Spa time

9 opulent new hotel spas offer pampering galore in Texas’ biggest cities

The lounge at the new Ritz-Carlton Spa in Las Colinas.

Photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton

Glamorous luxury hotels have been debuting at a dizzying pace in Texas' biggest cities in the last year. There's nothing more indulgent than arriving at a hotel and slipping upstairs for a soothing massage after a turbulent flight; nothing more celebratory than a bachelorette weekend away at a spa. On the heels of the Thompson Hotel spa's grand opening in Houston, here's a closer look at the nine hottest new spas at luxury hotels around Texas, all of which have opened (or reopened) in about the last 18 months.

Houston

Thompson Spa at Thompson Hotel, Houston
Thompson Houston, Houston’s newest luxury lifestyle hotel, opened its doors in February 2024 as an urban haven overlooking the lush Buffalo Bayou Park, with rare unobstructed views of downtown Houston’s skyline. Now comes the Thompson Spa, filling an entire floor with its six treatment suites plus indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, saunas, a salon, and a state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center. Customizable treatments - available to both hotel guests and the dedicated spa seekers - include massages, facials, body and hydration scrubs, men’s treatments, regenerative treatments, and more featuring products from Pietro Simone and Agent Nateur. Signature treatments include the Gold Aurum Radiance Infusion Facial, incorporating a 24-karat gold activation peel; and a Texas Starry Night Massage that uses CBD and essential oils to promote deep relaxation (check website for pricing). Hours are 10 am-6 pm Monday-Thursday, 10 am-7 pm Friday, 9 am-7 pm Saturday, and 10 am-5 pm Sunday. 1717 Allen Pkwy., Houston, 346-560-4150.

Thompson Hotel Spa Couples may utilize a dedicated treatment room. Courtesy of The Thompson Hotel Houston

The Total You Medical Spa, Blossom Hotel, Houston
Open since March 1 in the two-year-old hotel in Houston’s Medical District, The Total You is not only a relaxing retreat inspired by Asian temple architecture, but a high-tech, cutting-edge med spa (a rare offering for a hotel). Available to both hotel guests and the public, The Total You offers a lengthy menu of services from classic facials and massages to medical aesthetics like fillers and body sculpting. Among the unique and cutting-edge services are ultra-hydrating IV drip therapy, stem cell-driven exosome treatments for skin and body rejuvenation, and easy platelet rich fibrin (EZ PRF) facials, which use plasma to smooth wrinkles for smoother, youthful-appearing skin. But for those who just want to indulge in some tranquility and self-care, a menu of massages starts at $155 for a 60-minute Classic Swedish. The second-floor spa has four massage and treatment suites, plus a large IV drip lounge. To celebrate the spa opening, Blossom Hotel Houston guests will receive an additional 15 percent off all spa services with proof of their activated key card through Labor Day (September 2). Open 10 am-6 pm daily. 7118 Bertner Ave, Houston, 713-940-1808.

The Total You Medical Spa, Blossom Hotel Houston The Total You\u00a0spa takes design inspiration from Asian temples. Photo by Alex Montoya

Dallas-Fort Worth

The Ritz-Carlton Spa & Salon, Las Colinas
After a rebranding and refurbishing, the newly christened Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas hotel is ready to unveil its highly anticipated spa. According to a spokeswoman, the spa is targeting Saturday, May 4 for its grand debut. The 14,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa features 16 treatment rooms, including a couple’s suite and a full-service salon. (Watch the website for more information to come on services offered.) Spa packages range from two-hour treatments to full-day packages for total indulgence. The spa also features a wet and dry sauna, heated whirlpool, cold plunge pool, and a Vichy shower room – a power shower with six shower heads. The spa will welcome both hotel guests and dedicated spa-goers, 9 am-5 pm Tuesday-Saturday. 4150 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, 972-717-2555.

The Spa and Salon at Loews Arlington
The swanky spa on the second floor of the new hotel in Arlington's Entertainment District (just steps from the Rangers' and Cowboys' stadiums) opened February 13. The new pampering palace features six spa treatment rooms, including a dedicated Couple's Suite offering massages, facials, and body treatments; a co-ed Relaxation Lounge, and a specialty boutique. There's a full-service salon for manicures, pedicures, and hair styling to look camera-ready for close-ups on stadium Jumbotrons. The spa uses premium wellness products from Privai, Ultraceuticals, and Botanika Life in treatments, but the signature service is a Tequila Body Treatment, which incorporates Jose Cuervo Authentic Tequila with a detoxifying body brush exfoliation, hydrating body mask, and antioxidant-rich face, neck and shoulder massage ($200 for 50 minutes). The spa is open to hotel guests and the general public, 10 am-6 pm Sunday-Thursday and 8 am-8 pm Friday-Saturday. Check the website for a limited-time Spa Escape Package and several Mother's Day specials. 888 Nolan Ryan Expy., Arlington, 682-318-2810.

Loews Hotel in Arlington spa salon The spa and salon at the new Loews Hotel in Arlington. Photo courtesy of Loews Hotel in Arlington

Canyon Ranch Wellness Club + Spa at The Crescent, Fort Worth
Known worldwide as a premier destination spa, Canyon Ranch debuted its first Wellness Club in Fort Worth’s new Crescent Hotel in December 2023, with a location on the way for Houston. While a membership affords some special perks, the club's luxurious spa and salon is open to both hotel guests and the public alike. A lengthy menu of services includes some high-tech facials and body treatments never before offered in Fort Worth. Among them: a multisensory Vichy table used as part of a CBD Wellness Ritual and Hungarian Mud Wrap Ritual (both $340-$350); and a Custom Ionixlight Facial, blending full-spectrum LED light with negative ion therapy, oxygen therapy, microdermabrasion, microcurrent, and ultrasound ($415-$425). Bonus: A day-pass visit to the spa affords access to the first-in-Fort Worth CR Vitality space, a state-of-the-art room offering infrared sauna, red light therapy, neuro stimulation, and more. The spa is open daily, 8 am-8 pm. 850 Van Cliburn Way, Fort Worth, 682-786-4656.

The multi-sensory Vichy table at Canyon Ranch.Photo courtesy of Canyon Ranch

Ash Spa, Bowie House, Fort Worth
Located on the second floor of Bowie House, the new Auberge Resorts Collection hotel in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, Ash Spa is “where the ashes of everyday life are gently swept away,” they promise. In keeping with the hotel’s Western-glam aesthetic, Ash is a tranquil space inspired by the barns of Texas and “all things wild and free,” with five treatment rooms, a sauna and steam room, fitness center, nail studio, boutique, relaxation lounge, and private access to an outdoor terrace. Experiences and treatments include water dancing, synergistic skin treatments, infrared therapy, and non-sleep deep rest massage. A signature treatment called Ashes includes compression, full-body lymphatic feathering, a targeted charcoal mask application, and advanced acupressure to promote relaxation (110 minutes, $355). A new-to-Fort Worth skin treatment called the Qi Beauty Facial incorporates 24k gold-covered micromagnets to move around subdermal fluids and promote recovery ($195-$275). The spa is open to visitors and hotel guests, 8:30 am-8:30 pm Thursday-Monday. 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 855-683-4092.

The Bowie House and its Ash Spa have a Western theme.Photo courtesy of Bowie House

San Antonio

The Spa Plaza, San Antonio
After months of anticipation, Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, the city’s first Marriott Autograph Collection property, checked in its first guests in mid-January. Surrounded by lush gardens and greenery, the Spa Plaza is located in two beautifully re-imagined historic homes that date to the 1850s, the Elmendorf-Tyler House and The Staffel House. It features six treatment rooms, a Zen Lounge, and a Wellness Concierge. Treatments include massages, facials, and nail services, along with three "Immersion Packages" ($360-$790) that offer multiple treatments, plus tea service or a full lunch. Open 9 am-6 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 9 am-4 pm Sunday. 555 S Alamo St., San Antonio, 210-353-8016.

Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa opened in early January 2024. Photo courtesy of Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa

Austin

Away Spa, W Hotel, Austin
The W Austin's Away Spa underwent a complete refresh in 2023 and now features a new aesthetic, new menu of services, and new products. Away Spa is a go-to in Austin for massages, facials, body wrap treatments, manicures and pedicures, and other beauty services. Unique offerings include ashiatsu, cupping therapy, couple’s massages, oxygen facials, and a suite of other enhancements. All Away Spa guests receive complimentary valet at W Austin for three hours, and full access to Wet Deck and Fit, a full gym complete with Peloton, yoga studio, and Pilates reformer. Hours are 9 am-6 pm Sunday-Thursday, 9 am-7 pm Friday-Saturday. 200 Lavaca St., Austin, 512-542-3626.

W Austin Away Spa Away Spa's concierge can help you plan a full spa day with your squad. Photo courtesy of W Austin

Milk + Honey Spa, The Loren Loren at Ladybird Lake, Austin
The sweet boutique hotel The Loren didn't look to some swanky international brand for its wellness offerings; it partnered up with Milk + Honey, an acclaimed Austin-based spa (which has several locations outside the city). The entrance is actually across from the hotel, under a breezeway that faces South Riverside Drive and South Lamar Boulevard. (Don't worry, there's complimentary valet parking.) After a few deep breaths in the Relaxation Room, guests settle in for signature Milk + Honey facials, body polishes and wraps, and even medspa treatments like fillers and injectables. Open 8 am-9 pm Monday-Sunday. 1211 W. Riverside Dr., Ste. 200, Austin, 512-580-1182.

Loren hotel Austin The Loren at Lady Bird Lake features a location of Milk + Honey Spa. Courtesy of Loren Hotel

luxury spas hotels

Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings