The best hotel spas in Hawai
Halloween is over, and while you’re busying yourself at home in your bathroom mirror trying to scrub off the remnants of the weekend — teeny blots of facepaint that escaped your preliminary skin-cleansing, rogue flecks of glitter — perhaps you’re thinking about how much you need a vacation before the holidays sweep you away in a hurricane of fatty foods, annoying music, and out-of-control check out lines. Or maybe you just want someone to wash your face for you.
Or, perhaps, a spa just always sounds good to you, regardless of the time of year. And Hawaii doesn’t sound so bad either, does it?
To make your potential pamper-fest beach vacay even easier, we’ve rounded up our picks for the very
best hotel spas in Hawaii.
Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea
Maui
Grand Wailea Resort Hotel and Spa. Boasting the biggest spa in the 50th state (coming in at 50,000-square-feet), the aptly-named Spa Grande is consistently rated among the best in the U.S. Its bath offerings include five aromatic pools, a Japanese furo bath, cascading waterfall, Roman hot tub, and Swiss jet shower, and its treatment menu includes locally inspired signature therapies like the Pala’au Journey ($225 for 80 minutes). It’ll cost you, though: use of the facilities is $55 for two hours (or free with a treatment)– more than most spas charge for a whole day.
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. The newest on the Maui scene, the Ritz-Carlton Spa’s 17,500-square-foot facility opened in January of ’09. Treatment rooms are spacious suites with private
showers, and treatments start at $155 for 50 minutes. A day pass – which includes access to whirlpools in tucked-away grottos, eucalyptus steam rooms, cedar saunas, and rain showers — will run you $50.
Hotel Hana-Maui. Tucked away on Maui’s somewhat secluded east coast, Hotel Hana-Maui’s Honua Spa treatment rooms have private lounges looking out onto the property’s lush grounds. The spa menu is packed with Hawaiian treatments, which start at $140 for 50 minutes — and guests have free use of the facilities, which include an outdoor lava-rock pool, cold plunge bath, stream room, and outdoor shower.
Oahu
Moana Surfrider. The 17,000-square-foot Moana Lani Spa is one of the largest and newest luxury spas in Waikiki, but thanks to its prime location on Oahu’s Waikiki Beach, it has an edge on the rest: ocean views from its swank treatment rooms. The extensive facilities include oceanfront relaxation lounges, steam rooms, saunas, and a Jacuzzi. Massages start at $120, body treatments at $75, and facials at $125. Day passes are $40.
The Kahala. Oahu’s Kahala Spa offers the most private experience in Hawaii: there are no common areas. Instead, guests use a 550-square-foot private suite for changing and post-treatment showering. Some selections include time in the spa’s Infinity Tub; others can include some Infinity Tub action with an extra fee. Massages start at $185, body treatments at $280, and facials at $220.
JW Marriott Ihilani. File this under one of the best spa values on Oahu: the $20 day pass grants guests access to the 35,000-square-foot spa’s eucalyptus stream room, sauna, and Roman-bath-style Jacuzzi. Massages and skin therapies range from $105 to $150.
