You’ve just gotten a big bonus or a big promotion. It’s the perfect opportunity to pursue that elusive trifecta: the truly connected mind, body, and spirit. But how to spend part of your hard-earned bonanza?
Don’t spend it celebrating with late nights and booze, but with pampering treatments in a luxe setting that will have you feeling and looking great on your triumphant return. You want hot stones, fruity infusions, and exotic plant extracts? You deserve it all, so board a plane to Honolulu, and settle in for an indulgent stay at Halekulani on Waikiki Beach. The treatments at SpaHalekulani, open to resort guests only, are imbued with Asian, Hawaiian, and South Pacific healing traditions. Choose from 11 kinds of massage—or have one custom-designed—and pick an herbal theme like Coconut Passion or Lavender Orchid for your body scrub. For premium bliss, opt for the celeb-worthy, four-plus hour Heavenly Journey, which commences with a ritual foot-pounding, and continues with a three-part body treatment (scrub, wrap, soak), the massage of your choice, and a 75-minute facial.
Doting staff—poolside, in the gardens, and at La Mer restaurant, serving French cuisine highlighted by Hawaii’s indigenous flavors—also make you feel like your last name is Kidman. Choose your room according to your view—garden, ocean, Diamond Head. They all feature large lanais, and most get at least a partial view of the Pacific.
Halekulani 800-367-2343. halekulani.com. Guest rooms start at $365 a night and go way up.
Alternative: Treat yourself royally without breaking the budget. Begin by playing concierge, with you as the esteemed client. Search the Web for day spas in your area. Then book a moderately priced hotel nearby, with a pool and a fitness room. Give yourself two days at the day spa; choosing two or three a la carte treatments rather than those overpriced, 6-hour “Days of Beauty.” After your first spa session, head to your hotel for a dip in the pool. Next day, sleep in, order room service for breakfast, and visit—or think about visiting—the hotel gym. Better yet, hire a private yoga instructor to teach you in your room. Then mosey back to the spa for further gratification, finishing up in the sauna and steamroom. If you can spend the second night at the hotel you’ll truly unwind before heading back to Reality Ranch.
>>> For more places to find your haven on Earth, see the new Winter edition of YogaLife, available on newsstands now. Or you can subscribe here.