Texas. For many, the name alone evokes a range of emotions ranging from skepticism to pride. From Orange in the east to El Paso in the west, Texas boasts 858 exits along Interstate 10, and this distance is nearly 200 miles shorter than the distance Texas’s spans north to south. The massive and diverse landscape of Texas includes Gulf Coast shoreline, green rolling Hill Country, and miles of flat prairie lands.
Seeking to discover Texas for ourselves, my partner, Charles, and I set out on a spa road trip. Zig-zagging from Houston to San Antonio to Austin and finally to Arlington, we explored the heart of Texas visiting the newest and best spas at every destination. We found an array of styles and approaches from the very posh, to the wellness-minded, to the family-friendly. Below, you’ll find an overview of our destinations including favorite menu items and spa treatments the essential information to planning your own Lone Star getaway.
Hotel Icon & Balance Spa Houston
Located downtown in an old bank building, Hotel Icon’s art deco fa§ade is carried throughout the interior. Its lush fabrics, rich colors, and bold patterns create a visual decadence. The lobby is a feast of textures, from the scarlet loveseats and striped carpets to the enormous gold vault that provides the backdrop to the reception desk. Our room, no. 916, a spa suite, is equipped with a workout ball, hand weights, and a yoga/pilates mat for the ambitious, as well as a spacious jetted tub and aromatic bath amenities for the less so.
Bank Jean-Georges, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, continues in the spirit of indulgence with a French-Asian menu featuring such temptations as watermelon gazpacho and seared halibut with basil herbed potatoes. Our server confidently guides us through the wine list with each course, making the meal an event in itself.
The next morning, we discover Balance, Icon’s two room spa. Located in the hotel’s basement, it lacks the hotel’s lavishness, but the skill and attention of the therapists is superb. We opt for his and hers facials; mine includes microdermabrasion and a glycolic peel that leaves my skin smooth and radiant, while Charles’s facial is pure pampering. Refreshed and ready to hit the road, we head southwest to San Antonio.
The Watermark Hotel & Spa San Antonio
San Antonio’s newest addition to the Riverwalk, the Watermark is a picture of modern elegance. Our room, one of four spa suites, is located just down the hall from the spa. The d©cor is vanilla and sage, with clean lines, soft curves, soaring ceilings, and a balcony overlooking the river. Leather accents pay tribute to the site’s former occupant, the L. Frank Saddlery, and remind us that we are, after all, in Texas.
We descend for dinner at Pesca and are seated at a table along the river. The menu features fresh seafood with international flair, and we enjoy fresh squeezed margaritas, butterfly gulf shrimp and seared grouper with sweet potato curry. As dusk descends, the river lights up and for a moment it feels like Venice. We call it a night and retire to take in the view from our balcony.
After a light breakfast the next morning, we hit the spa. Boasting 17,000-square-feet, the Watermark Spa features men’s and women’s steam rooms, saunas, and private lounges in which to relax before treatments. While I check in with my personal concierge, Charles heads for the steam room and sauna. My services begin with a one-hour hydro massage, a hands-on underwater treatment using jets to penetrate muscle tissues and color therapy to soothe the senses. For those that need deep work but can’t take a deep tissue massage, this is the answer. By the end of the hour, knots I’ve held for years have melted. I couldn’t help but move slowly into my next appointment, a Vitamin C Aroma Facial. The citrus scent is stimulating, and the boost of vitamins helps protect my skin from sun damage and the toll of long hours in the car. By the time I return to the room, Charles is ready to go to lunch. Rejuvenated and relaxed, we venture across the river to Las Canarias, at the hotel’s sister property, La Maison. After lunch outside, we head for the hills and our next destination, Windflower Spa.
Windflower Hyatt Hill Country San Antonio
Situated just northwest of town in San Antonio’s Hill Country, and convenient to both Six Flags Texas and Sea World, it’s no wonder that Hyatt Hill Country is a family-friendly destination. The resort itself is booked, so we are unable to stay, but we manage to squeeze in a round of golf for Charles and a few treatments at Windflower, the resort’s spa, for me.
The sprawling resort is lush and well-landscaped, and Windflower is set apart in what appears to be an old barn. The style is country chic, with wide wood plank floors, cozy towels, and fresh flowers everywhere. My services begin with Aunt Mary’s Body Butter Remedy, which includes a shea butter scrub, warm towel compresses, dry brushing, and a thick application of shea from head to toe. Next, I am cocooned in warm linens to let it all soak in. Then, my therapist begins an aromatherapy massage with rose infused oil, and concludes my services with a Japanese mint scalp treatment, which not only brings me back to my senses, but leaves my scalp warm and tingly.
After a long shower in the locker room, I emerge to find a post-golf Charles lounging poolside with a book. “Did you know they have a lazy river here?” he asks. “No,” I say, taking note of the throngs of kids, “but they seem to have just about everything.” We walk the grounds to stretch our legs one last time before heading to our next destination, Lake Austin, a short jaunt north.
Lake Austin Spa Resort Austin
Nestled on Lake Austin, roughly twenty miles from the city, Lake Austin Spa Resort is a comfortable, classy, all-inclusive health retreat designed to soothe mind and body. We arrive in the late afternoon and as we check in, any thoughts of venturing downtown with our free time vanish. The grounds are beautiful, the atmosphere tranquil the kind of place you never want to leave.
Our suite boasts lake views and a small Japanese meditation garden. Inside, terra cotta tiles and muted shades create a feeling of warmth. The resort’s lake house d©cor features natural light and cheery colors. The landscaping is exquisite, from the ample garden to the terraced walkway that leads to the spa, no detail has been overlooked.
We wander around, finding three pools, several workout and fitness areas, the dining room, and boat dock. Next we discover the kitchen, just in time for a wine tasting, and then mosey next door for dinner. The resort provides three low-fat meals each day and offers a mind-boggling array of fitness classes from yoga and tai chi to hip-hop aerobics and spinning. Daily hikes, cooking and art classes, live music, and more keep guests as busy as they desire to be between spa appointments.
Following dinner, I head for the spa, leaving Charles to enjoy dusk lakeside. My treatment, Gifts of Our Garden, includes a sea salt and shea butter scrub with fresh herbs, followed by a full body shea butter massage and concluding wrap. The session takes place in one of Lake Austin’s outdoor cabanas, complete with showers and linen partitions for privacy. Almost two hours long, the service exemplifies what a spa treatment should feel like.
I dreamily walk back to the room and to bed. With an early appointment the next day, I leave Charles asleep and meet ‘Dr. Deb’ for Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy. The ninety-minute treatment that combines assisted stretches, breath work, and mind-body awareness is physically and emotionally cathartic. Dr. Deb uses music, vibration bowls, and visualization to free long held tensions in mind and body, relaxing and reintegrating the whole. I leave the treatment feeling transformed.
I join Charles for a yoga class, then we head for lunch, and so it goes. We spa, we eat, we meditate, we hike, we eat, we spa, we sleep. All around us we hear murmurs of other guests, many annual visitors, and one who had visited three times in three months! I can see how it would be easy to become addicted to this place everyone is cheerful and everyone is doing something good for themselves. Our three days pass all too quickly. And as we predicted, we hated to go.
But back in the car we piled, this time to drive due north to our final stop in Arlington.
The Greenhouse Spa Arlington
Located just west of Dallas, the Greenhouse Spa is the last but not the least of our stops. Charles drops me at the door, and heads into the city on his own, as the Greenhouse caters only to women. Standing at the threshold of what appears to be a grand southern mansion, I anticipate being in for a treat.
The grounds are manicured, the atmosphere is stately and luxurious, and before I know it, an attendant has gathered my bags, handed me a fruit frappe, and led me to my room. She fills me in on the various amenities swimming pools, tennis courts, an exercise studio and weight room, hydrotherapy, a drawing room, and a library. She leaves me to take it all in and peruse the day’s activity list.
Deciding to jump in with both feet, I opt for a Pilates class and a stroll through the gardens before hitting the spa. The class and the walk revive my sluggishness and prepare me for my pre-dinner treatments, a lime and ginger salt glow followed by an aroma stone therapy massage.
The spa, which promises balance and rejuvenation to their clients, offers treatments that are both pampering and holistic. My experience is no different. The ginger and lime stimulates the senses and promotes circulation while sloughing off dryness to reveal radiant skin beneath. Next, I find myself lying upon and beneath hot stones, surrounded by a fragrant spicy scent. As the therapist melts away the tension and stiffness from the drive, my mind enters a state of deep relaxation. I emerge fully soothed and ready for dinner.
As the sun sinks on the horizon, I enter the dining room. I take a table by a window and watch other women trickle in and out, all with the same blissful glow and aura of calmness, some in groups, others content to be alone. I miss Charles, but there is something nice about having all of this to myself. Perhaps that’s the Greenhouse’s secret making every client feel like royalty.
address book
The Greenhouse Spa, (817) 640-4000, www.thegreenhousespa.net
Hotel Icon and Balance Spa, (713) 224-4266, www.hotelicon.com
Lake Austin Spa Resort, (800) 847-5637, www.lakeaustin.com
The Watermark Hotel and Spa, (866) 605-1212, www.watermarkhotel.com
Windflower The Hill Country Spa, (866) HILL-SPA, www.spahyatt.com
Shag-a-Delic
This February, Hotel ZaZa in uptown Dallas opened their Za Spa adding even more flair to the modern, whimsical, luxury hotel. The Za Spa features unique treatments like the Rub-A-Go-Go and the Za Java Ritual, which entails a full-body exfoliation of ginger and spice, followed by a jasmine, coconut, yogurt, and honey wrap can you say delicious? Their standard rooms are equipped with luxurious bathrooms, rainforest showers, and vaulted ceilings. If these rooms aren’t enticing enough, book one of their themed, concept suites: Bohemian (Moulin Rouge-esque), Erotica, Shag-a-Delic, and Zen are just a few of the unique suites/vignettes that they’ve created. Always creative, the Dragonfly restaurant further exudes Hotel ZaZa’s seductive powers, with artfully presented Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. For more information call (800) 597-8399 or visit www.hotelzaza.com
By Tanya M. Williams
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