Best Spa Resorts: Readers' Choice Awards 2016

Bardessono claimed the top spot on this list, giving it two first-place rankings in the 2016 Readers' Choice Awards (it was also named the No. 1 Food and Wine Resort). Canyon Ranch Tuscon, Acqualina Resort & Spa and Calistoga Ranch all maintained positions in the top five this year. Once again, Aman resorts appear as reader favorites with three on the list, including Amangiri in Utah, Amangani in Wyoming and Aman Tokyo in Japan — which, interestingly is the only non-U.S. spa destination on the list.

1. Bardessono

Yountville, California — Bardessono is an inviting eco-friendly property with 62 suites set on a seven-acre site in the gourmet town 90 minutes north of San Francisco. Amenities at Bardessono include a 75-foot rooftop swimming pool with adjacent hot tub, a fitness deck, a full-service spa and a popular free bicycle program.
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2. Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach

Sunny Isles Beach, Florida — Acqualina is a lavish 98-room Mediterranean-style resort within a 51-story tower fronted by 400 feet of white sand. Acqualina's expansive 20,000-square-foot ESPA spa has 11 treatment rooms, sauna, steam rooms and whirlpool with Roman waterfall; also three swimming pools facing the Atlantic.
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3. Canyon Ranch Spa Tucson

Tuscon, Arizona — Canyon Ranch Spa Tucson is a luxurious health/fitness resort and spa with 240 rooms in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. A daily menu details aquatic/aerobic exercise classes, Pilates, weight training and wellness programs. The 80,000-square-foot spa provides massages, herbal wraps and nutrition assessments.
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4. Calistoga Ranch, An Auberge Resort

Calistoga, California — Calistoga Ranch is a tranquil 157-acre resort of 50 cedar-clad freestanding guest lodges at the northern edge of the Napa Valley. A pool/gym area and private Cabernet vineyard are at one end of the property and a superb lakeview restaurant and small spa with a natural spring-fed mineral pool is at the other.
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5. Auberge du Soleil, An Auberge Resort

Rutherford, California — Auberge du Soleil is a cosmopolitan resort terraced into a hillside overlooking Napa Valley vineyards 90 minutes north of San Francisco. Fifty villa-style lodgings feature gas fireplaces, oversize baths with skylit soaking tubs. Auberge du Soleil also offers a captivating garden pool with a sundeck, hot tub and chic spa.
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6. Meadowood Napa Valley

St. Helena, California — Meadowood is a distinctive resort on a 250-acre estate in the heart of the Napa Valley. Clusters of dormered cottages contain 85 guest quarters. Amenities at Meadowood include two outdoor pools, a fitness center, a nine-hole walking golf course, a golf performance studio, seven tennis courts and an extensive spa.
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7. Four Seasons Maui at Wailea

Wailea, Hawaii — Luxurious resort on 15 oceanfront acres at the south end of Wailea Beach. A U-shaped building contains 380 spacious rooms (75 suites). Three tropical saltwater pools, an attractive beach, two tennis courts, a well-equipped gym and an impressive health spa with 13 treatment rooms and indoor/ outdoor massage facilities.
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8. Enchantment Resort

Sedona, Arizona — Dramatically sited 70-acre resort secluded in a box canyon surrounded by sensational red rock formations. The 218 lodgings come with appealing Southwest-inspired décor. Amenities include the luxurious 24,000-square-foot full-service spa. Sixteen rooms and suites attach to the spa complex.
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9. Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

Tuscon, Arizona — Tranquil 118-room spa hotel in the Santa Catalina foothills, 50 minutes from Tucson. Casita-style lodgings are arranged in six small “villages,” each with its own courtyard. Comprehensive spa features massage and hydrotherapy suites, a lap pool, hot tubs, a reflexology pool, an acupressure stone walk and an outdoor treatment garden.
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10. Amangiri

Canyon Point, Utah — Amangiri is an exceptional resort set amid 600 acres of stupendous desert landscape close to Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam. Austere yet appropriate concrete structures contain 34 rooms, some with plunge pools. Amangiri's principal amenity is a serene 25,000-square-foot spa with gym. 
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11. Four Seasons Biltmore, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California — Mission-style resort on a 22-acre estate across the street from the public beach. Red tile roofs, lantern-lit brick walkways and whitewashed cottages distinguish the 207-room enclave. The Four Seasons Biltmore includes a spa that features 11 treatment rooms with deep soaking tubs and fireplaces.
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12. Cal-A-Vie Spa

Vista, California — European-flavored coed health/fitness/beauty spa amid 200 private acres 40 miles north of San Diego. Thirty-two Mediterranean-style villas and suites cluster around an inviting pool. “Mind Body Spirit” programs, such as yoga and tai chi, and fitness-class offerings complement the menu of therapeutic spa treatments.
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13. Post Ranch Inn

Big Sur, California — Unique coastal resort of 39 contemporary guest lodgings set along a bluff directly above the Pacific 45 minutes south of Carmel. Two clifftop basking pools, a heated lap pool, a full-service spa with six treatment rooms, a well-equipped fitness center, daily yoga classes and guided nature hikes.
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14. The Resort at Pelican Hill

Newport Coast, California — The Resort at Pelican Hill is a lavish and well-managed resort on 504 acres south of Los Angeles, in the hills overlooking the Pacific. The fine formal restaurant offers Northern Italian cuisine. There is a stunning circular mosaic glass-tiled pool and spa and golf at two Tom Fazio championship courses.
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15. Four Seasons Hualalai

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii — Grand resort on dramatic grounds along a half-mile rocky shoreline on the north Kona Coast. Four lodging crescents house 243 stylishly appointed rooms. The Four Seasons Hualalai spa is the island’s best for alfresco treatments; also gym, seven pools, tennis courts, manicured Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
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16. Rancho Valencia

Rancho Sante Fe, California — Spanish hacienda-style resort enclave 30 minutes north of San Diego. Lush grounds contain 49 lodgings. Amenities include a heated swimming pool, 18 tennis courts, plus a spa with 10 treatment rooms, a yoga and Pilates pavilion, a state-of-the-art fitness center and an adults-only pool.
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17. Aman Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan — Distinguished 84-room hotel, Aman’s only urban property, set in the top six floors of the Otemachi Tower in the heart of the financial district, a short walk from Tokyo Station. The chief amenity is a 27,000-square-foot spa with a 98-foot infinity pool; also a library and restaurant serving European-style cuisine.
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18. Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel

Beverly Hills, California — Strikingly restored 395-room (137 suites) landmark hotel built in 1928 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Amenities include the fitness center, spa, cabana-lined outdoor pool, stylish *THE Blvd* for all-day dining and Wolfgang Puck’s acclaimed designer steakhouse, *CUT*.
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19. Amangani

Jackson, Wyoming — Stylish resort atop 7,000-foot East Gros Ventre Butte, 15 minutes from downtown Jackson. A low-profile sandstone structure houses 40 guest suites. Breathtaking 115-foot year-round heated outdoor pool, health spa and gym with four treatment rooms and horseback riding; also nearby golf, tennis, fly-fishing and hikes.
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20. Golden Door

San Marcos, California — Renowned health/fitness spa (primarily for women) with an elegant Zen ambience. Forty guest rooms are tucked amid 600 acres of serene gardens and citrus groves. The emphasis is on relaxation and stress reduction, with exercise training sessions. The spa at Golden Door offers an extensive treatment menu.
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