The Best Spas in San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Spa at Condado Vanderbilt – one of the top-rated spas in San Juan – majors in face and body treatments, couples sessions and body wraps. The rooms are therapy in themselves, all calming grey marble walls and floors, and the steam room, as well as the dry and wet sauna, have legions of fans. This spa is one of the luxury Condado Vanderbilt hotel’s main draws, and among its special treatments is the Hammam Ritual, an experience that borrows from an ancient purification ritual – featuring dry exfoliation and a moisturizing bubble shower.

Nouvelle D’Spa has three island outposts – visit this one, in the Mall of San Juan, for classic services, including facials, massages, manicures and pedicures. If you don’t feel beach-confident, there’s also a full waxing and laser hair-removal menu. Bonus points are in order for the very attentive staff, who will ply you with tea while you wait. Top tip: among the signature packages, Renew and Recharge (massage, aromatherapy, exfoliation) is a hit.

The tagline here is “Where heaven meets earth, water meets wellness, and rest meets rejuvenation.” They’ve got a point – the lobby is celestial, brightly lit with soothing blue walls, and the spa services are divided into three sections: rest, rejuvenate and restore. The rest services include a Heaven on Earth massage with a full-body wrap and your choice of Swedish or deep tissue massage. Rejuvenate services include three types of facials, and the unique “rebirthing” waterology experience falls under the restore services.

Ever heard of a dual-purpose spa and cocktail lounge? That’s the deal here, on Calle del Cristo in Old San Juan. The spa radiates character, all black and white marble floors, earth-colored walls and vivid hanging lanterns. Services range from manicures and pedicures to facials and body waxing. Arrive fashionably late and you can slide into after-hours cocktails with the locals, getting your nails buffed as you sip on a mojito from the bar, or order some tasty pho.

We’re always drawn to this upscale stand-alone spa in Condado – it calls itself a Beauty Cafe, which means freshen-ups for men and women and, crucially, cappuccinos, bakery bites, juices, wine and champagne. The snazzy purple-and-white interior radiates fresh appeal, and there are seemingly limitless manicure and pedicure treatments – try a jelly pedicure, soaking your feet in wonderful warm, wobbly stuff, rich in natural oils and plant extracts.

Just beyond Old San Juan, Corpo Bello Spa is the place for expert skin treatments – laser hair removal, for instance, and laser facials. The spa is also a hit with its thermal whirlpool tub and sauna. Massages push the boat out with special numbers including a three-hour couples massage, destined to leave you and your partner like putty. Short on time? Book the 2-hour mini day spa – you’ll get a massage, hydrating facial, whirlpool-tub soak and a glass of champagne.

The Zen Spa Oceano is the big pull at the upscale Caribe Hilton resort in San Juan, with a spa menu big on familiar services – with an added twist. Take the Perfect Duo: it’s a combination aromatherapy Swedish and Shiatsu massage. Or how about a body wrap called Paprika Twist that uses the localized spice to treat cellulite? Earth tones typify the decor, with splashes of emerald and gold – and of course, it doesn’t hurt that the spa occupies an iconic San Juan hotel.

Ozone Aqua Massage and Aromatherapy Lounge, in Old San Juan, rings the changes with specialties including an aqua massage that’ll have you sliding into an aqua bed: all the benefits of aqua-massage without getting wet. The other breath of fresh air is the oxygen bar. Pull up a chair and inhale O2 infused with various scents – or create your own combination of rejuvenating aromas. A great way to laze away an afternoon in Old San Juan.

It’s the size of this spa that blows you away – almost 7,000sqft of pampering possibilities, sprawling within the luxury Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino. As its name tells you, Zen Spa Retreat is about relaxation and sensual oblivion, in surroundings that blend Eastern and tropical elements with warm lighting and subdued terracotta tones. Among the treatments – massages, pedicures and facials – the lengthy Zen Stone Therapy menu steals the show. That and the tea room to hydrate and relax in, before and after services.