Spa Day: Please Go to This Cave for Your Next Massage

Hi (HAP)pers,

Welcome back to Spa Day, Hotels Above Par’s monthly wellness newsletter.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the best wellness experiences come down to precision and personalization—less about excess, more about getting it exactly right for you.

That was especially clear during a recent visit to The Skin Lab by Augustinus Bader at The Webster in Soho. The space is designed to resemble a stylish Parisian apartment, complete with a creamy-hued sitting room and a spacious terrace overlooking the streets below. With just one treatment suite, it feels entirely your own. There’s no waiting room energy—just a calm, private setup that immediately sets the tone for the level of exclusivity in store.

My facialist, Desireé Delia, also acts as host, offering fresh juice, sparkling water, or a cappuccino as I settle in. Her facial is both methodical and pampering, with plenty of hands-on massage that left my skin looking like itself, just noticeably better.

Read more about my visit here.

But there's plenty more across the wellness world catching my attention, including Watsu. It’s a water-based treatment rooted in Japanese Shiatsu that I learned about through writer Margaret Wiles, who wrote an article for HAP about five places to check it out.

And elsewhere, there’s…

Immersive Wellness—in a Cave

Some of the most compelling spa experiences right now aren’t just treatments- they’re environments you step into. Case in point: the massage cave at ULUM Moab, a luxury outdoor resort from Under Canvas. Set across 200 acres of desert overlooking the sandstone formation of Looking Glass Arch and Canyonlands National Park, a stay at the resort feels elemental from the start.

But the new massage cave ups the ante. Carved into rock, the chamber maintains a naturally balanced temperature, creating a cocoon-like setting that’s both comforting and transportive. Guests can book Swedish, deep tissue, and hot stone therapies enhanced by moisturizing Aesop massage oils infused with botanical extracts and layered aromas. I’d book this in a heartbeat.

Also on the wellness lineup at ULUM: hot and cold plunges, sunrise yoga, sound baths, and meditation sessions that track the rhythm of the day. Even back in your tent, Aesop bath products extend the ritual.

High-Tech, High-Results

There’s also a clear move toward science-backed, results-driven treatments that still feel luxurious.

Proper Hotels is leaning fully into this shift. At Santa Monica Proper and Austin Proper, wellness now spans biomarker testing, personalized health protocols, IV therapy, contrast bathing, and red light recovery. It’s less about relaxation alone and more about measurable results, delivered in a setting that still feels like a hotel.

In Naples, ROMEO’s 10,000-square-foot Spa by Sisley Paris centers on advanced thermal circuits. One standout is the Kneipp-style contrast therapy journey, where guests move through a sequence of hot and cold zones—from steam rooms and Finnish saunas to whirlpools, immersion pools, and a frigidarium with artificial snowfall and sensory-driven cold showers.

The spa also offers halotherapy, a high-tech take on salt therapy. This infrared sauna is lined with Himalayan pink salt and designed to support respiratory health through mineral-rich microclimates.

A Historic Parisian Gem

The storied Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, where I’ve been lucky enough to stay—and still one of my most memorable hotels in the City of Light—feels as relevant as ever, with a fresh focus on wellness.

Rather than focusing solely on treatments, the palace has introduced an ongoing wellness program that brings in leading practitioners for workshops and immersive sessions centered on movement, care, and regeneration.

Recent and upcoming events include tea ceremonies and beauty masterclasses with Evidens de Beauté, sound baths, Pilates, maternity-focused sessions, and haircare workshops. It’s less about a one-off appointment and more about creating a rhythm of wellness that both travelers and Parisians can engage with over time. 

The program is also a reminder that city stays can be just as restorative as time spent at a destination spa in the mountains, countryside, or by the beach.

More soon, and keep the tips coming. You can also head to the bottom of this page to see our past Spa Day newsletters.

- Shivani Vora, HAP Articles & Spa Day editor

By Ruby Gregg

Marble, steam, and a ritual older than most cities: the hammam. More than a bathhouse, it’s a full-body, full-mind reset that defies time—and is unexpectedly social. Consider it the wellness experience you need to endure at least once.

It’s one of the last truly communal wellness experiences
A hammam is as much about social connection as it is about cleansing. Unlike the solo-focused spa, it invites conversation, offering a glimpse into traditions that have endured for centuries.

The design is meant to disorient—in a good way
From domed ceilings to filtered light and echoing water, every architectural choice is purposeful, creating a sensory environment that is as transformative as the treatments themselves.

The appeal is psychological, not just physical
Being guided through the process offers a rare mental reset. The hands-on care and structured ritual allow you to surrender, leaving both body and mind unusually clear and calm.

It’s rooted in ritual, not luxury
The hammam predates modern indulgence, built instead on centuries of purification practices and cultural tradition.

The real takeaway
A visit to a hammam is more than a treatment—it’s a glimpse into living history offering a rare kind of wellness that feels timeless and unapologetically communal.