Pampering is a Sure Bet at These Spa Resort Casinos

Noise, booze, smoke, tension — a casino resort doesn’t seem to be the healthiest vacation environment. But in this age when wellness has become a $500 billion industry and casinos are making more and more revenue from non-gaming activities, spa casino resorts are proliferating.

Casinos and spas have a history — Monte Carlo had its fresh air, Baden Baden its thermal baths, Saratoga its rejuvenating springs. The rich flocked to these places, to get away from the riff-raff, get pampered, and flaunt their wealth at the casino tables.

Spa resort casinos today are playing out in a variety of ways, from the old grand dames to the new cutting edge facilities, to the traditional-culture wellness offerings at Native American casinos.

Here are some of the best of the spa resort casinos.

Casino Baden-Baden, Germany

Marlene Dietrich called it “the most beautiful casino in the world” and this German gaming and wellness destination remains luxurious and understated. Lots of chandeliers, gilded mirrors and fixtures, deep plush carpeting everywhere. There are several spas nearby: Caracalla Spa is a 43,000-square-foot complex featuring thermal waters in pools, grottos, whirlpools and saunas—not to mention a host of massage and treatment options. Friedrichsbad offers a unique 17-step bathing ritual for detoxification.

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Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, Monaco

There are several casino spas in in this gambling mecca, but Thermes Marins is the best regarded and awarded. The 33000-square-foot casino spa facility focuses on wellness, fitness and preventive health – and boasts a staff of experts including therapists, doctors, a nutritionist, and health and sports trainers. Treatments are personalized for each guest. The facilities include a solarium, Hamman, sauna and a panoramic fitness room with spectacular views of the Mediterranean.

Qua Baths & Spa, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas 

The, 50,000-square-foot casino spa features a Roman bath, with elaborate mosaics and classical columns surrounding the pools. There are Vichy showers, three pools, a wide variety of massages including hot stones, a “lava melt” and one with Ayurveda oils, plus state of the art fitness facility.

The Grand Spa at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas

A zen-like facility with 20 treatment rooms and signature treatments such as the two-hour Dreaming Ritual, which includes an Australian Aboriginal massage, and the Nirvana, using Ayurvedic oils, Abhyanga massage, a Shirodara scalp treatment, hot stone treatment and a copper bowl foot balancing treatment.  Wellness goes beyond the walls of the spa, however: there’s an indoor hike through the casino that winds up with a stretch at the MGM Grand pool. You can all book a Stay Well room, which incorporates light therapy, Vitamin C-infused shower water, Air purification and water filtration systems, s specialized 24-hour in-room menu that offers a variety of healthy choices and access to body management programs developed by the Cleveland Clinic.

Skana, The Lodge at Turning Stone Resort, Upstate New York

Skana, the Oneida word for “peace” is a 33,000-square foot destination spa with American Indian design influences and treatment: it features 12 treatment rooms, VIP suite, full-service salon, and a therapeutic mineral pool. It’s also just part of the wellness program at this spa resort casino, cited as one the best spas in the world by Spa Magazine, and a reader’s choice award-winner in SpaFinder’s annual poll.

Turning Stone also offers a 65-foot lap pool, state-of-the-art StarTrac cardio and strength equipment, and 72 holes of golf.

The Spa at Wynn, Macau

Wynn’s properties are always classy, and that includes the facilities at all its spa resort casinos. But they outdid themselves in the new Macau development, which Forbes Travel Guide recently awarded five stars. There are two properties here, the Wynn and the Encore, and both have spa facilities. Wynn’s standout: the signature “Silk & Cashmere Awakening”; the Encore’s special calling card is a personal suite, complete with steam room, sauna, hydrotherapy bath and treatment room. Signature treatment: “1-6-8,” a perfectly choreographed massage performed by three therapists.

Have you ever been to any of these spa resort casinos? Share your experience with us in the comments below!

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