New York spas provide a rich range of experiences, including historic properties, affordable health spas with juice fasting, charming inn spas, luxury New York hotel spas and an upstate casino spa. Just a few hours from the city is historic Mohonk Mountain House, a Victorian gem with 85 miles of hiking and Copperhood Spa provides a health spa experience in an intimate setting. Further north you'll find the luxurious Mirror Lake Inn at Lake Placid, historic Saratoga Springs and the charming French-inspired Mirbeau Inn. These are the best spas located outside NYC. Read about New York City hotel spas.
1. Mirbeau Inn & Spa, Skaneateles, NY
Mirbeau Inn & Spa in New York
Mirbeau Inn & Spa is a charming 34-room inn on the northern tip of Lake Skaneateles in New York's fabled Finger Lakes. Designed to resemble Monet's garden, the inn has warm, yellow buildings and a pond and green bridge at its center. Expect some berets and cafe music, but it's a lovely place from which to explore the historic town and nearby wineries. Make day trips to Seneca Falls (home to feminism) and charming Aurora. Designed by Sylvia Sepielli, the spa is just gorgeous, with fireplaces in most of the 18 treatment rooms. And my therapist was top-notch. It also has lots of exercise classes and a great steak house and wine list. 20 miles west of Syracuse. Tel.877-647-232&315-685-1927. Book now.
2. Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY
The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House in New York
Mohonk Mountain House is a historical treasure that dates back to 1869, when a modest inn was built on the small mountain-top Lake Mohonk. Today the grand, sprawling 266-room Victorian hotel is still surrounded by thousands of acres of forest, with 85 miles of hiking trails at its door, less than two hours from New York City. Rooms are small but 124 have wood-burning fireplaces. Enjoy tennis, golf, lake swimming, boating, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and children's programs. Meals in a splendid dining room and exercise classes are included in the rates. The 30,000 square-foot spa is Victorian style, with 16 treatment rooms, a couples room with fireplace, and a co-ed solarium. Tel. 845-255-1000. Book now.
3. The Copperhood Inn & Spa, Shandaken, NY
This is a small but charming destination spa in the northern Catskills, with 15 rooms and suites that offer views of Garfiled Mountain and the winding Esopus Creek. It has healthy food, yoga classes, hiking and a modest but well-outfitted spa with six treatment rooms (including a wet room with Vichy shower, Scotch hose and hydrotherapy tub.) It also has a sauna, hot tub, steam room, 60-foot indoor pool and full gym. Copperhood has developed a following for its customized weight-loss, detox, juice-fast and raw food programs, ranging from three days to a month. Tel 845-688-2460. Book Now.
4. Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa, Lake Placid, NY
Set in the heart of the Adirondacks, the Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa is Lake Placid's finest hotel. The clubby 128-room white clapboard and green-shuttered resort has private beachfront on its seven acres overlooking Mirror Lake on one side, mountain peaks on the other. It's a year-round destination, with swimming, complimentary canoes and kayaks, hiking, and winter sports that include dogsled rides on the frozen lake. The plush spa is done up in marble and mahogany, with fireplace, whirlpools, and steam rooms. 110 miles south of Montreal, Canada, NY, NC. Tel. 518-523-2544 (reservations) or 518-302-3010. (spa) Book now.5. Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa, Milton, NY
The Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa is a charming bed and breakfast on 70-acres in prime orchard country in the Hudson Valley, with a total of 19 rooms and guest houses. Located near New Paltz on the western side of the Hudson River, it's Jjst a few hours from NYC, it makes a great getaway. Henry's restaurant features food from its organic garden and bee hives. The modern-looking spa is interesting, utilizing solar and geo-thermal energy to heat its sauna, steam room and mineral pool, which uses the lowest amont Tel. 877-746-6772 or 845-795-1310 (reservations) 845-795-4050 (spa).
6. Gideon Putnam Spa Resort, Saratoga Springs, NY
One of the great 19th century resort towns because of its mineral waters, Saratoga Springs is still a vibrant historic town with great restaurants and shopping. Summer is peak season because of thoroughbred racing and performances by the New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra. The Georgian Revival style Gideon Putnam Resort is in the Saratoga Spa State Park, with 22 suites and up-to-date 120 guest-rooms. It's right next to the the Roosevelt Baths & Spa, a truly historic spa that offers heated mineral water bathing. The naturally effervescent water is now mixed with tap water, but the massages in the 42-room spa are excellent. Tel. 866-890-1171 or 518-584-3000 (hotel). 800-452-7275 or 518-226-4790 (spa). Book now.
7. Skana, The Spa at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, NY
Skana Spa at Turning Stone
The Oneida tribe owns this major casino resort on 1,200 acres in upstate New York's scenic Mohawk Valley, called the Leatherstocking region in James Fenimore Cooper's 1826 novel, Last of the Mohicans. Skana, the spa, is the Oneida word for "peace." The resort has a full range of accommodations, ranging from an RV park (mid-Apr to Oct.) on up. Skana is located in the most upscale choice, the 95 room all-suite Lodge at Turning Stone Resort. The 33,000 square-foot spa and salon is a tribute to Oneida architecture and has 12-treatment rooms. The more affordable Ahsi Day Spa is in the 19-floor Tower Building, along with The Fitness Club and casino. Reservations or spas, 800-711-7711 or 315-361-7711. 35 miles east of Syracuse. Book now
8. The Emerson Resort & Spa, Mt. Tremper, NY
Set on the Esopus Creek in the northern Catskills, The Emerson offers two different experiences. One is an affordable, rustic lodge with 27 log cabin-style rooms and suites that accommodate families. The other is a luxurious adults-only inn with Silk Road-inspired suites decorated in jewel tones. The spa carries through the Asian theme, offering traditional massage therapies and facials along with Avurvedica therapies like Shirodhara and Four-Handed Abhyanga. Yoga classes and fitness studio. For dining, there's the casual Catamount and the upscale Phoenix, and there's excellent shopping and the world's largest kaleidoscope. Don't expect traditional resort amenities like golf. Tel 877-688-2828 or 845.688.2828.
9. Gurneys Inn & Spa, Montauk, NY
With a fabulous beachfront location way out on Long Island, Gurney's is a Montauk institution. It's also the closest thing America has to a thalassotherapy spa. Gurney's uses real seawater in a modern hydrotherapy tub (most spas just add powdered algae to tap water) and it has an indoor seawater pool with as little chlorine as possible. Gurney's can also help you design a customized thalassotherapy program to help with detoxification and weight loss. Gurney's public spaces 1950s-era and the spa is dated, but the setting is five-star and rooms have been nicely redone in contemporary beach style. They all face the ocean, with private decks for sunning yourself. It has 109 rooms and five cottages. Tel. 631-668-1717
10. Sagamore Resort & Spa, Bolton Landing, NY
This white clapboard classic resort dates to 1883, when an inn was first built on a private 70-acre island on Lake George, a historic vacation destination at the southern Adirondacks. A seasonal, family-friendly resort with a championship golf course, The Sagamore has splendid views of the mountains, and a modest spa and salon with a full range of treatments. Enjoy indoor and outdoor pools, a private beach, jogger's trails, with nearby hiking, biking, white water rafting, and horseback riding. The historic hotel has 137 rooms and suites, while the lodges have another 224 rooms. 60 miles north of Albany. Closed Dec. - April. Tel. 866-385-6221 or 518-644-9400. 518-743-6081 (spa). Book now.
11. New Age Health Spa, Neversink, NY
Currently closed for the season until May 2012. New Age Health Spa is a rustic destination spa that is known for its detoxification programs and juice fasts. Set on 280 acres about 2 1/2 hours from New York City, New Age Heath Spa looks like a summer camp for adults, with rooms in white clapboard buildings named after Indian tribes. The rates include accommodations, meals, and classes, including yoga in the expansive Meditation Hall, but spa treatments (including colonics) are extra. The spa facility itself is modest and could use an updated. Tel. 800-682-4348 or 845-985-7601.
