Sometimes one has to get away in order to get back to one’s true self. Whether you’re looking for a rejuvenating weekend getaway or a far-flung all-encompassing retreat, here are five sanctuaries worth savoring.
1. Barton Creek | Austin
Located in the heart of Texas Hill Country — yet a mere 20-minute drive from Downtown Austin — Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa is Texas’ go-to destination for a spa sabbatical. The resort is home to a world-class Mokara Spa with a private rooftop pool, a new addition to the resort as part of a property-wide $150 million renovation and expansion over the past year.
Inspired by the nearby waterways of Austin Hill Country, the 13,000-square-foot spa features 17 traditional treatment rooms and three couples’ treatment rooms for a variety of facial and body care services. The relaxation areas offer soaring floor-to-ceiling windows — blurring the lines between indoors and out — and additional indoor facilities include steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools.
The crown jewel of Mokara Spa is easily the adults-only rooftop pool, a sanctuary boasting some of the most impressive views of the surrounding Hill Country the resort has to offer. Here, guests can dip, sip and savor all day with poolside fare featuring light bites and effervescent cocktails.
In addition to the spa, the expanded resort now includes a new guest room tower, seven restaurants, poolscape featuring three pools and two hot tubs, four championship golf courses, and makes frequent appearances on “Best of” lists by Golfweek, Golf Digest, Conde Nast Traveler and Golf.com.
2. Montelucia | Scottsdale
Situated at the base of Camelback Mountain in the aptly named Paradise Valley, Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia epitomizes the American Southwest’s reputation for wellness and spirituality.
Upon entering the resort’s Moroccan-inspired Joya Spa, the immersive ambience envelops the five senses almost immediately. Guests are guided through a dimly-lit corridor as peaceful tones chime, and the sweet scent of aromatherapy begins to melt away the outside world. The passageway opens to the spacious Joy of Purification room, a richly hued circular space embellished with deep violet and rich golds. The room is anchored by a 55-pound quartz crystal that radiates a spectrum of colored light — a beacon for guests to stop, reflect and begin their wellness journey.
Adorned with intricate Moroccan patterns and details, the facilities are as beautiful as they are extensive. A Hamman room features iridescent heated seats contoured to address key pressure points; while a steam room, whirlpool and cold deluge are perfect for awakening and preparing the body for a rejuvenating massage, facial or scrub.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Joya Spa is the private rooftop pool, an elegant space providing un-obscured views of Camelback Mountain, perfect for relaxing and basking in beauty of the desert surroundings.
3. The Grove Park Inn | Asheville
Descending into the subterranean spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn is an experience along the lines of entering a mystical cavern etched into a mountainside. With wall and ceiling elements crafted from natural limestone boulders and Arts-and-Craft-style torches gently illuminating the space, the ambiance created in The Spa is entirely in tune with the organic, free-spirited reputation of its Asheville, North Carolina home.
The intimate nature of The Spa’s architecture belies an expansive facility — within this space sits 43,000 square feet of exhilarating contrast pools, inspiring inhalation rooms, saunas and eucalyptus-infused steam rooms. An immense lap pool rests directly under a sky-lit ceiling, while mineral pools and therapeutic waterfalls flank each side.
The most remarkable water feature in The Spa is certainly the audio therapy pool, where guests float under a blanket of 6,500 fiber optic stars to gentle music that can be heard only under water. On the outdoor terrace, a heated pool and fire pits welcome guests to relax and take in the incomparable view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
From Asheville’s crisp mountain air to innovative farm-to-table dining, The Omni Grove Park Inn maintains its historic heritage as a venue for wellness and quiet respite. With ten bars and restaurants, a championship golf course and startlingly handsome architecture, it is no wonder that the resort has played host to such luminaries as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt and ten U.S. Presidents.
4. The Homestead | Virginia
A hideaway nestled in the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia, The Omni Homestead Resort offers Southern hospitality steeped in history. Known as a spa and wellness destination for centuries, guests can still dip in the same mineral pools and geothermic springs that the founding fathers once visited.
Spa staff recommend guests arrive with more than enough time to thoroughly prime their muscles for treatment in The Spa’s expansive aquatherapy suite. This luxurious collection of experiences range from an aromatic steam room and herbal cocoon sauna to experiential showers and a cold cabin, allowing guests to alternately relax with heat, invigorate themselves with cold, then soothe the body again with warmth, opening up muscles and pores for a truly world-class treatment.
In The Spa’s outdoor Serenity Garden, guests can connect with nature with a dip in the historic Octagon Pool, a natural geothermal mineral spring, or pair a glass of bubbly with the bubbles of the garden’s hot tub. Natural springs also feed the water in the Serenity Garden’s reflexology pathway, featuring stones carefully placed to soothe and massage the 7,000 nerve endings in each foot. The Finnish sauna provides the perfect setting to rid the body of toxins, while a deluge shower and infinity pool invites guests to cool and relax.
Surrounded on all sides by National Forest, The Omni Homestead offers a true retreat for rejuvenation. In addition to The Spa, the resort also boasts extensive amenities including two championship golf courses, seven restaurants, activities like zip lining, hiking, fly fishing and even skeet shooting (in other words, not your typical vacation).
5. La Costa | California
Located in the charming area of Carlsbad (just 30 minutes from San Diego International Airport), Omni La Costa Resort & Spa offers an expansive and lush landscape supplemented by rich Spanish-colonial style architecture. Named American Spa’s “Favorite Resort Spa Nationwide,” The Spa at La Costa offers a tranquil, water-inspired environment aimed at providing SoCal serenity.
The Spa’s facilities epitomize luxury, with amenities including dry sauna, whirlpool, steam room and relaxation lounge — but the true heart of The Spa lies in the ample Courtyard. Here, guests lounge away the day, soaking up the sun in the private pool, whirlpool and Roman showers. The Café at The Spa offers locally inspired healthy fare in addition to indulgent cocktails, making it easy to spend an entire day luxuriating.
The sprawling La Costa resort features eight pools (including an adults-only pool as well as a splash park for kids featuring two 100-foot water slides), five dining options and two championship golf courses — earning the distinction “#1 Family Golf Destination in the Country” by Golf Digest.
Celebrate inner peace with an experience that’s out of this world.
Located in some of the country’s most beautiful locations, Omni Hotels & Resorts boasts impressive spa and wellness destinations, each with their own local inspiration and ambience. Discover more about these and Omni’s other spa resorts at OmniHotels.com.
