I Went to Wyoming's Best New Spa

SPA DAY

Spa Day Issue X

By Shivani Vora

Hi HAPpers,

I'm just back from Jackson Hole, where I went specifically to experience the new spa at Hotel Jackson, a family-owned boutique hotel in the heart of town.

Jackson is known for its spectacular hiking, skiing, restaurants and shopping. A full-fledged spa scene? Not so much. That's why the hotel's new 7,000-square-foot wellness sanctuary is such a welcome addition. With seven treatment rooms, gorgeous large-scale crystals throughout and facials featuring luxury Spanish skincare brand Natura Bissé, it's a welcome spot for some serious post-adventure pampering.

My husband and I spent a day hiking before checking in for 90-minute CBD massages. Talk about perfect timing! My therapist combined stretching, pressure-point work and deep-tissue techniques to tackle my aching muscles, and I left feeling like a new person.Mahir, my husband that is, was equally pleased.

Read my full review here.

Now, let's head to Europe, where two very different wellness trends are giving travelers even more reasons to book a trip.

First up is sleep tourism, which has become a full-fledged travel obsession. Forget counting sheep. At MIRAMONTI Boutique Hotel, a family-run property perched above Merano in Italy's South Tyrol region, the hotel has introduced a new Forest Room designed to help guests get a great night's rest.

The east-facing retreat is made with natural wood and local stone, and its king-size bed faces a floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking the forest. There's also a private terrace with a bridge leading to a secluded whirlpool surrounded by mountain views.

For even more privacy, the hotel's new MONTI House collection features contemporary forest residences. Think handmade Hästens beds, floor-to-ceiling windows, and, in some accommodations, private rooftop Finnish saunas, outdoor showers and cold-therapy tubs.

And the wellness doesn't end in your room. Guests can take advantage of forest therapy, an Onsen Pool, a forest sauna, an infinity pool and restorative treatments at the spa.

SPA DAY

From sleeping among the trees in Italy to bathing in grapes in France, here's another wellness trend I can get behind: vinotherapy.

France's wine regions aren't just for sipping exceptional vintages. They're also home to spas where grapes, grape seeds and other byproducts of winemaking are used in treatments designed to exfoliate, hydrate and rejuvenate the skin.

At the Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa at Les Sources de Caudalie in Bordeaux, the half-day Vine Ritual is a wine lover's dream, minus the hangover. It includes a Grape Marc Bath, a Crushed Cabernet Scrub, a soothing massage and a facial of your choice.

In Burgundy, Les Sources de Vougeot offers the half-day Sources Ritual, combining a Grape Marc Bath with a warm-oil full-body massage and a facial. It's a deliciously indulgent way to recover from days spent touring vineyards.

And at Les Sources de Cheverny in the Loire Valley, the HydroDermabrasion Treatment takes a more high-tech approach. The 30-minute facial combines gentle exfoliation, deep cleansing and an infusion of hydrating ingredients to leave skin looking fresher, smoother and more radiant.

Wine tasting followed by a grape-inspired spa treatment? Now that's my kind of itinerary.

Other HAP contributors have been busy getting their spa fixes, too.
Christina Valhouli recently visited Desuar Spa at Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa in Monterey, California. The hotel occupies a historic property dating to 1824, and its Spanish heritage is evident in the bougainvillea-covered walls and charming courtyard.

With just four treatment rooms, the spa is intimate and inviting. Christina booked a Swedish massage and Satin Shimmer Body Scrub to recover from her cross-country flight. Her therapist alternated deep-pressure massage with exfoliation and steaming towels, leaving her muscles loose and her skin extra soft. A little relaxation time with herbal tea followed before she headed out to explore Monterey.

Now, over to my co-contributor Lauren Harano for this month's biggest wellness buzz.

SPA DAY

London Finally Gets the Spa It Deserves

By Lauren Harano

London has always had great hotels. What it has rarely had is a great urban spa, one that’s a downright destination rather than an amenity floor between the gym and the pool. Six Senses London, which opened in March inside the converted Whiteley's department store in Bayswater, is changing that, and the spa alone is worth the trip across town (or the pond).

This is the most interesting spa the city has seen in years, occupies an entire floor of the building, and is open to non-hotel guests, which is the first thing locals should know. The spa already has a 20-meter indoor pool up and running, and this fall it adds something new: London's first hotel magnesium-enriched mineral water pool, designed specifically to release muscular tension and soothe the nervous system. (Read: No other hotel in the city has one.)

There is also a flotation pod, which is exactly what it sounds like: a sensory deprivation tank where you float in body-temperature salt water in complete silence and darkness, and either find it deeply restorative or deeply unsettling, depending on who you are. Cryotherapy is there too, for anyone who wants to round out the experience by voluntarily stepping into subzero temperatures.
For the longevity-minded, there is HUM2N, a doctor-run longevity clinic right in the spa. Guests can start with a complimentary discovery consultation, and from there, the HUM2N team builds a program with ongoing care accessible in person or online. It sits alongside a wellness screening that tests 40 biomarkers in a single session (think inflammation levels, nutrient deficiencies, metabolic function) with an in-house expert who walks you through the results and tells you what to actually do about them.

As for the cherry on top? The Alchemy Bar, of course. It's a working apothecary run by two actual Medical Herbalists, Rebecca Collison-Walker and Jade Lovel Ortega, rooted in British herbal tradition but backed by clinical practice. Book a one-to-one, and you leave with a completely bespoke botanical blend built around your specific needs. No appointment and just want something for your tension headache or your sleep? It functions as a walk-in herbal pharmacy, too. Come for a workshop and spend an hour making herbal remedies and botanical skincare from whatever is growing locally that week.

For a full wellness day, start with the wellness screening, book the De Mamiel Lymphatic Body Reset, and finish at the Alchemy Bar. Trust us, you'll feel like you were worlds away from the outside world, even if you live down the street. London, it's been a long time coming.

SPA DAY

Until next time, here's to making a little room for wellness, whether that means a massage after a long hike, a weekend in the woods, or a facial with a side of French wine.

See you next month!

- Shivani

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