Travel

Santa Fe Health & Beauty

Establishment neighborhood
Ten Thousand Waves
21 Ten Thousand Waves Way, Northeast
Set in the foothills of Santa Fe, this Japanese bathhouse/spa/restaurant/guesthouse is one of the most beautiful, relaxing places on earth. The outdoor baths—an enormous communal one and many private individual tubs—are surrounded by pinyon pines and overlook stunning sunsets and moonrises. All of the facials incorporate a firm Japanese face massage aimed at encouraging circulation and contouring the face muscles. The Japanese Organic Massage facial uses fast, light strokes to remove impurities and encourage lymphatic drainage.
Spa at Loretto
211 Old Santa Fe Trail, Plaza
The spa at the Loretto Inn (next door to the Loretto chapel) has a homespun vibe—starting with the massage oils, which the spa director makes herself. All the standard treatments are on offer, from facials and milk baths to couples' massage, plus a room outfitted with a Vichy shower for water therapy. If you only have time for one treatment, get a pedicure in one of their profoundly comfortable (if not a little strange-looking) zero-gravity chairs.
Ten Thousand Waves
21 Ten Thousand Waves Way, Northeast
Perched on top of a hillside just ten minutes from downtown Santa Fe, this spa is one of the best places in the area to unwind. This tranquil oasis was opened in 1981 to introduce Japanese-style bathing to the city; today, a variety of massage, skin care, and spa treatments are on offer. The real draw here is the outdoor hot tubs, which capitalize on the simple, healing power of sitting in hot water while surrounded by nature. You could book an enclosed private tub with views of the mountains—and adjacent private cold plunge and sauna—but we recommend the communal baths.
Hoshindo Healing Arts Institute
404 Brunn School Rd., Southwest
Voyce Durling-Jones Sensei was the first foreigner to pass national HoShin examinations and become certified to practice bee venom therapy in Japan, where the practice originated. She was also the first to bring the art, which uses bee venom to stimulate the immune system around areas of stress and illness, to the United States. Combining HoShin with her training as a reiki master, she takes on everything from tough cases of hard-to-treat conditions like Lyme to post-op inflammation treatment. If you can't get an appointment with Voyce Sensei herself, she has several qualified and highly trained practitioners on staff, all of whom have been through her rigorous apprenticeship program.
The Light Harmonics Institute
7608 Old Santa Fe Trail, Southeast
Santa Fe is a hotbed for alternative medicine, and one of the most important doctors in that movement is Dr. Linda Lancaster, a homeopath and naturopath who looks at health holistically, focusing on lifestyle, energies, and other factors in her practice—she's also the founder of the Global Foundation for Integrative Medicine, with an amazing network of alternative medicine practitioners. Patients rave about her raw milk cleanse, which is said to rid the body of toxic parasites and help with heavy metal loads. For aspiring healers, her health center, Light Harmonics Institute (which also has an office in New York), offers classes and seminars on radionics, electromagnetics, and other healing arts. Her son, Dr. John Sherdon, shares her practice and is a talented acupuncturist.