Clean Getaways
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Long loved for its expert trails, Canyons Resort now caters to the seriously self-indulgent. Skiers can stay warm on the Orange Bubble Express, the first heated-seat chairlift in North America; schuss their way to the Farm, the locavore restaurant at the base of the mountain; and remedy aches and pains at the Golden Door Spa at the Waldorf Astoria Lodge, whose Wasatch Warm Stone Massage, with warm evergreen oil, gives new meaning to the term “outdoorsy.”
2
The Island Experience, which has been luring nature-loving fitness buffs to its weeklong retreats in Costa Rica and Brazil since 2004, is traveling to a new destination starting this month: the mountains of northern Patagonia. Days begin with a yoga class before guests set out to explore the magnificent countryside by bike, kayak, horse, or foot. At sunset, everyone regroups for more yoga, dinner, and perhaps a full-body massage. The weeklong programs run in February and March.
3
At Bighorn, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the operative word is “big.” The 16,000-square-foot lodge—boasting a helipad, eight guest rooms, a screening room, and a private spa—offers access to more than a million acres of cat- and heli-skiing. There is a chef at guests’ disposal, as well as a lodge manager, who can arrange in-house spa treatments, chopper pickups, and backcountry runs.
4
With branch-covered roofs that allow for sun-dappled spa services, the beachside treatment huts at this resort on the Indian Ocean look like something that Gilligan and the Professor might have pieced together. Also in the castaway spirit is the Kurumbaa Kaasha Coconut Rub: a scrub with coconut pulp, followed by a honey-and-papaya wrap.
5
After a day of big-game watching in the Manyeleti reserve, guests at Tintswalo can indulge in some big-time pampering. Spa treatments include the Africology Potato Body Hydration, which involves a generous coating of marula-tree and aloe-vera oils, rooibos extract, and African potato pulp—all potent moisturizers. The nutrients are left to sink in for 30 minutes, allowing time for a scalp and face massage.
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Seven tree-house cabanas host massages, wraps, and other indulgences at this new spa, but the most intriguing treatment takes place off-site at the island’s active volcano. During the three-hour Sulphur Seduction, guests walk to nearby lava-heated sulphur springs for a leisurely soak before being coated with detoxifying mud. A shower under a waterfall follows, and a 20-minute massage back at the resort completes the adventure.