Shhhh! We’ve Uncovered The Best Off-Menu Spa Treatments
Good things come to those who ask. Welcome to the club. (Photo: Getty)
Ask any West Coaster what to get at iconic burger chain In-N-Out and they’ll say an animal-style cheeseburger with animal-style fries. But glance at the menu and those cult-favorite options aren’t there, it’s only if you know to ask for them. That in-the-know mentality is also prized at top spas around the globe where some of the coolest and most unique pampering treatments are available by request only. They are off-menu for a variety of reasons, as a bonus to regular guests, or because they can’t accommodate too many requests. We did some sleuthing to uncover some incredible top secret spa treatments.
At the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, insiders know that sessions with the magical Jeannette von Johnsbach are life-changing. Book a calming Couples Bio Meditation session ($260) to experience an energy healing method to detoxify, balance and even work out issues you might not have known existed. Meanwhile, at the Spa InterContinental Los Angeles, ask for the Detoxifying Ritual ($225) a luxurious bath followed by exfoliating body polish, mineral mud mask, toxin-eliminating cocoon and scalp massage.
The Mandarin Oriental in Boston offers, but doesn’t advertise, its hippie-esque Gemstone Vitality journey ($260-280) involving a full-body massage using custom-blended essential oils and locally mined garnet, tourmaline, smoky quartz and amethyst stones, which each promise relief of unique issues. In Zihuatanejo, Mexico, the Viceroy Spa’s Healing Massage ($150) really gets guests in the local spirit by using ancestral traditions of herbal healing via aromatherapy, a mud massage and herb- and leaf-filled wrap.
Some of these need-to-know treatments are especially tailored to their location. For example, Spa Matilda at the boutiquey Hotel Matilda in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, created the R&R Leg Therapy ($200) as an answer to the town’s windy cobblestone streets. The “house special” features a bamboo exfoliation of the lower extremities, clay leg mask (developed in the spa’s apothecary) and full body massage. It finishes with a facial massage that incorporates hand-carved marble to lift and firm.
Insiders at Spa Marquis in Baja, California, know to request the decadently named Chocolate Party, which includes a chocolate-mint exfoliation, chocolate wrap and massage with chocolate oil. Locals flock to the Mulia Spa in Bali for indigenous Indonesian rituals like a ginger wrap, cellulite-minimizing coffee scrub or kemiri oil scalp and head treatment.
Additionally, some of these secretive specialties are add-ons that you can add to other treatments. At The Spa at The Miami Edition, guests can enhance their treatments with Cranial Sacral Therapy by request. The treatment helps those suffering from migraines, back pain, fatigue or stress. Phuket, Thailand’s Sri Panwa hotel will arrange a four-handed massage if asked for, while guests can request guided meditation at RockResorts Spa in Vail, Colorado. One of the most unique special requests might be Solitude Spa at Teton Mountain Lodge’s Hair of the Moose treatment. The Jackson Hole retreat’s brief and boozy extra consists of 15 minutes of peppermint-infused oxygen therapy — to increase body recovery and improve altitude adjustment — with a bacon Bloody Mary. It pays to be in the know.
Related:
10 Spa Treatments That Are Worth the Splurge
