Hi HAPpers, Welcome back to Spa Day. I recently took a mini vacation with a day trip to Greenwich, Connecticut, where I spent the morning at The Spa at Delamar. Housed inside the beloved Delamar Greenwich Harbor, it’s a charmer where the chic local crowd congregates. The spa itself is intimate, with just three treatment rooms and a devoted following, which explains why appointments can book up months ahead. You won’t find a sauna, elaborate thermal circuit, or fancy experience shower here. Instead, the focus is on old-school treatments—massages, facials, and scrubs—done right. My therapist kneaded out my knots with long, deep strokes, stretched my heavy legs in every direction to loosen them up, and finished with a facial and scalp massage that had me nodding off. Sometimes, that’s all I want from a spa. I wrote more about my visit to The Spa at Delamar Greenwich Harbor. Spa Openings on My Radar There are always new spas opening, but a few coming up—or just debuted—have especially caught my attention. First up is Mailena, an adults-only wellness resort set to open in Loreto, Mexico, in early 2027. The 96-room property will have a cenote-inspired Wellness & Longevity Center combining advanced health assessments and personalized therapies with programming led by medical professionals. My interest is also piqued by the emphasis on sleep and recovery in the rooms and the functional dining rooted in the ingredients and culinary traditions of Baja California Sur. Then there’s Saq’Ya’ Spa at Casa Palopó, a 15-room hotel overlooking Lake Atitlán in Guatemala- a destination I’ve wanted to visit for a few years now. The intimate new spa has just two treatment cabins and takes its inspiration from Mayan healing traditions and the natural elements surrounding the lake. Treatments incorporate local herbs and sacred aromas, and each experience begins with a symbolic ceremony in the caracol energético, a spiral space meant to center the body and mind. One treatment I’d especially like to try is the Ixkanul, a hot obsidian stone massage inspired by the volcanic landscape. Wellness Gets Social For years, going to a spa has often meant retreating to a treatment room by yourself. That is, unless you’re going for a couples massage. But increasingly, hotels are making wellness something you do with other people. At Etéreo in Riviera Maya, New and Full Moon Circles and Shamanic Sound Journeys turn mindfulness and spirituality into group experiences. Corinthia Rome looks to the city’s ancient bathing culture, with two pools designed around the communal tradition of Roman baths. Ojai Valley Inn takes a different approach with Kuyam, a communal treatment combining heat, healing clay, and meditation. And at The Lodge at Blue Sky in Utah, wellness moves outdoors through guided hikes, restorative movement, farm tours, and experiences with the property’s horses. I like the idea behind all of this. Wellness doesn’t always have to mean hiding away from everyone around you. Sometimes feeling good can be social, too.
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