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

wine guy on the road

Chris Shepherd wines and dines at a city that reminds him of Houston

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Al Ameer won an America's Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation.

Recently, I tagged along with my wife Lindsey to Detroit for a Southern Smoke industry lunch. I don’t work for the foundation, but I love any opportunity as a co-founder to meet with industry folks and share our resources (emergency relief funding and no-cost mental health care for people in the food and beverage industry) with them.

What we found in the Motor City, though, was so much more than we ever imagined. Detroit absolutely blew us away.

From the moment we arrived, we knew this place was special. We checked into the Detroit Foundation Hotel, housed inside the city’s landmark Fire Department headquarters built in 1929. The building served as headquarters until 2013 before being beautifully transformed into a hotel in 2017, and they preserved so much of its history.

Our room had originally been the office of the Fire Commissioner’s secretary with soaring ceilings, dark wood walls, and details that made you feel connected to the building’s past. Downstairs, The Apparatus Room buzzes from morning until night. The original white tile walls remain, the massive windows where fire trucks once rolled out flood the room with light, and the bar pulls you in the second you walk through the door.

The wine list is thoughtful with producers like Matthiasson, Ashes & Diamonds, and Lingua Franca, while the cocktail program is outstanding. More importantly, the bartenders were some of the best I’ve been around in a long time. Knowledgeable, welcoming, and genuinely excited about what they do. That’s something we kept finding everywhere we went.

Dinner that first night was at Ladder 4 wine bar, another beautifully restored firehouse built in 1910. They took their time bringing the building back to life, and we could feel it. The wine program is incredibly well thought out, and the food celebrates the farms surrounding Detroit with dishes that are seasonal, fun, and full of personality.

We ate tomatoes with stone fruit and ricotta salata; chicken Milanese parm with tomato, fior di latte, and pickled chilies; and then a dish that completely stole my heart: drive-thru hash browns topped with caviar and sour cream. We paired it with a bottle of Hubert Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis, and the evening just kept getting better.

The biggest surprise was learning that the person guiding us through the wine list was actually the executive chef. His understanding of how food and wine belong together came through in every recommendation. You could feel the soul of the restaurant inside those old white tile walls and next to the original brass fire pole. Call it a wine bar, call it a restaurant — I just call it awesome.

The next afternoon we headed over to Dearborn, because we absolutely had to visit Al Ameer. Home to one of the largest Muslim communities in America, Dearborn has an incredible food culture, and Al Ameer has been at the center of it since 1989. After earning the James Beard America’s Classic Award in 2016, it has become one of those places everyone should experience.

Fresh pita hit the table nonstop alongside hummus, baba ghanoush, kibbeh, fattoush, and a spread of salads before we dug into mixed grills loaded with chicken and beef shawarma, kabobs, and kofta. We finished everything with fresh juices, sat back in our chairs, and just smiled. What a lunch.

That night friends took us to Alpino, a restaurant inspired by the Alpine regions of France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Tell me the last time you started dinner with bubbling cheese fondue, bread, apples, potatoes and pickles alongside a bottle of Austrian Riesling…yeah, I thought so. It’s been too long. We followed that with strangolapreti tossed in spring herb butter, ricotta agnolotti with English peas, Wiener schnitzel with morels, house-made sausages and German Pinot Noir. That’s my kind of dinner.

The following day we gathered at Leña for our Southern Smoke event, sharing a beautiful lunch and talking about taking care of the people who take care of all of us every day. Afterward, we walked over to Lafayette Coney Island, because you can’t come to Detroit without eating one of the city’s iconic hot dogs. Sitting next to its longtime rival American Coney Island, the story of the Keros brothers and their neighboring restaurants is as much a part of Detroit history as the hot dogs themselves. Sometimes you just have to eat a little history.

Our final dinner was at SheWolf Pastificio & Bar. If you love pasta, this place belongs on your list immediately. They mill their own flour, make every pasta fresh daily, and devote an entire room to nothing but pasta production. It’s obsessive in the best possible way.

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Al Ameer won an America's Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation.

We started with an incredible panzanella of local tomatoes, charred focaccia, fermented corn and sheep’s milk ricotta before diving into a beautiful rigatoni amatriciana, sweet corn and ricotta-filled francobolli with pesto Genovese and popcorn, plus an off-menu duck confit pasta finished with Calabrian chile crunch. A bottle of 2017 Cascina Luisin Barbaresco tied everything together and reminded me once again why great food and great wine will always make each other better.

What I’ll remember most isn’t just the food. It’s the people. Detroit is filled with chefs, farmers, sommeliers, bartenders, and restaurateurs who genuinely believe that lifting each other up is better than competing against one another. Their wine lists are deep, the bars are full of incredible spirits and amari, local farms are celebrated everywhere, and everyone seems invested in making the city better together.

Sound familiar? It’s exactly what has made Houston one of the greatest food cities in America. Should Detroit be on your dining bucket list? Hell yes. It’s on mine now, and with a quick two-and-a-half-hour nonstop flight from Houston, I’ll happily be back.

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Want Chris' recommendations for other cities? Ask him by emailing chris@chrisshepherd.is.

Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014 and an Impact Award in 2026. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $16 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund.

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