Spa Day: Salmon Sperm Facials Are So Chic

Hi (HAP)pers,

Welcome to the second edition of Spa Day, my monthly newsletter where I share what’s catching my attention across the world of wellness—from standout hotel spas and destination retreats to treatments, trends, and experiences worth knowing about.

I’ve loved hearing from so many of you since the first issue, and I’m excited to keep the conversation going.

Over the last month, I spent an afternoon at The Surrey Spa, inside The Surrey, A Corinthia Hotel, on the Upper East Side. This is an intimate and chic hideaway with only two treatment rooms. In fact, I had the place to myself for most of my visit, and the service, courtesy of an attentive attendant, felt almost like having a private butler. The true standout, though, was the salt tepidarium, where pink salt loungers created one of the most deeply relaxing moments I’ve had in a long time.

I also visited an old favorite, Dorothy’s Day Spa, a more than 40-year-old institution on the Upper East Side. Read my review here. After decades in business, this oldie but goodie still gets it right. I book the facials, which help restore my sensitive skin using products from the luxury German skincare line MBR, though treatments featuring Valmont and Biologique Recherche are also available.

Beyond New York, there’s plenty happening across the wellness world that has caught my eye. Below are two spots currently on my spa radar.

Set on a private island off Panama’s Caribbean coast, this adults-only resort of overwater villas has unveiled a striking new addition: the Colibrí Spa Treehouse. Designed by Elora Hardy of Bali-based design studio IBUKU, the structure is crafted from locally sourced bamboo and timber reclaimed from underwater, giving the space a distinctive grain and mineral-kissed patina

Treatments draw from time-honored wellness traditions, with the standout being the “Tribute to Sacred Cacao,” which combines exfoliation, massage, and a nourishing cacao wrap. Guests can also opt for open-air therapies surrounded by lush flora and fauna, where the sounds of wildlife and rustling tropical greenery become part of the experience.

Set along the Mediterranean Sea, this ultra-luxe seaside resort has unveiled Morocco’s first Medi-Spa. Spanning 46,000 square feet, the state-of-the-art wellness hub blends advanced medical treatments with therapies rooted in ancient healing traditions, creating a program that feels both clinical and holistic.

Guests can book multi-day wellness journeys tailored to their goals, and the cuisine is anything but austere. Menus draw inspiration from the Mediterranean Blue Zone diet, highlighting fish, olive oil, nuts, and abundant fresh fruits and vegetables, proving that wellness here doesn’t mean sacrificing pleasure.

Also on today’s agenda: a HAP editor’s favorite spa near London (she travels all the way to the U.K. for 48 hours just to experience it), Beverly Hills’ wellness circuit, and a quick lesson on the salmon sperm facial craze.

- Shivani Vora <3

About an hour by train from central London, the Beaverbrook estate unfolds like a myth come to life. The drive from the station winds through gold-tipped grasses and rolling hills before revealing a grand mansion once called home by Winston Churchill. It’s the kind of surreal grandeur you’d expect from another era, preserved and reimagined for today’s sybaritic traveler.

Tucked beside the palatial house where Churchill and other high-profile guests once stayed, The Coach House Spa is a revelation. Just when you think the manor itself is unbeatable, this wellness sanctuary steals the show, one treatment and amenity at a time.

Read the full spa review here.

As if I needed another reason to spend time in Beverly Hills—between the shopping, dining, and some of the most glamorous hotels in California—the spa scene has become just as compelling. The neighborhood’s top properties now offer destination-worthy urban wellness retreats, each pairing indulgence with results.

The Beverly Hills Hotel Spa offers an extensive lineup of massages, body treatments, and facials. I have my sights set on the Marilyn Monroe Massage, a 90-minute experience combining aromatherapy, warm pink Himalayan salt stones with CBD oil, a citrus CBD sugar foot scrub, hand exfoliation with serum, and a scalp massage. It sounds as decadent as its namesake.

The Spa at the Maybourne offers a 90-minute Uma Ayurveda Immersion body treatment that feels made for full reset mode. The ritual combines a body polish with traditional Ayurvedic therapies, including a tension-relieving head massage.

Salmon sperm facials sound like a dare, but the skincare world is completely serious about them. The treatment—clinically known as PDRN therapy—uses DNA fragments derived from salmon to repair the skin barrier, stimulate collagen production, and deliver deep hydration that topical serums simply can’t match. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Aniston are already converts, and dermatologists are taking note, too. Results typically last 3–6 months, with most people reporting a visible glow within days of their first session.

If you’re in NYC, people say Tribeca Aesthetics and SKINNEY Medspa dish out superlative salmon sperm facials.