12 Essential Luxury Spas in New York City

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New York City may have a reputation as the city that never sleeps, never dawdles, and certainly never walks three-across on a sidewalk, but relaxation, too, is a critical component of life in the Big Apple. And in our book, the most indulgent way to unwind is an afternoon spent pampering ourselves at a luxurious spa. Thankfully—like shopping, real estate, and hotels—New York City contains some of the world's very best, whether you’re looking for a massage, a long soak, or a litany of aesthetic treatments. But with so many options out there, it can be hard to determine the right route to relaxation for you.

Lilly Wilbanks, director of travel at Insider Lifestyle Management, a luxury private concierge service that's been doing business for 20 years, says she often sends her clients—be they out-of-town visitors or staycationing locals—to hotel spas. "Hotel spas are definitely very trustworthy for us, especially if it's a hotel we book a lot," she explains. "We only reach out to spas we know and trust, have had personal experience with, or have sent clients to in the past. We have a lot of feedback in our database that we can reference."

The right spa for you, per Willbanks, could hinge on if you’re a superfan of one particular skincare line (La Mer, Guerlain, and more have luxury spas in the city), looking for a more private vibe, or are simply looking for convenience. Below are 12 of the best spas in New York City. No matter what you’re looking for, you are guaranteed to find your bliss.

$$$$A 60-minute massage starts at $255.

"Our number one hotel spa is the Shibui Spa," says Wilbanks—and it's easy to see why. Located at the chic Greenwich hotel in TriBeCa, the spa takes its name from a Japanese word that loosely translates to "effortless beauty." The same could be said of the facilities, the highlight of which is a glowing, lantern-lit pool crowned with 250-year-old beams reclaimed from a farmhouse and reassembled by Japanese craftsmen. "People just love that space, and the vibe is really cool combined with the Japanese influence," Wilbanks adds.

The vibes are just the start. In one of five treatment rooms, you can book indulgent facials, relaxing massages, and full body treatments—all of which prioritize organic beauty products. The spa's signature massage is an omakase ritual that "utilizes a combination of honored therapies and oils to heal and release deeply rooted stress patterns, pain, or energetic blockage." Or book in an Oxygen Awakening facial, which promises to rejuvenate the stressed-out skin of city dwellers. Taking it easy never looked so chic.

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$$$$A 50-minute massage starts at $250.The high life doesn't get more literal than the Spa at the Mandarin Oriental. This rarefied relaxation perch sits on the 35th and 36th floor of the Columbus Circle hotel and covers an impressive 14,500 square feet of space, including a state-of-the-art fitness center and a lap pool with views of the Hudson River. Book in for an entire day, or treat yourself to one of the spa's remedies, ranging from jet-lag cures to body wraps to restorative and detoxifying facials to a massage that aims to bid sayonara to tech neck and other digital-induced strain. And the facilities look as good as you’ll feel: Designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates, the interiors nod to Japanese, Chinese, and Thai heritages, with bamboo flooring, natural stone, and gilded millwork. Oh, and did we mention the amethyst crystal steam room?

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$$$A 50-minute massage starts at $195, plus entrance charge starting at $120.

Wellness is a journey…especially if you go to QC NY Spa, located on Governors Island. The 172-acre isle, located just an eight-minute boat trip from Lower Manhattan, functioned as a strategic military outpost dating back to the 1750s. Today, it's been rehabbed into a wild, car-free respite that feels worlds away from the city that never sleeps. QC NY rehabbed a set of former army barracks to create an away-from-it-all experience unlike any other you’ll encounter in the Big Apple. The facilities feature five saunas and two steam rooms, each with its own theme (including one papered with scenes from Central Park). But the pièce de résistance is arguably the rooftop pool, which is oriented toward panoramic views of Lower Manhattan. If the scenery isn't enough, top off your day with a massage or a sunset aperitivo. (Pro tip: The admission wait time can be long, per reviewers, so aim to get there early.) Bliss is just a ferry ride away!

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$$$$A 60-minute massage starts at $215.Eloise can keep her suite: We’re heading to the Guerlain Spa at the Plaza Hotel. While this pampering spot is tucked away inside of one of New York City's most famous destinations, its remedies come straight from Guerlain's Institut de Beauté on Paris's Champs-Élysées. Once nestled in the spa's posh environs, prepare to be cosseted with bespoke treatments from one of Guerlain's "beauty coaches" that feature luxurious tinctures derived from rare orchids and honey and techniques that have been perfected since 1939. The Impérial Global anti-aging facial, for instance, relies on a secret massage technique exclusive to Guerlain's Institut. The similarly regal Impériale relaxing massage combines traditional Swedish techniques while gently scenting you in Guerlain's signature fragrance. While you’re at it, you can get your makeup done…or even treat your pet to a day of spoiling.

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$$A 50-minute massage starts at $170.You don't need to break the bank to treat yourself in style, as Bathhouse in Brooklyn proves. This ELLE DECOR editor–approved spot in Williamsburg features invigorating scrubs and relaxing massages in a chic, industrial setting in the bowels of a converted factory. After being scrubbed down, sweat it out in one of Bathhouse's numerous treatment rooms or don a bathrobe and get a bite to eat (or a cocktail) at the upstairs restaurant. Not interested in a treatment? Book a day pass, which will grant you access to the spa's dry sauna, tropical sauna, starlight steam room, and thermal pools. Pro tip: At peak hours, the spa takes on a characteristic Brooklyn party atmosphere, so those looking for a more solitary experience should book an early-bird pass.

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$$$Chiropractic Movement starts at $250."The Hottest Place to Network Is an Ice Bath," the New York Times declared about Remedy Spa, the "social wellness club" in Manhattan's Flatiron district. The club, which opened in 2022 after a successful launch in West Hollywood, California, three years earlier, aims to help clubgoers de-stress…and maybe even score a good business deal in a Soho House-meets-Equinox amalgam. Yes, you can find ice baths, but you can also book acupuncture and cupping treatments, lymphatic compression, "chiropractic movement," sound baths, and more. Plus, with Venetian plaster walls, a moody color palette, and sexy low-slung furnishings, optimization looks mighty good. Memberships start at $595 per month for residents, but nonmembers can also book à la carte treatments. Networking with a side of cryotherapy? Sign us up!

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$$$$$A one-hour massage starts at $245.If you cherish your jar of Crème de la Mer as if it were one of your own children, then the luxury beauty brand's outpost (the world's very first full-service La Mer spa, mind you) at the Baccarat Hotel & Residences is the place for you. "Everyone loves La Mer," insists Wilbanks, who frequently books clients into the spa. And paired with the ethos of Baccarat, the spa takes that adoration over the top. The La Mer Baccarat Facial, for instance, includes a (yes) diamond powder exfoliation and concludes with a "cooling Icy Crystal Star technique." You can also be doused head to toe with La Mer in a sumptuous full-body treatment that will also polish you with diamond powder. And if you need a break from all that opulence, you can lounge alongside the wellness center's 55-foot-pool, or spend some time soaking in the adjacent whirlpool. The spaces were dreamed up by hospitality designers Gilles & Boissier, who were inspired by the sea as well as the bronze and champagne hues of La Mer's signature Miracle Broth elixir. Of course, this being the Baccarat, rooms feature glistening custom crystal sconces.

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$$$$$A 60-minute massage starts at $380.Inside New York's historic Crown Building—a 1921 building designed by the architects of Grand Central Station and the very first home of the Museum of Modern Art—bliss awaits. The Aman Spa New York, part of the ultraluxury hotel of the same name, specializes in helping you get away from it all, while being in the middle of it all. Unwind with traditional Chinese medicine, a vitamin-cocktail IV drip, a Thai oil massage, and more. Float through the facility's gracious interiors, which include a marble-clad hammam, Russian-style banya, as well as a private outdoor terrace where you can submerge yourself in a hot bath or cold plunge pool. If it's a more energizing experience you seek, the greater wellness center offers everything from weight-loss management to injury rehab to sports performance training to Pilates. "You feel like you’re almost the only ones there," says Wilbanks, who frequently books appointments for her clients here. "You don't feel like you’re in New York City." Looking for something even more holistic? Now through August 31, 2023—for a cool $12,600—you can book the Ultimate Aman New York Experience for a day of pampering, including a three-hour banya treatment, cryotherapy session, a meditation session, plus an overnight stay, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner, compliments of the hotel's own executive chef.

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$$$$A 60-minute massage starts at $295.For more than three decades, Equinox has specialized in creating beautiful bodies via state-of-the-art fitness facilities. Now at their Hudson Yards hotel, you can level up your beauty (and recovery) routine with a treatment at its signature spa. Equinox has fitness down to a science, so it's no surprise it takes the same approach to achieve—as its website puts it—"inner and outer body excellence." Its high-tech menu boasts treatments like the sci-fi-sounding Icoone Roboderm, a treatment that promises to foster firmer-appearing skin and soothe stressed-out muscles; the Gold Collagen facial, which was developed with celeb plastic surgeon Lara Devgan, M.D., to hydrate, lift, and plump; or a session on the Spa Wave Table that promises to (stressed-out New Yorkers, rejoice!) deliver the equivalent of a three-hour snooze in just 30 minutes. In the spring, you can even book a Met Gala prep package, which includes a facial, lymphatic drainage massage, and detoxifying gummies. "It's trustworthy. It's Equinox. You know what you’re getting is good," adds Willbanks.

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$$$ A 50-minute massage starts at $185.Manhattan may boast the majority of the Big Apple's ultraluxury spas, but those looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle need just travel over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Bamford at 1 Hotel. This neutral-hued oasis—first launched in the English countryside by British lifestyle guru and baroness Carole Bamford—feels like the chicest barn you’ve ever been in with blond-wood cladding and floors, tree-trunk decor, and lighting as soft as the furniture. The spa offers everything from luxurious massages to a pore-cleansing Acquaglo hydradermabrasion facial (all of which utilize Bamford's signature organic skincare products). Can't choose? Book yourself in for a 4½-hour spa day.

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$$$$$A one-hour massage starts at $295.One can only expect the best from the Carlyle—that bastion of Upper East Side elegance—and the same extends to its in-house Valmont Spa. The retreat is run by the Swiss cosmetics company of the same name (it's the only New York spa to carry Valmont products), which brings characteristic precision to its various remedies. Treatments are inspired by Valmont's alpine roots, with mountainous-inspired names like Energy of the Glaciers energy ritual, Lift from the Peaks facial, and Serene Valley massage and are grounded in Valmont's signature "butterfly motion," a massage technique that helps with circulation and relaxation.

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$$$$A 60-minute massage starts at $245.

Five-star service is synonymous with Four Seasons hotels, and the spa at its downtown Manhattan location is no exception. The tranquil space—located on the third floor of Robert A.M. Stern's towering classical building—features elegant marble details, soothing lounges, and an indoor pool with scenic city views. Specialists offer treatments that encompass wellness practices from around the world, ranging from purifying full-body mud treatments to reflexology. Book a full-body massage treatment from Augustinus Bader that promises to "boost cellular communication, promote circulation, firm, tone, and rejuvenate the skin"; sign up for a session with one of the spas resident healers, a group known as "the Collective"; or indulge in the 5½-hour Royal Ritual, which includes a facial, massage, pedicure…and Champagne.

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Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com

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