Floating meditation, a prickly pear body scrub, Aqua Zen therapy, an agave nectar wrap, crystal energy balancing -- the number of ways you can be rubbed, scrubbed or tubbed is bountiful at Texas’ destination spas.
Scroll below for some of the state’s best spots to rejuvenate, revitalize, relax, and refresh your body and soul.
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Lake Austin Spa Resort
The basics: Nestled along the shores of Lake Austin in the Texas Hill Country, Lake Austin Spa Resort offers all-inclusive vacation packages, which include accommodations in one of 40 lakeside guest rooms, three meals daily, unlimited fresh smoothies and juices, complimentary teas, coffee, and lemonade, access to indoor and outdoor fitness activities and classes, and a selection of more than 100 spa and body treatments in the 25,000-square foot spa.
The spa features an outdoor pool, a hot tub, cabanas, 30 treatment areas, including garden tents and suites, an indoor Junior Olympic-length lap pool, and two acres of terraced foliage and aquatic gardens. The Iris Salon offers a selection of hair, make-up and nail services.
Notable spa offerings: The Regal, a 135-minute, $1,050 facial treatment, comprises of six masks, four massages and a collagen treatment, and the 120-minute, $100 Gemstone Soul Recovery Experience utilizes gemstones, aromatherapy, marma points and light touch.
Fun factor: Wellness activities offered include canoeing, kayaking, hydro-biking, paddleboarding, hiking, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, meditation and dance. Aquatic aerobics and swimming classes are also offered. Additionally, classes in healthy cooking, nutrition, communication skills, body image, relationships and sexuality, journaling, crafts and gardening are taught regularly.
Cost: Day packages are $845 per person and include two 50-minute package spa treatments, one 70 or 80-minute package spa treatment and lunch. Overnight rates for the resort start at $925. Book online at lakeaustin.com.
Trellis Spa at the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa
The basics: The Houstonian sits on 27-acres adjacent to Memorial Park. Many of its 289 guest rooms boast floor-to-ceiling wooded views. The hotel houses two onsite dining restaurants, a bar and a healthy take-away café. The Houstonian’s day spa is very popular. At 26,500 square feet, the Trellis Spa is the largest luxury spa in the state of Texas. It boasts a sauna and wet areas, a scenic treetop dining room, an indoor reflection pool, and lounging areas. It offers massages, facials, body treatments, hand and foot treatments, waxing, hair services, and professional make-up services.
Notable spa offerings: The spa’s five-hour, $560 Tranquil Immersion package includes a massage, facial, pedicure, manicure and lunch or dinner.
Fun factor: The 185,000-square-foot Houstonian Club is available to hotel guests without a resort fee and offers over 160 weekly group exercise classes, aquatic programs, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a resort pool with a rockslide, a 25-meter sports lap pool, and a quiet garden pool. Hotel guests also enjoy access to a fully equipped fitness floor, group exercise fitness studios, cycle studio, a private yoga studio with aerial silks, and an indoor basketball court.
The cost: Use of the spa amenities, lockers and access to the soaking pools and garden are complimentary with a 50-plus-minute massage, facial or body treatment. Guests without reservations for a 50-plus-minute treatment must pay a $145 facility fee. Note: An additional 23% service charge is added to all spa services. Nightly rates at the Houstonian starting at $459. Book online at houstonian.com.
Miraval Austin
The basics: Set on 220 acres overlooking Lake Travis, the Miraval Austin wellness resort consists of 117 guestrooms and suites, a spa, two infinity pools, and a 10-acre farm and ranch. The 20,000-square-foot spa boasts 30 treatment rooms, a spa pool, relaxation rooms, a salon, a sauna and a steam room.
Notable spa offerings: Treatment highlights include Pranayama-ḍīna ($305), an experience that combines breathwork with a floating massage, the Himalayan Bowl Massage ($295), which combines aromatherapy, breathwork, and vibrational sound therapy with a full-body relaxation massage and the Spiritual Warrior Facial ($330), that “utilizes energies of plants and gemstones to bring guests on a spiritual facial journey.”
Fun factor: Over 120 weekly lectures, programs and outdoor activities are offered including yoga, meditation, hiking, culinary classes, farm tours and outdoor adventures.
Cost: Day packages are $560 and include a $250 resort credit, full access to Miraval’s extensive resort amenities, unlimited participation in daily yoga, meditation, fitness classes, and wellness lectures, complimentary smoothies and coffee, and lunch at the Miraval’s Hilltop Crossings Kitchen. Nightly rates starting at $1,094 per person include all meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages and a $175 resort credit for use toward spa services. A 23% resort is applied to both day packages and overnight stays. Book online at hyatt.com.
Loma de Vida at La Cantera Resort
The basics: The 496-room La Cantera Resort & Spa sits on 550 acres near Six Flags Fiesta Texas and features five pools, a championship golf course, and the Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness retreat.
La Cantera Resort’s Loma de Vida Spa overlooks the fairways and bluffs of the golf course. It boasts 17,000 square feet of indoor space with 15 treatment rooms including eight massage rooms, three facial rooms and four suites. Another 8,000 square feet of manicured outdoor space rounds out the facility. Outdoor treatment areas include three private garden cabanas and a saline grotto pool.
Notable spa offerings: The Playtime for Two couples package ($650-$780) includes a Swedish massage followed by 90 minutes of relaxation in the spa’s secluded grotto. Couples will be provided “mineral-rich Gulcin Botanical Mud to paint each other for a mischievous reconnect and body detox.” Add on a boozy, 60-minute salt soak or bubble bath for $235.
Fun factor: Loma de Vida’s fitness studio boasts fitness machines, an adult jungle gym, punching bags and more. Regenerative yoga and movement classes and TRX suspension training are offered daily.
Cost: The spa is open to the public. Reservations are required. Nightly rates at La Cantera Resort start at $270. Book online at lacanteraresort.com.
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