Whether you’re after a luxurious staycation or simply a healthy helping of wellness on your holiday, staying in a spa hotel is a safe bet. In San Francisco, there are plenty to choose from – which is just as well considering the amount of walking you’ll likely be doing, whether down by the seafront or up those enormous hills. Don your fluffy bathrobe and recharge at one of the city’s best spa hotels.
The Ritz-Carlton
Hotel
Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco / Hotels.com
Located in an ornate 19th-century building, The Ritz-Carlton gives you plenty to get excited about. But the jewel in its crown is the Spa L’Occitane by the Bay – built around the iconic French skincare brand L’Occitane, it offers up treatments like the tech tension relief and the jet-lag reviver. In addition, a fine-dining restaurant offers you the opportunity to relax after your massage and enjoy some excellent food without ever having to leave the hotel. If you want to explore the outside world, jump on the California Street cable car line right outside for an easy ride into Chinatown or the Embarcadero.
With its bright rooms and kooky decor, the Marker is a vibrant option in the famously gritty Tenderloin neighborhood. On days where you’re in no hurry to explore, however, you can browse the in-room spa menu to have your very own spa day in your room. Originally built in the early 1900s, the hotel has been modernized in recent years and now features live music, a daily wine hour and organic snacks available in the mini bar. Ideal for the fitness-focused traveler, the Marker also has a great gym and the option to have a yoga mat delivered directly to your room.
The in-house Remède Spa at the St Regis San Francisco Hotel – located just steps from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – is almost a work of art itself. It spans 9,000sqft (836sqm) and features a pool, several steam rooms and high-end massage facilities. Whether you want to freshen up with a manicure or go all in with a couple’s massage on your anniversary, relaxation is pretty much guaranteed. After you’ve recharged, you’ll also want to refuel – luckily, in-house restaurant Grill is destination dining at its best, serving up a menu of California classics like freshly baked waffles topped with plump berries.
Found on the top floor of the hotel, Spa Vitale may well be the loftiest spot in town for a deep soak. Let the hours slide by as you gaze out over San Francisco Bay. With only three treatment rooms, the bespoke spa keeps you feeling like the center of attention regardless of how long you intend to stay. Private tubs on bamboo-wrapped terraces offer quiet moments for soaking away your stresses with only the hushed rustling of the leaves interrupting the silence.
Located in Nob Hill, a glamorous area of San Francisco on the edge of downtown, the Huntington Hotel blends the beauty of Singapore Straits Chinese heritage and design with modern Californian sensibilities. The hotel, complete with a fine-dining restaurant, also features a three-level spa with a Zen relaxation room and indoor infinity pool. Built as a sanctuary, the spa’s many saunas and rooms gives guests the chance to unwind and truly relax after (or before) a day in the city.
Over the Golden Gate Bridge in the small city of Sausalito, Cavallo Point is a luxurious oasis just 10 minutes from San Francisco. Along with the hotel’s deluxe accommodations and sweeping views of the water, Cavallo Point also offers guests many spa treatments, including more than a dozen types of massage, salt scrubs and other healing activities. Not your average spa menu, the hotel also provides the opportunity to receive acupuncture and guided hypnotherapy.
