The 11 best spas in Atlanta

The spa tucked into the lobby floor of Midtown’s only five-star hotel feels like an oasis of rejuvenation. Get here early and enjoy the herbal-scented steam room or take a dip in the hotel pool before settling into a treatment room. Results-driven facials, massages and body therapies are administered using exclusive brands like Nelly De Vuyst, Image Skincare and Atlanta’s own MAMA Bath + Body. The spa offers 25-minute express treatments (think a neck-and-back massage, nourishing Moroccanoil scalp treatment or anti-stress travel facial) if you need relaxation on a tight schedule.

Owner Amy Leavell Bransford has succeeded in creating a soothing spot for next-level facials in historic Old Fourth Ward. She stocks the retail and facial back bar with natural (when possible), high-efficacy products like Marie Veronique, Perk Skincare and Luzern, a Swiss line exclusively sold by Aviary in Georgia. Work with one of her top-notch estheticians to determine what combination of peels, dermaplaning, ultrasonic exfoliation or oxygen treatments will take your glow up a notch. This light-filled studio is also a go-to spot for hair cuts and color, waxing, lashes and tinting services, making it a one-stop spot to help clients look their best.

This spa in the award-winning Buckhead hotel is every bit as beautiful as you can imagine, with a thoughtfully serene design flowing through ten treatment rooms. Located on the hotel’s sixth floor, each treatment performed at the spa is customized to the client’s unique skin and body concerns using the brand’s proprietary Remède skincare line. Spring for a customized body polish, hot stone massage or hydrating facial, or make a day of it with one of the multi-treatment packages. Book in warm weather months and take advantage of the access to one of the city’s prettiest outdoor pools.

Gwinnett County, one of Atlanta’s northern suburbs, is home to the state’s biggest Korean population and an authentic jjimjilbang or bathhouse, popular with culturally curious locals and visitors (including Bizarre Food host Andrew Zimmern, who visited with his friend, comedienne Margaret Cho). The enormous 35,000-square-foot spa is open 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-per-year. Pay the nominal entry fee and you’ll be given a shorts-and-T-shirt uniform to wear while exploring the co-ed areas. Rotate between nine saunas, featuring heated pink salt, jade and charcoal, each offering targeted health benefits. Next, step into the gender-segregated areas and strip down to shower (hey, everyone’s doing it!) before getting into one of the warm jetted pools or steam saunas. Sign up for a vigorous demandi scrub, and you’ll emerge so fresh and so clean.

Don’t let the location in a Sandy Springs professional park fool you: this is boutique, natural skin care at its finest. Spa owner Mary Bogart is both a certified massage therapist and esthetician, and she’s one of the few in Georgia trained by worldwide skincare star Yakov Gershkovich in the buccal or “sculptural facial massage” technique. The treatment, which can be scheduled as a stand-alone or as part of a customized facial using Laurel Whole Plant Organics products, targets all of the facial muscles, both from outside and using an intra-oral approach. She dons gloves to massage and sculpt clients’ cheeks and lips from inside the mouth. We promise, it's like nothing you’ve ever experienced before and the results can be dramatic.

For the total spa-ahh experience, book a treatment at this 22,500-square-foot spot overlooking Peachtree Street in Midtown. The rambling seventh-floor space lets you unwind with a barre, spin or yoga class in the connected boutique gym before settling into the serious business of relaxation. Book a massage, facial or nail service and take full advantage of amenities including a hammam detox chamber, co-ed rain shower, wet and dry steam rooms and infrared sauna.

The world’s busiest airport might not be the first place you’d think of for relaxation, but this haven of tranquility in Delta’s Terminal E Sky Club might change how you look at a long layover. The first class cabin-sized treatment area offers a variety of services for road-weary travelers, including foot and leg massages and facials using products from Comfort Zone, the Parma, Italy-based company that uses up to 99% natural-origin ingredients. If time allows, add the Dream Weaver experience, a coordinated light and sound program designed by mind-body medicine pioneer Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D. You’ll sit in a zero-gravity chair wearing light glasses and noise-canceling headphones for a guided meditation exercise that feels effortless. Note: to gain entry to the club, you need Delta status, upper cabin airline tickets or day passes available for purchase.

Skincare enthusiasts looking for a mind-body connection will fall in love with esthetician Jamie McDowell’s Inman Park studio, where she leverages ancient Chinese modalities like gemstone rollers, jade gua sha tools, manual lymphatic drainage, facial cupping and reflexology. Her philosophy is simple: reduce inflammation, the root cause of skin issues. Each treatment in this cozy, candle-lit space tucked inside Full Circle Studio begins with a sage burning ritual and moves on to a tailored facial using the ultra-pure Laurel Whole Plant Organics skincare line. You won’t find any fancy machines to perform the magical movements her own hands have perfected.

Any nail service at this charming boutique Grant Park salon is a delight, with house-made mineral soaks, exfoliating scrubs scented with pure essential oils and non-toxic polishes. Bonus points: the team of top nail techs is known for beautiful and creative nail art. In 2018, the studio became one of Atlanta’s first to offer CBD upgrades for manicures and pedicures. Those next-level treatments begin with a CBD edible gummy bear and finish with a deeply relaxing CBD oil massage, great for those suffering from arthritis or stiff muscles from a tough workout.

Make plans for a day of relaxation at this posh Buckhead hotel. Don’t skimp on time: you’ll want to soak up every precious moment to let your stress drain away in the sauna, steam room and whirlpool before reclining in lounge chairs overlooking the manicured gardens. From massages to facials, many of the signature treatments include products from Sapelo Skin Care, a luxury line made in Savannah. Achieve instant bliss with the Georgia-themed “Peach Indulgence” treatment, which includes a body scrub, massage using peach-scented oil and finishes with a to-die-for scalp massage.

For a consistently top-notch spa experience at eight locations around the city (including Morningside, Decatur and Brookhaven), this is a go-to for Atlantans, many of whom are loyal to specific massage therapists or estheticians. Treatments run the gamut from traditional anti-aging facials, waxing, manicures, pedicures and deep tissue massages to more clinical-style services like the HydraFacial, which uses a high-tech machine to deliver precise amounts of peptides and hydration. This locally owned chain is known for its robust retail offerings so, if you want to continue your care at home, they’ve got you covered.