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Any list of the “best spas” is bound to be subjective. Particularly when it comes to wellness, one persons pleasure is another persons pain. (Just mention “cold plunge” in a room full of wellness junkies and see how many opinions you elicit.) One of the reasons we wanted to come up with a list of the 100 best spas in the world was because there is just so much out there. And the range of offerings grows no more narrow when you are looking just at the best spas in the United States.
Nonetheless, we have discerned—in our extensive research—some standouts as we built Vogue’s Global Spa Guide. Check out our list of the Best Spas in the World and Best Spas in New York City as as well. Here, in unranked order, is our assessment of the best spa resorts in the USA.
Miraval Berkshires Resort Spa
Oprah put Miraval on the map when she endorsed its flagship Arizona desert destination—a pioneer among wellness resorts before wellness became cliché. Now East Coast Winfrey acolytes who have long dreamed of making a pilgrimage can experience a sliver of the magic at an outpost in woodsy Lenox, Massachusetts. Opened in 2020, Miraval Berkshires represents an expansion beyond the brand’s Arizona origins. It follows an Austin, Texas, offshoot that opened in 2019. While its desert predecessors offer posh four-star refuges, Miraval Berkshires is more cozily understated: "luxury without being too lavish,” according to Director of spa and wellbeing, Jacqueline Berry. And The Life in Balance Spa delivers on that standard, with a buffet of treatments so inventive and elaborately over-the-top, some are aptly called rituals. Try Vasudhara, a warm-water pool float accented by calming underwater sound vibrations or the Oprah-favorite Naga, a guided stretch-massage in which a standing masseuse grips silks dangling from the ceiling to create deep compressions with her feet.
Sensei Lanai
The vibe here is exclusive art-filled Hawaiian island oasis meets Japanese forest ryokan by way of the Four Seasons hotel chain. Guests—generally of the mover-and-shaker 1% variety—come here to unplug and optimize and reconnect with themselves and each other (and, as it’s an adults only resort, to leave the kids behind). The focus is on overall well-being and longevity through treating the whole individual, and programs center on one-on-ones with highly trained Sensei guides. The retreat offers a unique position in the spa resort landscape in that the entire island is something of a personal project: Oracle co-founder and billionaire entrepreneur Larry Ellison bought around 98% of the 90,000 acre Hawaiian island of Lana’i in 2012, including two Four Seasons-operated hotels. One is the five star beachfront resort; further inland lies Sensei Lana’i, the 96-room wellness-focused arm of the operation, which is operated by Four Seasons in conjunction with Ellison’s own hospitality brand, Sensei. It s good to know that this is not a typical resort in the sense of possessing a spa with a communal steam room and sauna open for guests. There are several very thought through programs, and if you re headed here you will want to assess which one seems best for you so you can get the most out of the experience—whether that s a guided slowing down or a more intensive workup and workout.
Sensei Porcupine Creek
Who wouldn’t want to biohack like a billionaire? At Sensei Porcupine Creek, Oracle cofounder and Silicon Valley superstar Larry Ellison’s Palm Springs retreat, that’s exactly what’s on offer. Sensei’s raison d’être is to optimize well-being through a data-led approach and three pillars: move, nourish, and rest. (Should data collection sound daunting, one can just as easily fill their calendar with spa treatments, pool days, and decadent dinners—technically this counts as both nourish and rest.) Porcupine Creek was formerly one of Ellison’s private homes, and it can still feel that way: I would guess the staff-to-guest ratio to be around five to one. When the front gates close behind you, you may only be a 20-minute drive from the Palm Springs airport, but you might as well be on a different planet. Lucky for you, this one is exceptional on every level.
Cal-a-Vie
You’re less than an hour outside San Diego, but wake up at Cal-a-Vie and wonder whether you’ve been teleported to the French countryside. A meticulously constructed château-style estate (so meticulous, in fact, that several buildings were disassembled in France and rebuilt here), the retreat is made up of 32 private villas and expansive manicured grounds. There are punishing health spas with their detoxes and self-flagellation, and then there’s Cal-a-Vie, where—in between interval training sessions and trapeze yoga classes—you might be offered a salted caramel smoothie. The philosophy here is, in sum, indulge: There are two pools, a hair salon, a nail salon, spare, beautiful treatment rooms, a cold plunge, pickleball courts, tennis courts, and a greenhouse. There is an orange grove. Schedules are personalized, depending on fitness goals and proclivities. So are treatments, which happen in the afternoon as a reward for all the exercise. The vibe is luxury summer camp, with an endless supply of perfectly ripe fruit available upon request. Activities abound (there are over 120 fitness classes), but there is no coercion.
Mii Amo
In the 23 years since it opened, Mii Amo has garnered a kind of cult status for in-the-know wellness world aficionados largely thanks to its setting, snuggled within the glowing red rocks of Boynton Canyon in Sedona, Arizona, right in one of the town’s famed “energy vortexes.” (Those who subscribe to certain ideals around chakras and energy flow will find themselves in a very potent position.) Now, thanks to a $40 million renovation (completed in 2022), and faced with an increasingly stressful world, the vibes-forward escape has never felt more necessary. A series of red concrete, stucco, and adobe structures designed to blend into the surrounding canyon, Mii Amo is like a small desert oasis populated by blissed-out people wearing bathrobes. Note that Mii Amo is the younger spa-focused sister property to the larger 218-room Enchantment Resort, which it abuts. Enchantment has a heavier focus on outdoor activities and adventures, while Mii Amo is more focused on interior journeys.
Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain
About a 45-minute drive from the Knoxville airport, through winding mountain roads, sits Blackberry Farm, a wonderland at the foothills of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains. Guests typically don’t leave the resort, and once you’re there, you’ll see why—there are endless ways to fill your time: from hiking to yoga classes on a deck overlooking the trees, treatments in the multi-floor spa, fly-fishing lessons, kayaking in the pond, petting sheep… it’s summer camp but elevated. Formerly a working farm, Blackberry Farm opened in 1976 as a six-room bed and breakfast, and has since expanded to 68 rooms.
Consider this a two-for-one: Blackberry Mountain, the sister property to the Farm, is a more explicitly-minded wellness retreat, with an emphasis on activity. Upon checking in, you’ll receive a Blackberry Mountain Yeti water bottle, and you re likely to be in athleisure for the rest of your stay. Activities include: hiking, paddle boarding, biking or for the more adventurous—rock climbing or ropes courses. There’s also an on-site art studio that offers pottery, watercolor painting in nature, and more, all inspired by the natural elements. While it’s all very casual, the experience is also extremely refined. This one has been beloved by many in the Vogue office for many years.
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.
Two Bunch Palms
Nestled within 77 acres of lush palm groves just 20 minutes outside of Palm Springs, this legendary desert oasis has been attracting visitors to its natural, mineral-rich hot springs for centuries. In fact, locals say the springs were originally given their name by the Indigenous Cahuilla tribe thousands of years ago. These days, Two Bunch Palms is a full-service resort offering a whole roster of modern treatments, healing workshops, and wellness experiences—what owner Erica Chang appealingly calls “uncomplicated wellness.” While there’s everything from Reiki meditation to adaptogenic body wraps on offer, taking to the waters in the thermal baths is definitely the main draw. The resort’s tucked-away location on the edge of the Coachella Valley lends it an aura of secrecy—but this isn’t the kind of place where you aren’t allowed to speak above a whisper.
Esalen
Full disclosure, and a bit of a warning: Esalen is not actually spa. Esalen is a mind institute—a place where you go to heal, expand, or inspire your thinking. (They describe themselves as an “incubator of human potential,” and this isn t the kind of place you go for luxury amenities.) Nor can you book an appointment or simply drop in: You must sign up for one of their specific multi-day workshops. But, among the people who visited and tested for this guide, it ranked among their top destinations. One reason clear: There’s simply an incredible array of options. Sign up for a yoga retreat or one on holistic breathwork, or a program that focuses on leadership or creativity. One of Esalen’s most famous offerings is Gestalt, a form of psychotherapy which focuses on personal responsibility and staying in the present, as well as the exploration of emotions through role playing, painting, and physical experiences. Esalen is the most famous center for Gestalt in the world—and, in fact, pioneered it in the 1960s. The spectacular Big Sur coastline helps as well.
The Ranch Hudson Valley
Newly opened in 2024, when we visited to the The Ranch Hudson Valley, it was all so new that certain buildings hadn t even opened yet. A year later, the New York outpost of the famous The Ranch Malibu, has come into its own, earning a spot on this list. The New York location is a bit different that it s West Coast cousin, however, offering three- or four-day stays for busy, type-A New Yorkers, rather than Malibu’s week-long visits. The forests of the Hudson highlands replace sweeping views of the Pacific—they’re an especially worthy stand-in during the fall when the woods light up with color—but the wellness focus remains the same, east coast and west: At the Ranch, you’ll hike hard, eat clean and lean, and focus on your body, mind, and spirit with daily massages, plus services and activities that include colon hydrotherapy, journaling workshops, and energy healing. To reset the Ranch way, you’ll need to do some prep work; all guests receive a 30-day pre-arrival program with recommendations to up your exercise quotient and eliminate added sugars, alcohol, and caffeine. This kind of experience isn t for everyone of course, but if you re looking for a vigorous reset, not much can beat it.
Amangiri
The Amangiri is one of—if not, arguably, the—best hotels in the United States. (It’s been awarded three Michelin keys.) The minimalist architecture, the otherworldly desert landscape, the luxurious amenities and service…. It all adds up to a once-in-a-lifetime stay. There’s a reason that Hailey and Justin Bieber, the Kardashians, as well as Beyoncé and Jay-Z have all been guests of the Amangiri: It’s spectacular. So yes, go for the spa. But also just go for the experience.
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.
