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Private Parts: 4 New Spas Worth the Trip

The hottest new spas around the globe are tucked away in a former bank vault, in a secluded valley and on two exotic islands.

December 2009
new spas

Sense, a Rosewood Spa, Jumby Bay, Antigua, West Indies
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The private island of Jumby Bay prohibits cars, ensuring a calm that’s carried over at Sense, a Rosewood Spa, which opens at the newly renovated Jumby Bay resort in December. The intimate space is made up of five suites, each with its own ocean-view terrace, plus a scenic yoga and Pilates pavilion. Guests can experience new uses for regional delights such as rum and cane sugar via the Jumby Rumba Scrub or keep it simple by laying in a cozy hammock while a therapist tends to their pressure points. rosewoodhotels.com

new spas

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona
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Just across the street from Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barce- lona sits the Mandarin Oriental’s newest property. The vaults of this former bank building are being put to good use as the hotel’s 10,000-square-foot subterranean spa, which features glass walls, water-soaked stone columns and matte African iroko wood floors. Treatments range from the locally inspired—like the Barcelona Spring, a two-and-a-half-hour massage that includes a Spanish olive oil, mint and salt scrub—to the globally informed: a customized massage developed by a team of Chinese doctors and aromatherapists. mandarinoriental.com

new spas

Six Senses Spa at Soneva Kiri by Six Senses, Koh Kood, Thailand
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The remote Thai island resort Soneva Kiri is an environmentalist’s dream: Drinking water comes from mineralized rain, a solar power plant is being constructed nearby, and there’s a swimming “pond” that is cleaned naturally with plant life, not chemicals. The spa is similarly in tune with nature—the Kaffir lime leaves used in treatments are from plants grown in the on-site garden, and melted candle wax is repurposed as herbal massage oil. The only caveat: Getting there requires an hour-long flight from Bangkok in the resort’s own Cessna. It may not be the most eco-friendly way to travel, but it sure beats a boat and paddle. sixsenses.com

new spas

Aman Spa at Amangiri, Canyon Point, Utah
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Amanresorts is known for assimilating its hotels to their surroundings, and this 34-suite getaway, nestled in a private 600-acre valley in Utah’s canyon region, is no exception. Fireplaces warm the outdoor lounging areas, which sit among the 25,000-square-foot spa’s Floatation Pavilion (featuring a six-foot-wide flotation tank filled with salt water), Water Pavilion (which houses a steam room, sauna and cold plunge pool) and Yoga Pavilion. Ancient Navajo traditions are incorporated into offerings such as the Four Journeys—inspired by Navajo reverence for the number— in which guests choose from four different packages, each comprising four treatments. The Black North Onyx Night, for example, includes an herbal footbath, a dry body brushing and a red clay body wrap, and finishes with a sleep-inducing leg, foot and back massage. amanresorts.com
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