A Luxury Cottage entrance at Coral Reef.
The Coral Reef Club Spa, St. James, Barbados
With its genteel, plantation-style architecture, this resort on the
island’s west coast has enticed guests since the Fifties. A new
6,000-square-foot spa added to the property and opening mid-December
maintains its open-air, breezy atmosphere. Two guests can be pampered
together in the outdoor couples’ pavilion, and each of the spa’s four
treatment rooms opens to its own private garden. Those eager to sample
the island’s crops can choose one of the spa’s signature body
scrubs—lemongrass and ginger, mojito, the less abrasive pineapple and
coconut, or the manly allspice—but patrons who prefer Natura Bissé
products for treatments will find those on the menu
as well. coralreefbarbados.com.
The warm room at Encantado.
The Spa at Encantado, Santa Fe, New Mexico
A modern Southwestern vibe pervades the new Santa Fe hotel Encantado.
Classic stucco buildings are updated with large glass windows, all the
better to see the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountains, and massive
sliding doors and terraces give guests a sense that they are one with
the desert landscape. The 10,000-square-foot spa adds a bit of zen to
the already serene surroundings. Of 15 treatment rooms, the two
oversize suites designated for couples and VIPs are our favorites. Each
comes equipped with its own steam room, sauna, indoor and outdoor
showers, and private entrance. The Altitude Adjustment Massage
incorporates aromatherapy to help guests adapt to Santa Fe’s elevation,
and the seamlessly fluid Interpretive Touch, choreographed by a dancer,
promises a deep-tissue massage without the torture. 877.262.4666, encantadoresort.com.
Lapis, the Spa at Fontainebleau.
Lapis, the Spa at Fontainebleau, Miami Beach
There’s nothing like a $1 billion renovation to shake the old-fashioned
reputation from a Miami landmark that’s been around for more than 50
years. The legendary hotel has been meticulously restored to its
original splendor, but it has also added a 40,000-square-foot spa called
Lapis. A 35-foot-long rain tunnel leads to several immersion pools and
comfy hammam benches. Signature treatments include the Oh So Deep
Russian, an intense massage that reaches down into the body’s fascia
area below the muscles, and the S & M in Miami, which has nothing to do
with bondage. Two round crystals—one warm, named after the sun (S), and
one cold, representing the moon (M)—are worked over the body after a
mineral bath. The spa’s biggest draw may be famed New York facialist
Tracie Martyn, whose two most popular treatments will be offered at her
first satellite location. 866.750.4772, fontainebleaumiamibeach.com.
