Minnesota's Best Spas
Minnesota's Best Spas
By Erica Wacker
A restorative spa retreat is never far away in Minnesota, whether it’s tucked into a lakeside resort or in a posh downtown hotel. Seek out these inviting escapes for your next girlfriend's getaway, a romantic weekend for two, or some much-needed “me” time.
Anda Spa at Hotel Ivy / Hotel ivy
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Minnesota’s first and only 5-star property (Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis) offers a variety of services, including body treatments, facials, massages, and special thermotherapy options with their saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools.
Also in downtown Minneapolis, the new Anda Spa inside the plush Hotel Ivy focuses on crystal-based healing and holistic rituals. The new "urban wellness retreat" features multiple saunas and steam showers and an entirely new service menu.
A Himalayan salt cave at Just for Me Spa in Stillwater / Discover Stillwater
Elsewhere in the Twin Cities area, the Spa at Mystic Lake in Prior Lake invites guests to use the nine-jetted European showers, steam room, and robe and slippers with any spa service, including the river rock stone massage with choice of aromatic essential oil.
The Omni Viking Lakes’ Idlewild Spa is inspired by Minnesota’s Finnish culture and offers steam rooms, saunas, an outdoor hot tub, ice fountain, and deluge shower for hot and cold plunge experiences. Relax in the Himalayan salt room and treat yourself to a spa service like massages, facials, and more.
If you're venturing west to Lake Minnetonka, check into The Hotel Landing in Wayzata and make a day of it at the Nordic-inspired Läka Spa. Or head east to Stillwater, where the Just for Me Spa has three private rental houses adjacent to the property's salon, spa and Himalayan salt cave.
A spa service at Madden's on Gull Lake
CENTRAL MINNESOTA
At Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, Glacial Waters Spa caters to the resort's guests with a special golfer's massage, in addition to hydrotherapy, facial, massage, and other traditional and unique body treatments. Look for seasonal offerings, such as holiday spice treatments in December and wine-related treatments in February.
Also in the Brainerd Lakes area, The Spa at Madden's offers a full menu of services with views of beautiful Gull Lake. Unique treatments include the rosemary mint body wrap, agave honey butter massage and Himalayan salt stone massage. Services can be booked a la carte or as part of a Stay & Spa package.
Darling Reflections Spa at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria focuses on exfoliation and moisturizing in winter, offering Minnesota-inspired treatments rather than tropical themes. The spa is a popular destination for bridal and bachelorette parties, and even kids birthday parties.
LutZen Massage Studio at Mountain Inn
NORTHEAST MINNESOTA
After a long day on the slopes, skiers at Lutsen Mountains can relax at LutZen Reflections at The Mountain Inn. The spa offers the same treatments and Aveda products as its sister location at LutZen Reflections on the East Bay in Grand Marais; heated stones can be added to most services.
Also on the North Shore, Waves of Superior Spa at Bluefin Bay features a paraffin hand and foot treatment and a Hungarian thermal mud wrap for winter. The spa’s signature body treatment uses local resources—wild rice and blueberries—for exfoliation and hydration.
Aromatherapy steam rooms and a whirlpool with a waterfall are among the amenities at Grand Harmony Spa at Grand Casino in Hinckley. Try the body butter drench, which features the spa’s signature lavender pine body butter and a heated wrap.
Copper Door Spa at Chase on the Lake, Walker
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
For a relaxing weekend getaway, the Aveda Copper Door Spa at Chase on the Lake in Walker offers a couples retreat (two nights’ lodging, a couples massage and bottle of Champagne) and a girls weekend package (up to four people in a two-bedroom condo with a choice of 45-minute spa treatment for each guest). Ideal treatments for winter include the signature hydrating body wrap and the hot stone massage.
Enjoy a glass of wine before or after your treatment at The Spa Within at The Lodge on Lake Detroit. The spa offers seasonally inspired manicures and pedicures, as well as massages, facials and body treatments.
Couples visiting Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen can stay in a king Jacuzzi suite and receive a couples massage at Sereniitee Spa. Complimentary wine and hot cocoa (with or without Bailey’s) are offered in the relaxation lounge.
Or opt for a long weekend retreat at Crow Wing Crest Lodge in Akeley. Offered two weekends a year in spring and fall, the retreat offers resort guests an array of relaxing therapies, from traditional massage and reflexology to reiki energy sessions, feng shui consultations and soul breathing sessions.
Cedar Valley Resort in Lanesboro / Lisa Meyers McClintick
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
The beautiful and historic St. James Hotel in downtown Red Wing has everything you need for a relaxing retreat. Book the Rest & Relax package that includes breakfast and mimosa flights for two and $100 to use on a salon or spa service of your choice. In nearby Welch, Treasure Island Resort & Casino is home to Wave Spa, which offers massages, facials and fun packages including Manicures & Martinis.
In southeast Minnesota's Bluff Country, the Stone Mill Hotel & Suites in Lanesboro and Cedar Valley Resort in Whalan offer on-site massages by appointment.
Erica Wacker is a Midwesterner through and through, growing up in Illinois, going to college in Wisconsin, and settling down in Minnesota. She loves to run, travel with her family, and go to concerts to relive her youth.