Ski Lodge Chic.

Baqueira-Beret is where the Spanish royals retire for the winter. And the Occitania Spa in the five-star Hotel La Pleta is where slope-fancying socialites like Victoria Beckham unwind, avant and après ski. Slate walls, wood trim and glass-floored treatment rooms earmark the rustic, lodge-like retreat with white gossamer curtains adding a sense of flow. All massages, like the leg-warming “ski preparation,” make use of products forage...

Relaxation by design.

Small wonder that Omm, the hotel that houses Spaciomm Spa, is a member of Design Hotels. The clientele is even less surprising: a smattering of architects, decorators, creative directors — anyone with an arty eye and a flair for the fabulous. Which explains why booking a treatment during Barcelona’s semi-annual fashion week is about as challenging as outrunning a bull at the Plaza de Toros. A geisha mural, dark lighting and a ...

Heal it through the grapevine.

After experiencing all of the bacchanalian pleasures at the magnificent Frank Gehry-designed Hotel Marqúes de Riscal, smack in the middle of Rioja’s oldest vineyard, what better than a spa treatment to ease the blow of the toxins ingested the night before? In a twist on the hair-of-the-dog philosophy, Spain’s only Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa is conveniently placed in-house, complete with treatments incorporating antioxi...

GETTING AWAY COULD BE AS EASY AS ESCAPING RIGHT IN YOUR BACK YARD.

Whether you know it or not, there are two completely different types of spa experiences. The first is a much-needed visit you schedule between your 10 a.m. client meeting and your 1 p.m. lunch. You’re in and out, your skin looks plumper but you are only slightly refreshed. While this is good for day-to-day maintenance, let’s not neglect the importance of a longer, more intensive, st...