been there to Glade Springs who can vouch for the property and spa?

stellaluna

i guess my favorite resort spa so far is the one at the Hyatt on Kauai....nothing has come close to that fabulous place...yet!
i was impressed with the spa at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ. this was in 1996 though, so don't know what it's like now. probably better than ever....more recently: the Serenity Spa at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, Honolulu. for a busy location it really was quite serene.
favorite stand alone spa: Kabuki Springs in San Francisco. love it! the treatments are heavenly and the staff is wonderful. a real calm relaxing atmosphere prevails, even on the busiest of days....

JBX

For several years now, I've been wanting to go to the Red Mountain Spa in St. Georges, Utah. Looks lovely and is "reasonably" priced compared to other more high end places. You can fly to Las Vegas and then arrange for a shuttle from the spa to pick you up; think it's about an hour's drive. Would love to hear a first hand account about this place from someone who's actually been there to confirm my ideas about it.

Fodorite018

JBX--I went to Red Mountain Spa last fall and it was wonderful! A bunch of girlfriends met there for a week. It was truly heaven. They have guided hikes each day...4 different levels so you can be sure to join which one is right for your fitness level. Also guided bike rides, but we didn't do those so I can't give you info on those. The spa treatments were great...we had at least one every day...absolutely loved the Red Rock Therapy! The food was very good...and the daily cooking lessons were super. There are hammocks all over the property and it was great to just go find one and lounge. We also took some yoga classes, water aerobics classes...basically just did as much as we could. We stayed in a deluxe double room and it was very nice. I would definitely go back!

Clematis

We were very disappointed in the Hyatt on Kauai. The spa is just another spa to us, nothing special. The massage rooms are pretty but most of the time you have your eyes closed anyway. The therapists we had were not memorable. But the worst part of it is that this huge hotel is kiddieland. Kids actually riding their scooters in the hallways. Strollers. We lunched at Princeville one day and said this is where we should have stayed for some peace.

Good spa experiences - Two Bunch in Palm Desert for very understated but quiet seclusion. You can wear your robes to dinner and their therapists are some of the best. But don't expect elegance. Ojai had a good spa but the place is undergoing a 1-2 year renovation now.

artlover

Some I liked and would recommend--Enchantment in Sedona, The Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay, Marriott in Palm Desert, and Two Bunch Palms.