HONOLULU -- Oahu has long been known for glorious hotels and some
of Hawaii's finest dining, but a number of new spas are raising the
bar for luxury and indulgence on Hawaii's capital island.
SpaHalekulani, for example, is set to open in
April at the Waikiki beachfront hotel that has meant luxury to a
generation of visitors.
Designed by renowned spa expert Sylvia Sepielli, the
Halekulani's pampering den will explore the healing traditions of
Hawaii and its Pacific sisters, Samoa, Tonga and Tahiti.
The spa will have a full menu of facials, hair and nail
treatments and massages, including lomi lomi and pohaku, a popular
treatment performed with hot rocks.
Showcasing art and artifacts from Hawaii and the South Pacific,
the atmosphere will have an Asian intent, with architectural
elements such as a sliding Japanese door, wooden tropical grasses
as window coverings and bleached wood and bamboo from Thailand.
Note: The spa is open to hotel guests only.
For information, call (808) 923-2311 or visit www.halekulani.com.
Abhasa, at the nearby Royal Hawaiian Hotel,
captures the Pink Palace's luxury with treatments like the body
cocoon.
In the body cocoon, clients are slathered in soothing aloe and
coconut milk, wrapped in a thermal blanket and gently floated in a
bed of water like a baby in the womb. The result is baby-soft
skin.
Abhasa also offers a hydro-color therapy bath that uses colors
to relax the client the way aromatherapy uses essential scents.
If a client hasn't had enough bathing, there's a steam sauna and
a Jacuzzi.
The spa has four outdoor massage cabanas under the Royal
Hawaiian's famous palm trees. Opened less than a year ago, the spa
has a loyal Japanese following.
For information, call (808) 922-8200.
At the Kahala Mandarin Oriental's Espa Spa,
therapists begin each session with a footbath of Hawaiian salts and
the chime of tiny Tibetan finger cymbals to call good energy into
the room, according to the spa. Espa Spa has five treatment suites,
one for couples.
Each suite offers Asian decor with comfy rattan chairs for the
guest's footbath and a private garden in which to drink
lemongrass-pikake iced tea afterward.
Therapists perform more than a dozen treatments, including
deep-tissue and shiatsu massage; full-body treatments with
exfoliation and massage; and even pregnancy massage. Aromatherapy
oils are used to release tension, detoxify or relax. The spa is
open to hotel guests only.
Call (808) 739-8938 or visit www.mandarin-oriental.com/kahala.
A two-therapist massage -- that's four hands at once -- is the
signature massage at Mandara Spa in the Hilton
Hawaiian Village. The spa opened about 18 months ago.
One treatment meant for honeymooners is the Exploration in
Chocolate. After side-by-side massages, the couple is left alone
with a complimentary pot of edible chocolate-macadamia nut
scrub.
A vanilla-pikake flower facial is one of the spa's exclusive
offerings.
Mandara has 25 suites, making it the largest spa on the island,
but it still conjures a soft and relaxing atmosphere with
hand-carved crown moldings of Balinese teak.
Six of the suites have tubs on the lanai for al fresco bathing,
and one can accommodate three people, good for mother-daughter
outings and bridal parties.
Call (808) 945-7721 or visit www.mandaraspa.com.
The Spa at Turtle Bay Resort was part of the
hotel's $50 million renovation, and each of the six treatment rooms
has a spectacular ocean view.
The spa offers lomi lomi massage as well as the pressure-point
therapy of shiatsu.
A facial for those who overindulge in the tropical sunshine
soothes irritated skin, and a coconut pineapple scrub is like a
pina colada for your body.
An outdoor relaxation area lets clients shake off any remaining
tension while watching surfers catch waves.
Call (808) 447-6868 or log onto www.turtlebayresort.com.