The Best Spa Hotels in Manhattan

Cream couches, veiled relaxation areas, flashes of gold and mother-of-pearl – the Surrey’s Cornelia Spa may be petite, but every inch of it feels lavish. Duck out of the urban madness to hide here, sipping fizz and nibbling botanical sorbets between caviar-infused facials and honey massages. Here on the Upper East Side, Central Park is your backyard – but if there’s a nip in the air, head for the hotel’s second-floor fitness center, ready and waiting with Technogym bikes and treadmills.

Overlooking swarming Columbus Circle and the park, NYC’s Mandarin Oriental has serene views of both skyscrapers and trees. Somehow its richly-decorated rooms and swanky restaurants are better known than its lush spa, where visiting CEOs swim laps beside an expanse of blue sky in the 36th-level swimming pool, or book facials infused with grapefruit and rosemary. Try the Jet Lag Cure, an energizing spearmint scrub and massage, for a day-one perk-up.

This bright and breezy base in happening NoMad is most popular in summer, when its lounger-lined pool terrace delivers a much needed cool-off session – plus it’s heated, so you can swim on cooler days, too. The rooftop and balcony cocktail bar both have an urban-garden feel, offering a small nature fix here among New York’s glinting skyscrapers and water towers. Rooms are modern-minimal, with outbreaks of fuchsia and cerulean, and the chatty team put you instantly at ease.

Choose your vibe at this elegant five-star just off style-central Fifth Avenue: high-rise Tower rooms have the discreet feel of an apartment block, while the main Palace building has more frills-laden suites to suit special occasions. Since appearing on TV’s Gossip Girl, the Palace has seen a younger crowd drop their shopping haul here – and they never miss its spa, specialising in the classics like Swedish massage and hot stones, or the large gym, with coveted Peloton bikes and personal trainers.

The Langham is a grand Midtown stay without an ounce of stuffiness – on the contrary, its high ceilings, large sun-trap rooms and curious artworks give it a fresh, contemporary feel. A pristine, mirror-trimmed gym continues the theme with its primary-colored balance balls and foam wedges, and kit like kettlebells and elliptical machines as well as the standard treadmills. Afterwards, dig into baby gem salad or grilled halibut at the bright, flower-filled Ai Fiori restaurant.

Ever since the new Whitney Museum set up camp and the High Line aerial park was completed, the formerly seedy Meatpacking District has been on the up and up, stuffed with queue-worthy brunch spots and artfully-curated concept stores. Dive right in from your base at the Gansevoort, where a heated rooftop pool offers blissful swims with 360-degree city views, and mobile massage therapists from NYC company Zeel stop by to ease your muscles.

Another park-side pad with a smart clientele, the Park Hyatt wins fans with its unpretentious atmosphere and calm, glossy rooms in honey and charcoal hues. But its spa is equally welcoming – boxy lanterns dangle over the sunlit pool like huge raindrops, giant windows make the oyster-shell treatment areas feel like an urban oasis, and alluring couple’s packages, involving champagne and bathtub soaks, appeal to lovers.

Stone-carved goddesses soar around the Doric columns and metallic awning at the Peninsula’s entrance – inside, the hulking chandeliers and gold-trimmed marble continue the stunning decor. Yet its indoor pool feels more like a rural retreat: the warm glow from half-shuttered windows, potted palms and cushioned loungers are a world away from Fifth Avenue below. Guests can book into aqua-aerobics classes, or yoga and pilates in the gym – while an orchid-dotted spa has steam rooms, saunas and sigh-worthy massage beds.

New York’s most seen-on-screen hotel, this urban palace at the southeast corner of Central Park is the showgirl of New York’s grand dames – and the tourist favorite. Razzle-dazzle sings from the stained glass and palm trees in its afternoon tea salon, its white-and-gold, embellished rooms, and whispers of scandals in the now-closed Oak Room. Escape the hubbub in its Guerlain spa: facials focus on firming and radiance; couples massages come with champers, truffles and a private steam room.

Robert de Niro’s effortlessly cool, gentlemanly pad is reason enough to stay downtown, in celebby TriBeCa – even if it didn’t have a serene Japanese-themed spa in the basement. Descend from your individually-designed, apartment-like room – complete with butterscotch leather sofas, private saunas and stacks of art books – to the zen hush of its heated pool, with wooden beams and bamboo screens imported from Japan. Join fellow guests for poolside meditation, or book a shiatsu massage and a soak in the trad wooden tub.

This French crystalware brand brings a touch of sparkle to Manhattan at this swish hotel, close to Rockefeller Center and the Museum of Modern Art. Rooms are as ice-queen-luxe as you’d expect – haughty busts, teardrop chandeliers and dazzling mirrors – and its Arctic-blue indoor pool is a stunner, with private alcoves shielding squishy daybeds. The decadence continues in its Spa de La Mer, where you can add a layer of the millionaire-fave La Mer cream to any treatment for a small fee.