Luxury Spas: The first tip you get that you’re somewhere special is right at the spa’s entrance, when you are asked to take off your shoes and put on sandals in order to enter. It is a glorious 20,000-sq-ft. edifice, filled with light, outfitted all in white, and accented with bouquets of roses, Mercury glass and crystals.

One step in and you’ll breathe a sigh of relief – you have arrived, in more ways than one. The Garden Room, where you’ll wait for your masseuse, features walls of windows overlooking glorious greens (which must be magnificent in late Fall, when the leaves change their colors). It’s a lovely place to wait, filled with magazines and art books.

Adjacent is a room where you can dine on a spa lunch, or munch on trail mix, raisins, and all kinds of tea. Eight treatment rooms (actually, seven treatment rooms plus a couples suite) provide sybaritic spa treatments- the most decadent being the four-handed Floating Moonflower Ritual, a 90-minute, $500 combination of exfoliation, Red Flower products, performed on water-filled cushions. Here you’ll also find an indoor pool, whirlpool, scented thermal sanctuary, fully equipped exercise studios, a private Pilates studio, yoga and meditation gardens, and a salon.

“We offer a high degree of intimacy; it’s a custom experience,” says Helen Brown, the Spa Director, who explained that all guests fill out a thorough questionnaire before their visit, detailing, if they want to detox, lose weight, or simply de-stress. “And because it’s so personalized, people return again and again. Many people come several times a year, or once a month, or every other weekend. We obviate the necessity to have a country home,” she said. Ms. Brown added: “You can turn up with sneakers and a swimsuit – we offer complimentary apparel you can use, as well as contact lens solution and other amenities, and MP3 players,” offering the utmost in convenience. “We’re also a huge couples destination,” Ms. Brown said. “Many men have proposed here,” and added to that, the inn does a brisk wedding business.

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Located on the third floor of the sparkly, shiny and very recently launched Omni Fort Worth Hotel, the Mokara Spa is one of what the mothership is calling its “upscale spas.” And it delivers on upscale with soft robes you almost melt into upon arrival, a calming and comfy waiting room with an expansive view of downtown and an opportunity to hit the sauna and just linger long after being pampered.

Private rooms for massaging, facial-ing and body polishing also feel sinfully luxurious, with softer-than-soft sheets and just-right temperature, which is a big deal when you’re mostly naked. Although eight varieties of massages are featured, from basic Swedish to the signature Mokara, being nine months pregnant, I decided to try the Mother To Be. As the woman who booked the appointment said when I called, “It is 60 minutes of relaxation, which I am guessing you need right about now.”

The experience: The Mokara Spa just opened and, as expected, a few kinks needed unkinking. Nobody answered the phone the first four times I tried to make an appointment, and my first appointment was canceled due to an unexpected spa closing.

Both were handled with apologies and professionalism, though, and a massage is inevitably judged by its relaxation factor. Especially when discomfort has been a way of life for almost 10 months.

I began the Mother To Be by going over a questionnaire with my masseuse: How is the pregnancy going? What hurts? What needs TLC? What do you want from the next 60 minutes?

And with that begins the pampering.

Starting on my back (yes, at an incline, to avoid the pregnancy no-no of lying flat on your back), what I am told is an all-natural, chemical-free whipped shea butter balm is massaged into what have become cankles and extremely swollen feet. Both problems seem like distant memories after a couple of minutes, and this continues on the legs and arms.

Of course, the real test of any massage is when you flip onto your stomach and the kneading and rubbing is focused on the back. And anybody who has been or is pregnant knows there is no way to get there, or even close to there, comfortably.

Instead the masseuse had me lie on my side, gave me a pillow for support and started working on the kinks that had built up after almost nine months of carrying around another person. Then it was on to the other side. And I am not ashamed to say, I have not slept that well in two months.

The massage literature promises to use “tried & tested, safe pregnancy techniques to . . . alleviate fatigue, sooth muscle and joint pain, and improve circulation.” I just know I felt lighter and better.

I woke up just as she was massaging my temples and scalp, which were no longer begging for an Advil and then, poof, we were done way, way, way too soon.

Cost: The Mother To Be is $110 for a 60-minute massage, while a Mokara Mother To Be package, which includes massage, Moroccan Rose Manicure and Instant Revival Pedicure, is $230. A complete list of all spa services, including packages, is available online or in a brochure from the hotel.

Good to know: While adapted for each stage of pregnancy, the Mother To Be massage (like all things during these nine months) is probably best to run by your OB-GYN first. And book now, before the secret gets out about this spa and appointments are harder to come by.

Spa hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

Information: 1300 Houston St., Fort Worth, 817-350-412

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Hilton Hotels Corporation announces that the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida, has joined the Waldorf Astoria, continuing the luxury brand’s expansion into key leisure markets worldwide.

Situated among lush palms and balmy sea breezes in Naples, Florida’s exclusive Southwest city, along the Gulf of Mexico’s Paradise Coast, the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection is surrounded by 200 acres of Nature Preserve. Designed to coexist with its surrounding environment of clear water, unspoiled mangrove-lined beaches and lush green flora, the resort completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2007, unveiling an elaborate redesign indicative of the destination’s changing face and solidifying its status as one of Florida’s premier resorts.

Following in the footsteps of recent Florida additions to the portfolio the Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, Waldorf Astoria Collection and The Reach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection, in Key West, Florida, the Naples Grande Beach Resort is the 11th hotel to join the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Collection, as the portfolio continues to expand into key indigenous destinations.

Featuring an 18-story tower with 395 luxuriously appointed guestrooms and 29 tower suites, the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection combines comfortable elegance with the active lifestyle evocative of Naples’ stunning setting. The resort offers an array of outdoor activities to acclimatize guests to the dazzling Florida scenery – from its Tennis Center with Har-Tru courts offering professional services managed by Peter Burwash International, to the exclusive championship golf course at Naples Grande Golf Club and including beachfront sailing, windsurfing and aqua cycling along three miles of Gulf of Mexico white sugar-sand beach.

Inside the resort all refurbished guest rooms feature a luxurious take on Floridian style while exuding the casual, comfortable elegance which has become the resort’s signature. Custom designed furniture, hand-selected fabrics and luxurious touches such as silky window treatments, plush carpeting and sumptuous bedding enrich each guestroom and suite, while oversized closets, expansive bathrooms with five fixture arrangements and separate oversized tub/glass enclosed shower combinations provide the ultimate retreat.

The 50 self-contained Bungalows, adjacent to the main resort have been completely refurbished by Bob Barry and feature design elements of relaxed gray, beige and green and Asian-inspired clean, simple lines for an exclusive, private space for guests’ relaxation. Elsewhere, the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection offers three swimming pools and private cabanas with butler service, providing ultimate luxury and relaxation. For those guests seeking an extra level of luxury, the resort’s Golden Door Spa – the first of its kind on the U.S. east coast – features elements of traditional Japanese architecture, serene gardens, relaxation pool, individual mp3 players and a meditation labyrinth, providing an awe-inspiring yet calming environment to unwind and relax.

Ross Klein, Global Head Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, Hilton Hotels Corporation, said: “Following in the footsteps of our most recent Florida additions to the portfolio, we are delighted to welcome the Naples Grande Beach Resort to the Waldorf Astoria Collection. This resort provides the perfect balance of stunning local scenery, and indigenous local experiences and intuitive, luxurious comfort, and the renovations have given a fresh face to an already popular destination.”

The renovations also included the addition of a Strip House steak restaurant, a signature dining experience first introduced in Manhattan and featuring sumptuous silk furnishings and vintage Studio Manasse images. The Strip House offers an eclectic and design-rich fine dining space, designed by celebrated interior architect David Rockwell and featuring cuisine from acclaimed chef John Schenk. Also included in the renovations were a full redesign of the lobby and lounge space and updated meeting space – unveiling a banquet facility, the pool-facing Vista Ballroom which boasts floor to ceiling windows. With 2 further ballrooms, as well as an additional 27 meeting and breakout rooms, the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection offers 80,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor space, an accommodating base for all occasions, from bar mitzvahs to board meetings.

In addition to the Naples Grande Beach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection, the Waldorf Astoria Collection also operates ten other properties – seven in the United States, comprising the inspiration for the brand, the legendary Waldorf Astoria® in New York; Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona; Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa in Maui, Hawaii, La Quinta Resort & Club in Southern California, as well as the Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, Waldorf Astoria Collection and The Reach Resort, Waldorf Astoria Collection, both in the Florida Keys. Internationally it operates the 46-suite Qasr Al Sharq or “Palace of the Orient” in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Rome Cavalieri, and most recently the Trianon Palace in Versailles which joined the collection in December 08.

The company is also developing Waldorf Astoria Collection hotels and residences in key cities around the world and this year expects to launch the Waldorf Astoria Orlando in Florida, Dakota Mountain Lodge in Park City (Utah) and the Bentley Waldorf Astoria Collection in London. The Palace Jerusalem, Israel, the Waldorf Astoria Sarasota in Florida and the proposed the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills in California are also scheduled to open in 2010.

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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix has been named one of the 100 Best Luxury hotels in the world according to the 2009 Travelers’ Choice by TripAdvisor. With 117 custom-appointed guest rooms, swimming pool, an award-winning restaurant and intimate courtyards hidden within lush, 100 percent green gardens and grounds, the Royal Palms is the definition of a sumptuous environment of great comfort and ease. 

To help guests get comfortable, the Royal Palms offers luxurious and private in-suite spa experiences in the Alvadora Spa Terraces. These accommodations, designed by world-renowned spa designer Sylvia Sepielli, feature some of the resort’s most stunning views of Camelback Mountain rising above tiered gardens, trickling fountains, crackling fire pits and a reflecting pool. Inside, guests will find mosaic tiles, leather furnishings and four-poster daybed with built-in therapy bed and draped in white linen, two plasma televisions, a Bose stereo, a European soaking tub and a fireplace. Spanish guitar serenades herald the setting sun.

We focused on creating a spa lifestyle rather than a hotel room,” Sepielli said.

Guests selecting the Alvadora Spa Terraces receive a personalized tour of the suite, 10 percent of retail purchases in the spa and daily greetings including a daily intention card, a stone of the day and a suggested yoga pose to help balance the energy in one of the body’s seven chakras. Upon arrival, these pampered guests are met with a surprise welcome smoothie. Five special indulgences are offered (for additional fees) only to Alvadora Spa Terrace guests including: Hair Ritual (hydrating and rejuvenating hair), the Journey Manicure (an intensive chakra-based treatment), the Journey Pedicure (an aromatherapeutic foot ritual), Thai Massage (a relaxing yet energetic therapeutic massage) and the Savasana (an treatment that energizes the solar plexus, sacral heart, root and crown chakras).

Of course, comfort is only one aspect of the luxury equation. Ease is the other. Unfortunately, romance can make some people very uncomfortable, especially around Valentine’s Day or weddings. Fortunately, the Royal Palms has a Director of Romance making it easy for guests to get the romance right.

My role as Director of Romance goes way beyond ordering flowers and making dinner reservations; it’s more that of a personal romance coach, especially for the ‘romantically challenged.’ It’s designing the complete, personalized, over-the-top experience that I look forward to, and I have the perfect stage for doing so at Royal Palms,” said Robert H. Vickrey upon being named Director of Romance in September 2008. Vickrey had spent more than a year as the Maitre D’ at the Royal Palms’ ultra-romantic restaurant, T. Cook’s before becoming Director of Romance.

The Royal Palms Resort lends itself to romance, from single nights away from home to destination weddings. Guests can take romantic strolls along the stone-paved walkways through 100 percent organic gardens filled with poppies, calendula, snapdragons, purple cornflowers, black-eyed Susans and none of the gravel found in most landscaping around the Valley. Regal Spanish colonial architecture incorporating state of the art materials and unique details from the namesake row of palm trees, 250-year-old fountain and laja negra dating back to 1692 at the entry to the ceramic tile “Lady of Spain” mural from the Delos Cooke’s original home, offer the ideal romantic setting for photos, meals and weddings.

The resort and landscaping are so enchanting, we don’t have to embellish the property at all and are able to focus on fulfilling the couple’s special requests,” explained Jocelyn Kraus, director of catering.

The culinary program and signature T. Cook’s restaurant, under the direction of Executive Chef Lee Hillson has earned praise from just about everyone from America’s Top Restaurants to Zagats. In January 2009, T. Cook’s four-course Inauguration menu offers guests the opportunity get the taste of John McCain’s defeat out of their mouths with dishes inspired by, and in some cases served at, past Presidential Inauguration Dinners. The Inaugural Dinner menu is offered nightly throughout the month of January 2009 for $50 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Incidentally, guests who can correctly match the Presidents to their favorite dishes during January qualify for a one-night stay in the Royal Palms’ Presidential Suite. The winner will be drawn by Chef Hillson on February 2, 2009.

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is a AAA four Diamond resort and one of 32 independent, upscale, luxury hotels, resorts and golf clubs managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts in the United States. A member of the Historic Hotels of America, the Royal Palms was built in 1929 as the winter home of New York industrialist and financier Delos William Cooke and his wife, Florence. After serving as the private residence of several of the Valley’s most prominent citizens, the property opened its doors to guests as the Royal Palms Inn in 1948. The property underwent a multi-million dollar renovation lasting 12 months in 1997. The Royal Palms Resort and Spa is located at 5200 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix.

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Champagne and caviar — take me away.

The sad state of the economy (bailouts! Ponzi schemes!!) might be precluding any big-ticket purchases right now (put that Bentley on ice for the time being), but luxurious spa treatments can be (make that SHOULD be) necessary indulgences — especially in these trying times. Many Chicago spas are upping their game with deluxe treatments, adding everything from champagne and caviar to 24-karat gold and gemstones to facials, massages and body services. Note to self: This is not your ordinary mani-pedi.

The opulent Spa at Trump in the Trump International Hotel & Tower features pleasurable treatments in plush surroundings (the property even has 53 spa guestrooms in case you’re too relaxed to go home after your “me time”). Here you’ll find a treasure trove of signature gemstone treatments. Choose from the following 90-minute massages: “Purifying Diamonds,” “Balancing Emeralds,” “Revitalizing Rubies” or “Calming Sapphires.” All therapies use gem-infused oils combined with rare floral and herbal essences and cost $300. You can also try the “Black Pearl Facial,” which uses crushed black pearls and oyster shell extracts to hydrate, firm and tone the skin (60 minutes, $185).

Diamond Microderm Facials

At the charming Cleise Brazilian Day Spa in Lincoln Park, two new facials have been added to the lineup of uber pampering treatments. The 75-minute “24K Golden Touch Facial” ($150) involves the application of 24-karat gold leaf to the skin (gold is said to lift, firm and tighten the epidermis). The hour-long “Caviar Facial” ($125) utilizes sea proteins to stimulate cell production and regenerate elasticity.

Wicker Park’s unique Ruby Room is a stylish sanctuary, offering numerous healing therapies, yoga classes, salon services and inventive spa treatments. (There are also B&B-style guestrooms available here.) For a rejuvenating experience, try the “Crystalssage” massage ($100-$150), which focuses on treating a tired body and spirit with “organic essential oils, signature energy cleansing rituals and powerful crystals from the world’s most sacred places.”

The Four Seasons Chicago Spa and Fitness Club is certainly no slouch in the decadence department. The services here use several high-end products, such as caviar and pearl proteins in its “Perles de Caviar” facial ($140-$190), champagne in a paraffin wrap for hands and feet (which includes a caviar canape and a glass of bubbly to enjoy during the service, $60-$90) and rose petals in a posh soak and wrap ($60-$90).

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While Wisconsin spas in the winter might not sound as warm and inviting as a spa escape to Arizona, the dairy state has two must-try luxury destinations just a few hours north of Chicago: Kohler Waters Spa in Kohler  and Aspira Spa at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. And once you step inside these oases of tranquility, you will see why the weather outside does not matter.

Kohler Waters Spa – Kohler, Wisconsin
Looking to get away from it all, possibly with uninterrupted quiet in an idyllic setting where people still keep their doors unlocked at night? Welcome to Kohler, home of the famous kitchen and bath giant and the Kohler Waters Spa. Popular spa treatments include Highland Fling, combining streams of a Vichy shower with the gentle flinging of warm water and an exfoliation using coffee granules mixed with mint oil followed by a chocolate body butter massage ($140 for 50 minutes, $160 Saturdays); Aquatonic, a facial performed while enjoying a warm Vichy shower massage ($140 for 50 minutes, $160 Saturdays); and Tropical Contouring, a full-body exfoliation followed by a lemon and geranium-scented contouring mask ($150 for 50 minutes, $170 Saturdays).

Extend your spa visit and spend the night in the spa’s Carriage House, or stay next door at the American Club, the Midwest’s only AAA Five Diamond resort hotel. For the ultimate pamper, request the Carriage House’s Immersion Suites, which include walk-in showers with massaging showerheads and whirlpool tubs. For the romantic at heart, order a nighttime bath with scented oils, candles, and champagne and strawberries. In-room pedicures, facials and massages are additional indulgences you can set up.

For a special treat, stop by Kohler’s newest addition: Craverie, which serves addictive chocolate, sea salt croissants and hot chocolate made with real peanut butter.

Want something closer to Chicago?
Last spring, Kohler Waters Spa opened a new day spa in Burr Ridge, offering water treatments such as Go with the Flow ($115 for 50 minutes) that includes a body exfoliation, scalp and hair treatment, and foot reflexology all under the warmth of a Kohler Vichy shower. The day spa’s best feature: A 10,200-square-foot Circle of Tranquility with a whirlpool, cascading waterfall and three shower experiences: Quench, Envelop and Deluge.

Aspira Spa – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Nestled on the banks of southeastern Wisconsin’s Elkhart Lake, considered sacred by Native Americans, the Aspira Spa’s feng shui designs and custom-built, circular meditation room take calm to a new level. The 20,000-square-foot spa, inside the AAA Four Diamond Osthoff Resort, uses organic products and specializes in treatments derived from the healing techniques of indigenous peoples.

Signature services include the Sacred Waters Massage ($145 for 60 minutes), where heated deerskin pouches filled with fresh water from Elkhart Lake are placed on the body’s chakras while you experience a Swedish massage. The Aspira Chroma Facial ($175 for 90 minutes) incorporates color therapy with lymphatic drainage and pressure-point stimulation, and the Balneotherapy Bath in Chromatub ($75 for 30 minutes) detoxifies the body by using marine minerals, nutrients, essential oils and healing lights while a therapist performs underwater body exfoliation, deep tissue massage and lymphatic drainage.

The spa’s newest addition: The Cedars Massage ($145 for 65 minutes) that uses fresh cedar to cleanse and purify the body by placing a bowl of cedar chips under the face and infusing them with oil and hot water, igniting an earthy scent, and wrapping the body with an aromatic cedar blanket.

Be sure to also indulge in the Aspira Spa’s indoor and outdoor whirlpools and Finnish sauna or take a cooking class in the Osthoff Resort’s new cooking school, L’ecole de la Maison. If you are traveling with a significant other, book the spa’s SpaSuite for a side-by-side couple’s massage. Suite amenities include a whirlpool bath, rainfall shower, fireplace and in-room treats such as champagne and chocolates.

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