The 10 Best Spa Resorts in the United States (2024)

There is a tremendous range out there when it comes to the best spa resorts in the USA—from a lush mountaintop escape to a desert oasis to retreats just a short jaunt from New York City. (There field is so dense within the Big Apple, that we've actually broken that one down for you into the best spas in NYC.) And new places are opening all the time—to offer the latest in scientific research, or to return us to an earlier, perhaps more grounded, time. (Forrest bathing anyone?) Suffice it to say that there's a big range. Any list is subjective, of course, and much of what you might enjoy from a spa experience depends on what you're looking for. But here are some of the standouts in the USA that got our attention as we built Vogue's Global Spa Guide. Check out our list of the Best Spas in the World as as well—at least one great US retreat made it on to that list, and it would definitely have a spot here if not already noted. Here, in unranked order, we present, our assessment of the best spa resorts in the USA.

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.

The rambling, gambrel-roof inn is an icon of New England hospitality, and the spa is of equal repute, beloved by hotel guests and local residents alike. For the 20,000-square-foot wellness center, Auberge Resorts has partnered with the New York City spa The Well, known for marrying Eastern and Western modalities and making wellness an à la carte experience. At the Mayflower, this means treatments that extend beyond the traditional body and facial work to also include reiki, acupuncture, and Tarot readings. The idea is that your wellness experience does not start and end within the shingled walls but continues far beyond Litchfield County. The Well has worked hard to bring the spa outside: guided hikes, foraging classes, sound baths, summer fitness classes in the tented open-air pavilion, and their signature forest craniosacral therapy. While the overall vibe of the Mayflower is classic New England country with a shot of whimsy (classic chintz layered with striped dhurrie rugs and paper flowers), a more tranquil atmosphere resigns at the spa.

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.

Shou Sugi Ban House

Incorporating wellness with healing arts and a culinary program by a Noma founder, all set amid bright and cozy Japanese-inspired minimalist spaces, Shou Sugi Ban House is the Hamptons’ first destination spa and wellness retreat. The vibe is Hamptons beach meets natural, Japanese-inspired aesthetics with a touch of the New Age. Expect a combination of ancient healing arts, movement classes, and local, seasonal, healthy eating and drinking. For example, opt for an early-morning meditation or beach walk, followed by a challenging stretch-and-balance class, before relaxing at the 90-degree saltwater pool and then sampling custom blends at the Tea Barn. There’s something for everyone, says director of special events Taylor Rose Berry, and “most guests discover something they didn’t even know they were looking for.”

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 refined.

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 as you make your way to the last entry in our best spa resort in the USA list: 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.