9 Best Spas in the US for a Wellness Escape

Escaping to a desert in the middle of nowhere, where there just happens to be a nature- and Navajo wellness–inspired spa, is pretty much the dream for travelers in desperate need of peace and quiet. Amangiri, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property, is tucked between five national parks and celebrates the great outdoors in many ways, including in the spa. At more than 25,000 square feet, the Aman Spa is a comprehensive destination for rejuvenation, offering hydrotherapy alongside a floatation pavilion and outdoor treatment terraces that boast soothing desert panoramas. At the new Camp Sarika, a glamping experience, there are al fresco guided yoga and meditation practices (including atop Tower Butte at sunrise, reached by helicopter) on offer, as well as a two-hour journey called Desert Calm, featuring a red Sedona clay body wrap and sesame oil scalp massage. For those seeking a total reset, there’s a three-night Restorative Sleep Retreat on the horizon in early 2021 with specialist Dr. Michael Breus, meant to create better sleep through mental, emotional, and holistic support.

Known for its 70,000-square-foot spa, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort has long been focused on health and wellness of the mind and body. Apartment-style accommodations also mean they’ve transitioned easily to longer-stay and work-from-hotel options, including office setups with bikes or treadmills under a desk. The spa has been operating on weekends only, with a full reopening expected in November 2020. Alongside favorite standards, a new menu of touchless wellness services geared toward healing the body, mind, and spirit has been added for those less keen on being touched by a therapist, including experiences like spa wave vibrational and sound therapy. 

Sedona, Arizona’s bastion of nature and nurture is typically a high-touch environment, but has recently redirected that energy into safe social connection. While there are currently some modifications to the spa menu—and no couple’s or in-room services for the present—the core of Mii amo’s spa and wellness tradition remains. Guests of Mii amo are increasingly seeking time outside in nature—walking, hiking, or Canyon Bathing amid ancient, sacred rocks with a private guide. Those seeking purpose, connection, and emotional healing find it in Native American rituals and intention setting in the Crystal Grotto. Intimacy is pretty guaranteed at this expansive property, since there are just 16 casitas in total, and use of the 18 treatment rooms—rested and cleaned with electrostatic guns between services—is staggered. 

Sensei Lana’i, A Four Seasons Resort, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property,  is a completely remote resort equipped with 10 self-contained spa hale (“house” in Hawaiian). Think: comprehensive private spa facilities each with a Japanese ofuro tub, plunge pool, infrared sauna, lounge, treatment tables, and outdoor showers—and as many garden-veiled onsen hot spring baths. Every element of this innovative year-old wellness escape is personalized based on the pre-arrival questionnaire used by each guest’s Sensei Guide to assess and plan their individualized journey. An abundance of classes and one-on-one sessions span practices including movement, meditation, yoga, and mindset and stress management. Meanwhile, physical bodywork performed by experienced professionals ranges from lomi lomi massage to thermal body mapping. Just as much if not more emphasis is placed on looking inward. Watsu and facials are temporarily off the table, but the prospect of three meals a day at Sensei by Nobu (served in-room, too) surely tempers any risk of disappointment. 

Longing for Provence? Look instead to this bucolic 440-acre sprawl north of San Diego, where the usual pampering—plus meals, consultations, lectures, and classes—is happening mostly outdoors. Thirty-two villas, each with its own air filtration system, ensure plenty of space for every guest to soak up South of France–style rejuvenation. Favorite treatments at Cal-a-Vie include the Bamboo Massage, Lime Blossom Waterless Scrub, and Thermal Therapy Back Mud Treatment, but the vibe is not only about indulgence. There are more than 160 fitness classes, plus an 18-hole golf course, 10 miles of private hiking trails, and an Olympic-sized pool to sweat it out and earn the healthy yet delicious spa cuisine (and wine, via evening tastings) served. For those seeking complete privacy, buyouts are available for $45,000/night. 

Fresh off a renovation and with new plant-forward conscientious cuisine, immunity- and mental health–focused spa services, private classes, and extensive safety measures, the beloved Lake Austin Spa Resort reopened to guests in July. Forty guest rooms (all refreshed, including the LadyBird Suite) sit on 19 acres along the lake where you’ll find increased outdoor classes including hydroboking, waterskiing, tubing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. Along with the distinctive setting by the water, the resort’s newest spa treatments promote healing with the energy-based Soul Recovery, Immunity Boost acupressure massage and lymphatic drainage, and Dakini Skywalking Treatment, which soothes those feeling overwhelmed. For even more intimacy, every meal is available in a picnic basket so guests can retreat to their rooms or a secluded spot outside. 

It’s tough to imagine a more picturesque place for a momentary respite than the Berkshires in fall. Miraval Berkshires, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property, is the newest Miraval resort, where programs are not only designed to dole out TLC but mindful healing. See the Avian Adaptations workshop, for example, in which guest interactions with injured birds of prey teach them about perseverance and resilience through trauma. Yoga, hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding are all on the menu here, as are unconventional therapies such as painting on the side of a horse and mindfulness and yogic breathing through spinning pottery. The spirit and soul are treated in the Life in Balance Spa as well, offering treatments like their nourishing Kombucha Facial, which uses a tuning fork and smoky quartz to release jaw tension, and Manuka Honey Quench to melt muscle tension and uplift. 

Canyon Ranch Tucson, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property, has newly renovated rooms and upgraded classroom facilities in its Life Enhancement Center. Guests are showing increasing interest in deeply transformative, reflective, and even spiritual, life coaching and services, so the team has designed curated, multi-day bundles called Pathways, with themes such as “Reconnect with Joy” and “Lifestyle Reset.” While some treatments are on a temporary hiatus (watsu, aquatic massages, and exercise assessments requiring oxygen masks), many of Canyon Ranch’s indulgent rituals—epitomized by the four-hand massage dubbed A Slice of Heaven—are readily available. 

The high Sonoran Desert is the setting for restorative getaways that give attention to all elements of wellbeing: physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental. There’s empathy woven into every personalized interaction at CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa, where happiness is the mission. Daily wellness classes are even more tuned to nature than usual, and include desert hikes, outdoor sunset spin classes, and rose garden meditation, plus sound bowl and stargazing sessions. And the culinary program is focused on all things hyper-seasonal and regionally inspired, thanks to new executive chef Scott Winegard, a Matthew Kinney Cuisine vet. In the spa, treatments are staggered for greater safety, and the signature Aqua Therapy Circuit is now appointment only, allowing guests to fully let their guards down and relax in private.