Get away, get well: spas aren't simply for the self-indulgent. A few days at a healing retreat can energize you, educate you, and maybe even change your life

Natural Health, May, 2005 by Kathleen Doheny

Scheduling a return visit is another way to stay motivated. "It's great to go somewhere like this once a year if you can," says Weil.

choose a goal, pick a spa

Visits to health-oriented resorts are booming, says Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder, a New York company that matches consumers with spas through its Web site (spafinder.com). Because healing means different things to different people, she suggests deciding what it is you want to accomplish--and then selecting your spa.

On the following pages, we describe six goals and offer a sampling of U.S. spas for each one. If you have several ambitions, don't worry. To some degree, all these destinations cater to your health, happiness, and humanity.

take the spa home

Monthly visits to your favorite healing retreat would be wonderful, but often are not economically or logistically feasible. Instead, bring the spa atmosphere to you, suggests Jennifer Worick, author of Girls' Night In: Spa Treatments at Home. Here, eight blissful spa techniques you can do at your place--each for less than the cost of a spa cuisine lunch.

1. BATHE. Add to bath water 1/4 cup powdered milk, 1/4 cup honey, and 5 to 10 drops of essential oil (lavender to relax, peppermint to rev up).

2. EXFOLIATE. Mix 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon oatmeal into a paste. Rub it on, wait 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

3. SOAK. Fill a foot bath with hot water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of pine essential oil, diluted with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4. MIST. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into 1 cup distilled water and refrigerate in a spray bottle. Mist your face on a hot day or when you're just back from the gym.

5. SOOTHE. Steep a pair of chamomile tea bags, and refrigerate the tea. Apply the bags to weary eyes; use the cool tea as a skin toner.

6. SPRITZ. Mix 1/2 cup distilled water with 2 1/2 tablespoons vodka (a stabilizer) and 1 tablespoon lavender oil. Spritz it on your clothes while you're ironing or on your pillow before bed.

7. MASK. To soften dry skin, mash the inside of 1 ripe avocado with 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Apply, and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse, then moisturize.

8. TOAST. Crush ice cubes in the blender with 1/4 cup orange juice. Add 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, 1/4 peeled mango, and several strawberries. Blend and enjoy.

enrich your life

Spas that focus on reinvention try to help you find your inner power. Their methods are varied and often fascinating.

"When we opened 10 years ago, it was OK to talk about body and mind but not spirit," says Mary Monaghan, a spokeswoman for MIRAVAL, a Tucson, Ariz.-area spa that specializes in "balanced living" programs for guests with specific goals like stress reduction. One remarkable offering here is equine therapy, in which spending time with a horse tells you volumes about the relationships in your life. A three-night stay is about $1,650 for lodging, meals, classes, and some spa services (800-825-4000; miravalresort.com).

At THE WELL SPA at Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, Calif., the Pittura Festa is a popular outdoor treatment. Guests "paint" one another with colorful muds and clays, then let it all soak in before rinsing and getting a massage, says Jennifer Di Francesco, director of spa operations. Other options include Watsu, circuit-training classes, and a footbath ritual. A two-day weekend stay is about $500 per person with lodging and two 60-minute spa treatments (800-237-2926; miramonteresort.com).