Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Skiing is hard on the body—especially if you’re taking risks and challenging yourself. Even if you’re just cruising groomers all day, you might feel your lower back, quads, hamstrings, and even your abs the next day. That’s why spas at ski resorts are a thing.
If you think that getting a massage or a body rub is too frou-frou for you, you’re missing out. A spa treatment timed for mid-ski vacation can be truly therapeutic, and help you stay out longer and get the most out of your time on the slopes. Plus, you’re on vacation. What better time to treat yourself?
There are too many options to count at all of the major ski destinations, so we rounded up a handful of our favorites at ski resorts around the globe. Book one of these treatments, or use them as inspiration to schedule your own wellness moment this season.
The Best Spa Treatments in Ski Country
The Spa at Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, Calif.
If you believe the old real estate motto “location, location, location,” then this is your spa. Located at mid-mountain at Northstar, with ski trails in every direction, the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe spa brings relaxation and rejuvenation right into the middle of the Tahoe wilderness. With 17 serene and picturesque treatment rooms, an impressive list of treatment options, and a full schedule of holistic wellness options, the spa will keep you fully pampered and rejuvenated. This is truly the way to finish off a day on the slopes.
Treatment: Journey through the Forest is a 90-minute spa experience incorporating essential oils designed to release tension and stimulate the immune system.
The Spa at the Lodge at Spruce Peak, Stowe, Vt.
The Lodge at Spruce Peak has a spa that is different from the rest. While it offers traditional spa services, such as soothing massages, warm soak pools, and calming aromatherapy, it also provides a more permanent fix. Employees are trained to advise guests on proper eating and exercise habits that go beyond one day at the spa. Reserve one of their Healing Lodges, where a solitary soak in a whirlpool will take you away from it all.
Treatment: Whole Body Vibration sessions take place on a specially made platform that vibrates and oscillates your soft tissue, aiming for faster muscle recovery, better circulation, and increased mobility and flexibility.
Also Read: The Ultimate Stretch For Skiers Who Don’t Stretch
Scandinave Spa, Whistler, B.C.
This unique spa located just minutes away from Whistler is known for the health benefits of its pools. Warm up in a hot tub or in the dry or steam sauna, then plunge immediately into the chilly river or cold pool. Then rest by the fireplace until you are ready to do it again. The cycle usually lasts about 45 minutes, and you can repeat as often as you like. Skeptical? You’ll feel extraordinarily relaxed after the process.
Treatment: Scandinave’s traditional Swedish massage combines long strokes and light pressure to increase blood flow and release tension, but the real draw of this spot is the incredible pools.
Creekside Spa at the Double Eagle Resort, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Just outside Mammoth Lake, Double Eagle Resort and Spa is your one-stop shop for spa treatments as well as outdoor activities and fine dining. Double Eagle’s Creekside Spa maintains a rustic yet luxurious style that blends perfectly with its picturesque surroundings. With a full menu of massages, facials, and body therapies, a full fitness calendar with classes ranging from yoga and Tai Chi to swimming and stretching, and myriad outdoor activities, you can choose how much downtime you want at Double Eagle.
Treatment: The DeVine Therm Experience takes place on the Thermal Envelopment Bed, where the body is dry-brushed and skin is coated with a body mask and then gently warmed from shoulders to toes in the body capsule, where circulating steam activates the mask to encourage detoxification.
Related: 5 CBD Blends That Battle Anxiety, Insomnia, Soreness, and More
Rémedé Spa, St. Regis Deer Valley, Utah
The Remède Spa, located in the St. Regis Deer Valley, is known for its custom treatments; take a yoga class in the adjoining St. Regis Athletic Club, then soak in the heated, outdoor two-tier infinity pool and ponder when you’ll possibly find time hit the slopes. Each treatment at this spa is customized to fit the visitor’s specific concerns or needs. They have 11 treatment rooms, two couples treatment rooms, heated patios, and a reflection pool.
Treatment: The Oxygen Illumination is an 80-minute facial that starts with cleansing and exfoliating, then infuses the skin with Biologique Recherche products for deep penetration.
Six Senses Spa at Le Crans, Crans Montana, Switzerland
The new Le Crans sets a different tone for a ski hotel. Built with a unique sense of place and an eye for the aesthetic, the hotel is set at the edge of an alpine forest with views of the high peaks of the Valais range. But it’s the exquisite Six Senses Spa that makes the experience here. With indoor and outdoor pools with mountain views, saunas, hot tubs, and an extensive list of treatments, Six Senses embraces its alpine ethos. There are week-long wellness programs as well as seasonal and signature treatments, but the Biohack Recovery Lounge, with tools to de-stress and give your body what it needs, is a must.
Treatment: The signature Swiss Chocolate Wrap features full-body exfoliation with salts from the Anzeindanz Glacier, after which your body is wrapped in a cocoa body mask to penetrate the skin and provide nourishment and moisturization.
The Sonnenalp Spa, Vail, Colo.
It starts at the indoor/outdoor heated tranquility pool and continues in the kitted-out treatment rooms at the Sonnenalp’s boutique spa that’s known for its impeccable and personal service in an intimate setting. The massages here are out of this world, and a real treat after a day in the back bowls and Blue Sky Basin. Come early to unwind by the tranquility pool, soak in the hot tubs, and sip tea or a cocktail by the wood-burning hearth.
Treatment: The 75-minute full-body Dry Brushing Body Treatment uses exfoliation to wake up the lymphatic system to promote maximum circulation to help detoxify the body. It also includes 50 minutes of massage.