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24 August 2008

Best Spas in Texas

Texas has been making a splash lately with great new hotel and resort spas.

This list represents my top picks for the best overnight spas in Texas. It includes both hotel and resort spas, where you can sample as little or as much of the spa experience as you want, and destination spas, which offer a complete immersion experience with an emphasis on transformation and self-improvement. Many resort spas welcome clients on a day spa basis.

Best Spas in Texas
Lake Austin Spa Resort , Austin. It's on my list of best destination spas in the country. With just 40 rooms it's easy to meet people, but the spa is lavish and open to locals as a day spa.

Type: destination spa

Watermark Spa, Watermark Hotel & Spa, San Antonio. Type: urban hotel spa.

Trellis, The Spa at The Houstonian, Houston. Type: urban hotel spa.

The Spa at The Crescent, Hotel Crescent Court, Dallas. Type: urban hotel spa.

The Crossings, Austin. Affordable but gorgeous wellness center on 210 acres of Balcones Cayonlands Preserve.

The Greenhouse A luxury weight-loss spa serving women since 1965. Type: destination spa

Ashtanga yoga: Ashtanga yoga is a vigorous, fast-paced yoga that helps to build flexibility, strength, concentration, and stamina. When doing Ashtanga yoga, a person moves quickly through a set of predetermined poses while remaining focused on deep breathing.

Power yoga: Similar to Ashtanga yoga, this is also a very active form of yoga that improves flexibility and stamina by completing poses. This type of yoga is popular in the United States.

Bikram yoga: Bikram yoga is also known as "Hot Yoga." It is practiced in rooms that may be heated to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius).

Gentle yoga: Gentle yoga focuses on slow stretches, flexibility, and deep breathing.

Kundalini yoga: Kundalini yoga uses poses, deep breathing and other breathing techniques, chanting, and meditation.

Iyengar yoga: This type of yoga focuses on precise poses. and participants use benches, ropes, mats, blocks, and chairs

Massage has been around for thousands of years. The word “massage” comes from the Greek root “masso" -- to touch. Today it is the most popular spa treatment.

A destination spa is a place whose sole purpose is to help individuals develop a healthy lifestyle through:

healthy spa cuisine that emphasizes whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and nutritional education

a full program of fitness and stress reduction classes

therapeutic spa treatments including massage

educational lectures that teach you how to bring your healthy habits back home

Destination spas usually require that you stay at least two or three nights to get the full benefit. Some require a longer stay. Prices at destination spas usually include all meals, classes and some spa treatments.