Travelers Advantage...

SPAAHHS:

RELAXING RETREATS

Like vacations, spas are good for you! In fact, one of the most popular vacation trends is to include spa experiences in the trip. Lots of relaxing retreats await the weary traveler in search of that ‘spaahh’ feeling!

“Spas are much more than places for relaxation,” says Lynne Walker McNees, executive director of the International SPA Association (ISPA). “Now, more than ever before, people need the comfort and healing that is offered in a spa environment. More and more, we are seeing consumers seek the spa experience as a way to stay healthy and feel good about their body, mind, and spirit.”

A vacation is a perfect time to take advantage of the great resort spas that have developed in the past decade. From a mellow massage to a spa package with the likes of facials, pedicures, soaks, wraps, massages, and more, our overview of a few favorites should get you on the road to relaxation and more.

Long known as vacation havens, Club Med has always embodied physical well-being, sports, partying, and vitality. Fitness and relaxation areas have existed at the Club since 1973, but now there’s Club Med Spa.

The new Club Med Spas have been designed in total harmony with their host countries, thanks notably to decors, fabrics, and colors inspired by local traditions. With locations throughout their worldwide system of villages and on-board Club Med 2, there’s a choice of one- to six-day packages, including: Well-Being Package; Energizing Package; Marine Beauty Package; and many more. Along with fitness activities like aerobics and weight workouts, individual treatments, including thalassotherapy, massage, facials, and much more are also available at Club Med Spas, as well as at other villages!

Down in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera and in Cancun, the seven all-inclusive options of Palace Resorts are Mexico's best-kept secrets. The new adults-only Spa Palace, strategically located in the Mayan Riviera, breaks the mold of all-inclusive resorts by offering a complete spa revitalizing vacation.

Spa Palace invites guests to book the exact spa experience they desire through four varied all-inclusive spa packages, including luxurious accommodations with the finest health, fitness, and beauty programs, as well as full recreational facilities. The 792-room resort features ocean views in most rooms, private balconies/terraces, in-room safes, individually controlled air conditioning, satellite TV, purified water, mini-bars, and a double Jacuzzi in every room. Guests staying at one resort can enjoy all Palace Resorts properties.

World-renowned Wyndham Hotels & Resorts feature a wide array of spa possibilities and Orlando’s Wyndham Palace provides a perfect example. The Spa at Wyndham Palace was the first European-style spa to open in a Central Florida luxury resort. Also the largest at 10,200 square feet, the primary focus of The Spa is the promotion of health enrichment and relaxation.

The elegant facility offers more than 60 rejuvenating treatments and services, ranging from facials and body treatments to massage, hydrotherapy, and salon services (many of which are unusual). The Spa is the only facility in Orlando to offer the very popular Hot Stone Massage. It also houses an expansive Fitness Center featuring state-of-the-art cardiovascular and strength equipment, plus services like personal training, menu planning, and comprehensive fitness evaluations. Additional amenities include a full-service beauty salon, separate men's and women's outdoor whirlpools, steam room, showers and saunas, and a Spa Courtyard.

Out in Las Vegas, there’s a spa experience only the Egypt-themed Luxor Resort & Casino could provide. Inspired by Queen Nefertiti, perhaps the most beloved Egyptian woman of all time, Luxor’s Oasis Spa is a true oasis from the fast-paced Las Vegas lifestyle.

The 19,000 square-foot spa features a full range of affordable amenities, including aromatic steam baths and showers, hot and warm whirlpools, a dry sauna, sea salt scrubs and soaks, Dead Sea mud or seaweed, and an array of massage therapies, including the River Stone Massage, in which the body is oiled and massaged with warm river stones. The Luxor features 4,408 rooms and suites making it the second largest hotel in the U.S. Located on the ground floor of the resort’s west tower and near four sparkling pools, the Oasis Spa is the only spa on the famed Las Vegas Strip open 24 hours a day.

As these favorite examples show, spas can be relaxing retreats during any vacation. It’s just a matter of picking your place to say, “Spaahh!”