What Are the Hot Trends?

The most successful contemporary spas not only offer unique treatments, they also focus on your health and fitness IQ. You can follow your herbal wrap with a class on anything from power yoga and meditation to stress management and ayurvedic nutrition.

In today's work-hard/play-hard world, such healthy escapes seem like less of an indulgence and more like a necessity. And an ever-growing number of spas are meeting this increased demand with programs that build up a sagging psyche as well as a depleted body. In the same way that your local grocery store is likely to carry herbal formulas, healing teas, and homeopathic remedies, most spas now offer treatments once considered far from mainstream --- such as Watsu, an underwater massage during which a therapist moves you through a series of gentle stretches.

Resorts are getting families into the act, too, with creative programs that extend beyond yoga for youths. The choice of activities ranges from family hula-dancing workshops at the Grand Wailea Resort & Spa in Maui to "camel hunts" at Marriott's Camelback Inn in Arizona and teen kayak tours and ropes courses at Sea Island's Cloister in Georgia. But there are also age-appropriate spa treatments, which at the Homestead, in Hot Springs, Virginia, include facials designed for teen skin and a pedicure with a chocolate-milk foot soak. In addition, many resort spas offer deep discounts for children and some throw in complimentary stays.

Spas are embracing the innovations and expanding offerings, but they're not likely to get rid of their more-traditional services anytime soon. One reason: Spa-goers seeking some measure of simplicity have been returning to these tried-and-true treatments, according to the International Spa Association. (And for spa novices, these treatments are a good way to test the waters.) The bottom line is simply more choices for you.

The preceding was excerpted from Fodor's Healthy Escapes, 8th Edition.