Spas Made Simple
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Tipping: Gratuities might not be included in the package price (always ask in advance), but that doesn't mean you have to stuff your robe pockets with cash. It's OK to leave a lump sum at checkout and ask that the tip be distributed among the therapists who worked on you.
6. The place to lose that last 10 pounds
The Oaks at Ojai in Ojai, Calif.
A perfect counterpoint to the fancy, celebrity-studded hideaways in nearby Santa Barbara, the Oaks' unpretentious family-run spa has had its own devoted following for 32 years. The scale of the place is modest—there are 46 rooms in a Spanish-style former hotel—but its clients' weight-loss goals are decidedly ambitious. Guests practice restricted food intake, with daily meals and snacks totaling just 1,000 calories, and spend their days in a variety of noncompetitive fitness classes, many of which are geared toward beginners. Among the 14 offered daily are a handful of throwbacks like aqua and step aerobics, which somehow feel just right in this old-school environment. Facials and massages are extra, but at $80 apiece, they're hardly budget busters—and they make for well-deserved treats after all that discipline. Best Deal: The $189 nightly rate includes all meals, classes, and use of facilities such as the pool and gym. 800/753-6257, oaksspa.com.
7. The good life for less
Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, Calif.
New resorts often dangle spa deals to help get the word out. That's the case with Sand Hill, a 123-room retreat that opened in April with rates low enough to make its over-the-top luxury accessible, at least through the end of the year. Everything about the hotel broadcasts excess, from the huge rooms (starting at 527 square feet) and designer Italian bed linens to the giant rain showerheads and marble bathtubs. The many freebies at the heated outdoor pool—smoothie shots, melon balls, and frozen grapes delivered hourly to your chaise—will help you forget (momentarily) that you'll be picking up the tab for meals at Sand Hill's pricey rustic-American restaurant (entrées start at $22). Even the spa treatments aim for grandeur: The Forest Sanctuary option includes a redwood-scented body wrap that evokes northern California's outsize natural resources. Best Deal: Until December 31, the A Girl's Gotta Get Away weekend package starts at $185 per night and includes a bottle of sparkling wine, a $100 spa credit, and a $50 breakfast credit. 650/561-1500, rosewoodsandhill.com.
8. The beachfront yoga retreat
Maya Tulum Wellness Retreat & Spa in Tulum, Mexico
At the still-almost-pristine south end of the booming Riviera Maya, an hour and a half from Cancún, Maya Tulum specializes in weeklong programs that are popular with both novices and experts. (Many experienced yoga instructors even come here for training programs to beef up their skills.) Guests stay in the 45 thatched-roof palapas with net-draped beds and private bathrooms, and most rooms have views of the Caribbean. The larger of the two yoga pavilions accommodates up to 80 people, but bring your own mat if you want to practice on the beach—borrowed resort mats aren't allowed on the sand. (You'll also need to pack your own bug repellent and beach towel—and a flashlight, since the grounds are dark at night.) In the spa, local cacao, honey, and clay are used for the six Mayan-themed wraps, scrubs, and massages. A nopal-and-aloe-vera wrap ensures that even the painfully sunburned can share in the pampering. Best Deal: A seven-day Mind-Body-Spirit program costs $1,368 and includes airport transfers, meals—typically casual, seafood-focused Mexican dishes like shrimp ceviche and fish tacos—twice-daily yoga classes, two spa treatments, and two half-day excursions, such as snorkeling at the Dos Ojos cenote or checking out the Mayan ruins at Cobá. 888/515-4580, mayatulum.com.
9. The historic New England charmer
The Spa at Equinox in Manchester Village, Vt.
Last year's $20 million renovation, with interiors by New York City designer Geoffrey Bradfield, gave this 240-year-old southern Vermont resort a much-needed elegant update (think striped sofas, wrought-iron tables, and stylized tree-branch patterns in the rugs). The 13,000-square-foot spa, added to the Equinox in 2005, has a 75-foot-long heated indoor lap pool and a lounge with a fireplace—plus a list of locally appropriate treatment options like a maple sugar body scrub. If you feel like getting out, Manchester Center, less than three miles away, is the perfect place to go bargain-hunting: It's home to dozens of designer outlets, including Burberry, Theory, and Tse. Best Deal: Weekdays from November 1 to April 30, the three-night Cloud 999 package costs $999 per room and includes a $999 spa credit—enough to cover one full treatment per person per day, with just enough left over for a $35 Express Manicure. 800/362-4747, equinoxresort.com.
10. The desert oasis
Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, Calif.
At 38,000 square feet, Desert Springs in the Coachella Valley is one of California's largest spas. In the newly remodeled space, you'll find everything from separate men's and women's hammams to digitally programmable Kohler rain showers (for those who must have the water temperature just so). The hotel's 884 rooms are equally well decked out: All have 37-inch HDTV screens, granite vanities, and private balconies with views of the resort pools or the surrounding Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains. Of the eight restaurants on the property, the liveliest scenes are at the Lobby Bar and at Mikado, a popular spot for cocktails and sushi. Best Deal: The Escape! Spa Package starts at $409 per room per night and includes breakfast, two treatments, and access to the pool and the 4,000-plus-square-foot gym. 888/538-9459, desertspringsresort.com.
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