7 Places to Seriously Pamper Yourself in the US

Visiting the United States’ busiest cities – for work  or leisure – can be hectic. Steal a minute (or 90) of peace and quiet in its most soothing sanctuaries.

New York

The Spa at  Mandarin Oriental
Nowhere is an oasis of calm more needed than in one of  the world’s busiest cities.  From the moment you step  inside this five-star hotel’s award-winning spa, the crowds, congestion and constant car horns 34 floors below feel miles away. Take in uninterrupted views of Central Park and the Hudson River through floor- to-ceiling windows in the sprawling space, which has  six treatment rooms – with private showers, amethyst crystal steam chambers and gender-specific plunge pools – and an Oriental Tea Lounge  to relax in sipping a herbal infusion. As you’d expect from  a Mandarin Oriental, the spa menu features a dash of the  Far East: Ayurvedic skin and body treatments; therapeutic massages; chakra balancing; acupressure; and a jetlag-busting Oriental Harmony massage that has two therapists working on your body in perfect unison. Guests are encouraged to book a 90-minute appointment then decide on the ideal mix of treatments in a pre-therapy consultation. Who said New York has to be exhausting? – Vanessa Lawrence

Miami

The Spa at  Four Seasons hotel at The Surf Club
This luxury hotel is located in the Surfside neighbourhood of Miami. It’s  a mere 20-minute drive north  of the buzzing South Beach precinct but the serenity is other-worldly. The sound of crashing waves echoing along  its stately hallways certainly helps but it’s at the spa that  this hotel really delivers on  Zen. A seamless symphony  of white shuttered windows  and relaxing lounges, crisp robes and plush linen, the tranquil space offers regular yoga and meditation workshops, a dedicated steam room and sauna, plus a bevy of treatments – from a 90-minute anti-ageing facial to two-hour-long stress- relieving hot-stone massages. There are a number of highly specialised therapies, too –  a hand-regenerating ritual  that takes away the signs of  time from your mitts, say, or  the slimming and sculpting treatment that features a rigorous massage.  – Akash Arora

San Francisco

Remède Spa at  the St. Regis
Your lymphatic system will get  a boost simply walking into the stylish St. Regis hotel, located in the happening SoMa neighbourhood, but its serene sixth-floor spa is the perfect retreat for stressed  tech executives. A lengthy  menu of therapies and rituals covers customised massages, while restorative baths use ingredients inspired by the  Bay area. For après-treatment relaxation, there are few better options than floating in the indoor saltwater pool and soaking up stunning views  of the San Francisco skyline. – Larissa Dubecki

Dallas

The Spa at The Joule
Dallas, Texas, is packing some serious wellness heat thanks to  The Spa at The Joule boutique hotel. Housed in a lavishly renovated 1920s neo-Gothic building,  the subterranean spa is pure 2019, complete with a crystal steam room (the giant amethyst in the corner is said to induce tranquillity while also aligning those pesky chakras), a jet- massage vitality pool equipped with in-water loungers and  a futuristic fountain of shaved ice to slather on the body post- sauna. The treatments range from pampering, personalised facials to super-luxurious massages, including the Fire  and Ice, which uses alternating hot volcanic stones and cool jade crystals. – Larissa Dubecki

Los Angeles

Ciel Spa at SLS Hotel
The soothing white-on-white décor of Ciel Spa comes courtesy  of designer to the stars Philippe Starck – fittingly, this sumptuous wellbeing den is a favoured haunt of Los Angeles’ glitterati. A sanctuary within a sanctuary (it’s housed in Beverly Hills’ five- star SLS Hotel), Ciel Spa has a finely honed attention to detail. Even the wellness seeker who’s seen  it all will thrill to the custom-made massage beds complete with music-therapy technology and the healthy finger food created by celebrity chef José Andrés. And being La La Land there’s a smorgasbord of frontier treatments such as intravenous therapy to replenish the body with essential minerals, vitamins and amino acids. – Larissa Dubecki

Honolulu

SpaHalekulani
Wind down in Waikiki with  the stress-melting rituals of Polynesian tradition. The spa belonging to the waterfront five-star Halekulani hotel  (the name translates as “house befitting heaven”) marries ancient wisdom and indigenous ingredients for an only-in-Hawaii experience. Relax to the sound of ocean waves while indulging in massages ranging from the Nonu, using hot stones and healing noni fruit, to Lomi Lomi, the sacred Hawaiian massage using kukui nut oil,  or Ho‘olele, an intense, all-over massage enlisting the help of  the therapist’s bare feet. – Larissa Dubecki

Chicago

Aire Ancient Baths
Steeped in the bathing rituals  of the ancient Roman, Greek and Ottoman civilisations,  Aire Ancient Baths (pictured top) offers transporting pleasure. In the cavernous basement of an historic building in Chicago’s River West area, you can pamper yourself like it’s 500 BCE with  a thermal-bath circuit featuring pools set to varied temperatures (hot, cold, warm and – eek – ice), plus a saltwater “flotarium” in which you can bob weightlessly. Or really sink your teeth into the Aire experience with a solo soak in red wine. – Larissa Dubecki