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RELAX WITH ALTITUDE  

Tucked away on 120 acres in the mountains of Stowe, Vermont, Topnotch Resort and Spa is known for its spectacular setting, luxe accommodations, and numerous recreational activities. The recent renovation of the spa adds one more superlative to the resort’s already deluxe offerings.

The renovation included an expansion of the facilities to 35,000 square feet and 30 treatment rooms. Despite its new larger size, the spa specializes in highly personalized service and more than 120 unique offerings in a serene, modern environment.

Resort guests can choose from body wraps, facials, massage, or a specially tailored day package incorporating a little bit of everything for a thoroughly relaxing experience. The Maple Sugar Body Scrub and the intensive Vermont Wildflower Treatment (the spa’s signature) are aromatic indulgences for the body and senses. Other therapies, such as the Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage, draw on long-revered Eastern and Ayurvedic techniques.

Men needn’t feel left out; the Gentleman’s Lounge offers a grooming menu and several opportunities (sauna, steam room, massage) for a little R&R.; The on-site Spa Source boutique offers high-end skincare lines, candles, and apparel, including products used during treatments, and the Online Spa Shop delivers the best of the boutique to your door. No wonder, then, that Topnotch is consistently named one of the top ten spas in the U.S.

Shop the online boutique, take a virtual tour of Topnotch Resort and Spa, or book a stay by visiting the Web at topnotchresort.com.




HEALING SPRINGS ETERNAL  
On the Italian island of Ischia flows a thermal spring with a powerful secret: a bounty of healing minerals. For more than 27 centuries, the waters of Le Terme della Regina Isabella have been recognized for their ability to cure and revitalize the body, first by early Greek settlers in 800 B.C., followed by Imperial Romans who turned the area into the Empire’s most popular playground. The springs even fascinated Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie, who traveled to Ischia to study the waters.

Today, the vibrant spring remains flowing at this luxurious spa, built upon the ruins of an ancient Greco-Roman bath. Adjacent to the plush, five-star hotel L’Albergo della Regina Isabella, the spa offers guests an exhaustive range of services.

For the true Terme experience, try the popular thermal mud wrap. After being slathered in warm, mineral-rich mud, the body is placed in a cocoon of plastic wrap to seal in the heat and melt away toxins and tension. The finale involves a vigorous, four-head shower that leaves you feeling refreshed and revitalized.

The island of Ischia and the springs of Le Terme della Regina Isabella are in the Gulf of Naples. Go to reginaisabella.it to discover more about the springs and the resort.






VEGAS VITALITY 

Away from the bright lights and pulsating energy Las Vegas is famous for, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay offers a soothing retreat highlighted by the Bathhouse Spa. What sets this hotel spa apart from others on the Strip is that the Bathhouse was designed with water in mind.

Instead of the usual “light and bright” spa design, Bathhouse is decked in deep rich colors and textured slate walls, polished stone, and dark wood accents. The real beauty here is found in a simplicity that encourages calmness. In the relaxation area, you’ll find comfy lounge chairs set up around various submersion pools with the focal point being a massive wall of water.

One of the signature treatments is the Scents-of-You Massage. Start by filling out a simple questionnaire answering fun personal questions about your life. Your answers allow the therapist to custom-blend aromatherapy oils for you. The blissful experience concludes with stone therapy and a massage.

Bathhouse is the kind of place you’ll want to escape to for the entire day. Steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, cold baths, and mud baths provide a welcome escape. The spa also offers a host of treatments on the menu, including massage and facials.

To make reservations, call 877.632.9636 or visit the Web site at thehotelatmandalaybay.com.




THE GRAND TREATMENT  
Talk about an extreme face-lift. La Mer Spa at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort has undergone a complete reinvention as part of the resort’s recent $15 million redesign.

Enter the spa and be welcomed by soft natural lighting and a 14-foot-tall raining water wall. The new menu features decadent additions and new signature treatments. The Flash Soleil body facial is paired with a self-tanner that leaves you sun-kissed without the sun damage.

Try the Sunrise de La Mer treatment, which revives with an aromatherapy steam and a special eye treatment that removes jetlag-induced dark circles or eye puffiness. It concludes with the skin-nourishing Soin Velours Body Polish.

La Mer Spa also carries the Yon-Ka line, featuring plant oils to soften the skin, vitamins to combat free radicals, and fruit acids to liven up the complexion.

La Mer Spa and the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach are on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. For more information, visit marriottgrandcayman.com.

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