best mens spa

Best International Spa
Deep within the lush rain forest of Costa Rica, Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is the Winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best International Spa.

Tabacón Resort is an oasis embedded in a primary rain forest, featuring twelve natural thermal spring pools and lagoons, waterfalls, exotic gardens and trails. Geologically, Tabacón Resort's hot springs are 97% rain-based and 3% magma-based. The resort is a three hour drive (150 km) north of the San José International Airport. The resort sits near the base of Arenal Volcano, and is surrounded by the wildly diverse flora and fauna of the tropical rain forest. Tabacón Grand Spa & Thermal Resort is committed to sustainable tourism with a core mission that includes the protection and improvement of the environment.

Should you find yourself in Buenos Aires looking for a spa that caters to gentlemen, look no farther than Markus Day Spa For Men. There, you can chose from an array of treatments for face, body, hair, hands and feet – all of which have earned Markus the title of "El Primer Spa Masculino." Markus Day Spa For Men is also the winner of the Luxist Award Readers' Choice Award for Best Men's Spa.

Founded in 2005, Markus was designed to create an atmosphere of harmony and tranquility. Water fountains and fish tanks abound; dim lighting and wood accents pervade the establishment. Check into the Aqua Room and relax with up to eight friends or business partners in a large marble Jacuzzi. Sip tea or champagne while receiving reflexology treatment on your feet. Enjoy the "Adore Me" treatment – three hours of bliss including a face and body scrub, tantric massage, and even a tea serving.

Markus offers more than just relaxation. With a trained medical staff on call, the spa doubles as a tranquil place to receive aesthetic medicine. Botox injections and refill are available on demand, as are peelings, hair implants and plastic surgery. Best of all, the prices are much cheaper than similar procedures stateside.

Outings to Markus can be purchased individually or in bulk. A range of corporate packages are available at discounted rates and include a combination of hair cut, shave, facial and deep tissue massage. Sorry, ladies, Markus is only for caballeros.

Nominations have been received and vetted for the best-of-breed in day spas, green spas, extended stay spas, men's spas and international spa retreats. The Luxist Readers' Choice Awards for Best in Spas will be awarded based on your voting.

Vote for what you believe is the best of breed for each of these categories. The Readers' Choice Awards for Best in Spas will be announced on April 1st.

Best Day Spa
The first nominee has 20 locations around the world, its own line of take-home products and an attitude almost as refreshing as its spa treatments while the second nominee is a luxurious spa ensconced in a sumptuous hotel located in one of the most splendid cities in the world. The third nominee is widely recognized for revolutionizing the day spa, while stepping into the fourth us reminiscent of a sixteenth century Mediterranean villa, albeit in San Diego. The final nominee offers body treatments and skincare with techniques borrowed from European and Asian tradition with sweeping views of the Hong Kong Harbor.

Bliss
Dior Institute at the Plaza Athénée
Exhale
The Spa at The Grand del Mar
Peninsula Spa by Espa

Best Green Spa
The first nominee is a Napa Valley retreat that opened a year ago while the second, also in the California wine country takes green to a whole new level. The third nominee is in Australia, nestled in the middle of the world's oldest living rain forest, while the fourth is located more than 500 miles off the coast of East Africa, making it one of the world's most exclusive and secluded spas. The final nominee is located in Hawaii and is powered almost entirely by the energy soaked up by solar panels that adorn the roofs of nearly all of its structures.

Bardessono
Calistoga Ranch
Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa
Frégate Island Private
Sullivan Estate & SPA Retreat

Best Extended Stay Spa
The first nominee is the recipient of countless awards and accolades for its innovative approach to health, wellness and holistic and integrative care while the second offers different site-specific perks at each of its five locations. The third nominee offers all-inclusive stays that include airfare and is located in the mountains of Arizona. The fourth nominee dates back over 80 years and is located in a charming historic town 35 miles south of Santa Barbara and the final nominee is the original destination fitness resort and spa.

Canyon Ranch
Golden Door Spas
Miraval
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
Rancho La Puerta

Best Men's Spa

The first nominee offers the best of ancient Asian relaxation techniques while the second is "comfortable and stylish" and "reassuringly masculine." The third nominee has earned the title of "El Primer Spa Masculino" in its native Buenos Aires. The fourth nominee has styled itself as a destination for a new generation of men and the final nominee, which is based in Chicago, has a distinct masculine feel to it, thanks to exposed brick walls, rich wood trim and a beer-stocked refrigerator.

Chuan Body and Soul
Gentlemen's Tonic
Markus for Men
Nickel Spa
Sir Spa

Best International Spa

The first nominee offers results-oriented programs and is located on the island of Capri in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The second nominee was built in the 17th century by Ferdinando I de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in the Tuscan countryside while the third nominee is the only treetop spa in Polynesia. The fourth has long been a favorite retreat for Hollywood celebrities and savvy travelers alike since it originally opened in 1956. The final nominee is in Costa Rica amidst a lush rain forest setting complete with a thermal mineral river and a volcano.

Capri Palace Hotel & Spa
Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort
Marù Spa at Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa
One&Only Palmilla
Tabacón Resort

The Luxist Awards Readers' Choice Awards for Best in Entertainment will be awarded based on your nominations and voting. We're currently seeking nominations for the best-of-breed in the following categories:

Best Brew Pub
Best Cocktail Lounge
Best Coffee House
Best Hotel Bar
Best Wine Bar

Walk into Chicago's SIR Spa and one of the first things you'll find is a refrigerator stocked with beer. It's little things like this that make the establishment a Luxist nominee for best men's spa.

The 4,500 square-foot spa has a masculine feel to it, thanks to exposed brick walls and rich wood trim. Before and after treatments, guests can unwind in the relaxation lounge, complete with overstuffed leather recliners and a 50-inch plasma television. Many of the treatments are done in barbershop-style chairs along the lounge's wall.

At SIR, even the treatments themselves sound more like something you'd find in an auto repair shop than a spa – there's a "Hand and Foot Detail," code for manicure and pedicure. One of the most popular treatments is the "Tune-Up Massage," targeted at back, neck and shoulders to relieve chronic body pain (30 minutes: $55). The "Sports Massage" includes muscle stretching, compression and release therapy (60 minutes: $100; 90 minutes: $145; 120 minutes: $190).

The spa also offers a number of skin treatments for young and old. Freshen up your face with the "Face Firming Boost," which includes a collagen facial mask to fight wrinkles, or "Acne Treatment," which uses extractions and spot treatment to kill bacteria and heal scars. A variety of body hair trimming services are available as well. Ladies are allowed too – there's even a private treatment suite just for women.

Cast your vote for your favorite spa until March 31st. Winners will be announced on April 1.

You won't find La-Z-Boy recliners and a fridge full of beer, but the sleek, modern atmosphere of Nickel Spa makes it an equally enjoyable place to relax. Thanks to its wide range of treatments and therapies, Nickel Spa for men is a Luxist Awards Readers' Choice nominee for best men's spa.

Founded in 1996, Nickel's first location was in Paris. Patrons were soon buzzing about its "Morning After Rescue Gel," and in 1999, Nickel opened the first men's beauty parlor in one of Paris' largest department stores. 2001 saw the opening of Nickel's flagship New York location – in the chic Chelsea neighborhood – and another in London's Convent Garden in 2005.

Nickel has styled itself as a destination for a new generation of men – not just metrosexuals, but any man who wants to be clean and well-groomed. The spa's proprietors encourage first-timers to visit; the company website even includes a section on spa etiquette "to ensure you get the most from your experience and also spare you from any crushing faux pas, red-faced embarrassment or ceremonial frog-marching off the premises.

Once at Nickel, a host of options await. There are manicures and pedicures, facials, waxing, massages and body treatments. Highlights include the "Oxygen Facial," which incorporates a mask of encapsulated oxygen to brighten dull skin (75 minutes: $115), as well as the "Rolling Hot Stone," a Swedish massage combined with the soothing power of heated stones (60 minutes: $170).

Cast your vote for your favorite spa until March 31st. Winners will be announced on April 1.

Where can the modern man go for a complete spa treatment without feeling the least but self-conscious? One place to look is Gentlemen's Tonic, a Britain-based establishment that claims to be both "comfortable and stylish" and "reassuringly masculine."

Founded in 2004 in London's Mayfair neighborhood by French-American Olivier Bonnefoy, the spa nevertheless maintains old-time English sensibilities. Gentlemen's Tonic aims to provide the atmosphere and services of a traditional barbershop, along with massages, alternative therapies and other amenities to make visiting chaps feel sound as a pound.

Plenty of modern perks adorn the establishment as well. Guests enjoy music consoles and LCD screens in every private haircutting station and treatment room; newspapers and magazines from all over the world serve as additional diversion. Each treatment room comes with a private shower for those who prefer a quick rinse before or after a rub-down. But no funny business, warns the company's website: "When being massaged, please ensure that your undergarment is kept on at all times."

For those who can't make the hop across the pond, Gentlemen's Tonic also has a single U.S. location in Houston. For those outside London and the Lone Star State, there's a line of products available on the web including basics like shampoo ($22) and conditioner ($23) up to a shaving gift set for men with sensitive skin ($81). Unfortunately for the ladies, this Tonic is only for Gentlemen.

Cast your vote for your favorite spa until March 31st. Winners will be announced on April 1.

Should you find yourself in Buenos Aires looking for a spa that caters to gentlemen, look no farther than Markus Day Spa For Men. There, you can chose from an array of treatments for face, body, hair, hands and feet – all of which have earned Markus the title of "El Primer Spa Masculino."

Founded in 2005, Markus was designed to create an atmosphere of harmony and tranquility. Water fountains and fish tanks abound; dim lighting and wood accents pervade the establishment. Check into the Aqua Room and relax with up to eight friends or business partners in a large marble Jacuzzi. Sip tea or champagne while receiving reflexology treatment on your feet. Enjoy the "Adore Me" treatment – three hours of bliss including a face and body scrub, tantric massage, and even a tea serving.

Markus offers more than just relaxation. With a trained medical staff on call, the spa doubles as a tranquil place to receive aesthetic medicine. Botox injections and refill are available on demand, as are peelings, hair implants and plastic surgery. Best of all, the prices are much cheaper than similar procedures stateside.

Outings to Markus can be purchased individually or in bulk. A range of corporate packages are available at discounted rates and include a combination of hair cut, shave, facial and deep tissue massage. Sorry, ladies, Markus is only for caballeros.

Cast your vote for your favorite spa until March 31st. Winners will be announced on April 1.

For the best of ancient Asian relaxation techniques, there are few places like Chuan Body and Soul. With a flagship location perched on the 41^st floor of the Langham Palace Hotel in Hong Kong, the establishment really does take its clients to a place high above the daily grind – making it an easy choice for a Luxist nomination for best men's spa.

Founded in 2005, Chuan emphasizes the connection between Jing (life force), Qi (vital energy) and Shen (mind and spirit). The spa also carries on the teachings of traditional Chinese medicine, emphasizing the five Wu Xing elements whose harmony makes up the core of one's spiritual and physical health. Each session begins with a questionnaire aimed at determining which of the five elements are out of balance within an individual.

Once inside Chuan's sanctuary, choose from a wide range of relaxation options. There's the 1.5-hour Body Elements treatment, which starts with a harmony massage and ends with a facial hydration treatment. For something a little longer, try the Serenity Shen, which begins with a stone therapy massage and continues with a cool marine algae facial mask treatment and finally finishes with an indulgent foot treatment.

If you can't make it all the way to Hong Kong, never fear. Chuan boasts locations in Auckland, Melbourne, Koh Samui, Shanghai and Boston, with more locations planned for Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Phuket, Pune, London and Los Angeles. Unlike many of its compatriots in the Best Men's Spa category, Chuan is also open to women.

Cast your vote for your favorite spa until March 31st. Winners will be announced on April 1.