With their Nordic traditions, Minnesotans know how to spa–which you’ll find when you visit any of the many day spas found in the Twin Cities.
(Photo: Watershed Spa / Courtesy Bridgette Redman for TravelMag)
Minnesota/St. Paul is filled with full-service day spas that range from luxury to intimate. Spa professionals in the Twin Cities have curated unique services designed to provide healing, wellness and beauty services both to residents and tourists. Visiting one of the day spas on this list is a great way to recover from travel fatigue while getting a taste of Minneapolis’s diverse culture. From communal bath experiences to cold plunges to Thai bodywork to CBD journeys to halotherapy, you can tap into the modality your body and soul most yearn for. If you’re looking to host a spa party or a corporate event, many of these properties have the facilities and staff to help you create the perfect spa event. The spas in this list offer some of the best experiences you can get in the Twin Cities.
Watershed Spa + Baths
Nell Rueckl accomplished what many would have thought impossible–she raised the capital for Minneapolis’ first communal bathing spa during a pandemic. Watershed Spa offers a variety of holistic and integrative wellness options from massage, skin care, acupuncture, yoga, sound healing, Reiki and body balancing. They also have a room akin to a Roman bath, a communal bathing space that includes a warm pool, a cold plunge, showers with a salt scrub exfoliation, a steam room and a sauna. Guests can follow a recommended cycle or determine their own journey through the pools. There is also a relaxation room with an altar, lounges, overstuffed pillows and yoga mats. Watershed is a place focused on healing and filled with intentional, unique touches from the hand-made body cream to the circular, internal architecture. Rueckl said she created a place where people could come together in community and go together on a journey of wellness.
514 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN
Woodhouse Spa Maple Grove
(Photo: Woodhouse Spa Maple Grove / Courtesy Bridgette Redman for TravelMag)
The staff at Woodhouse Spa Maple Grove understand that luxury begins with the personal. A day spa with locations around the country, the spa is committed to creating a luxury spa experience at each of its facilities. It starts with individual welcomes–birthday and anniversary wishes on a sandwich board at the entry, chalkboards with each guest’s name hanging on the locker and individual welcomes along with a cold, scented towel and a drink upon arrival. Knowing that outcome is more important than treatment, Woodhouse Spa provides a guide to its menu based on mood and need–connected, resilient, calm, confident, energized and balanced. The entire spa is filled with its signature aroma and guests are encouraged to relax before and after their well-thought-out services. Woodhouse Spa has two Minneapolis locations with the Maple Grove one situated in a new shopping mall in a growing part of town.
12425 Elm Creek Blvd., Maple Grove, MN
Sabai Body Temple
(Photo: Sabai Body Temple / Courtesy Bridgette M. Redman for TravelMag)
Located in Uptown, Minneapolis, Sabai Body Temple is a well-established oasis where guests can seek out bodywork from highly experienced therapists who bring their specialties to provide a holistic experience focused on wellness and healing. Founded with an intent to meld eastern bodywork philosophy with a luxury spa environment, they have grown into a small business that cares equally for its guests and employees, is committed to sustainable practices and is deeply involved in its community. Take your shoes off at the door and enter into their warm sanctuary where you can get massage services for individuals or one of their many couples packages. Sabai is set up to provide pre-natal massages and they are able to focus on other individual needs as well. They also offer cupping, exfoliation and Thai poultice treatments. Therapists connect with each guest so that they can customize the treatment to each person’s individual needs while providing much-needed compassionate touch.
2753 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
Idlewild Spa
(Photo: Idlewild Spa at Omni Viking Resort / Courtesy Bridgette Redman for TravelMag)
Technically a resort spa located at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, Idlewild Spa is open to any member of the public looking for a high-end day spa experience. Arrive early when you go, because the spa is designed to take you through a Nordic experience and provide you an escape from the bustle of the world. The full-service spa offers multiple relaxation spaces–both indoors and out. Guests can cycle between hot and cold treatments that prepare the body for any of the unique services Idlewild offers from massages to facials to nail services to wellness activities and rituals. It is even possible to rent out the spa for corporate or group events. Or you can purchase a day pass to take advantage of Idlewild’s amenities including the steam rooms, hot tub, pool, sauna and relaxation rooms. A salt room is open for all guests and Idlewild provides refreshments ranging from infused waters to teas to light snacks. They frequently partner with other organizations to provide seasonally-themed treatments.
2611 Nordic Way, Eagan, MN
Tula Spa
(Photo: Tula Spa / Courtesy of Tula Spa)
Nestled in the Tangletown neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis, Tula Spa focuses on organic, non-toxic body care. Founded in 2013, it has expanded to offer a variety of services with its nine technicians. They offer a range of massage services that last from 30 to 90 minutes and focus on different needs. Holistic facials are designed from the four elements and Tula also offers dermaplaning and microdermabrasion. If you are a mother-to-be, they offer a pre-natal facial that focuses on the changes skin goes through when a woman is pregnant. Other treatments include energy work, scalp treatment, waxing and lash treatment. In addition to a pre-natal massage service, they also offer fertility massages for those attempting to get pregnant. Make sure you make a reservation or call ahead as the doors are kept locked for safety reasons.
319 W. 48th Street, Minneapolis, MN
Spot Spa Urban Wellness
For more than 20 years, Spot Spa has offered a haven for those seeking wellness and healing. It is a place where practitioners use proven methodology while being open to evolving research. They eschew trends in favor of authenticity–which is why they refuse to incorporate such things as chemical peels or microdermabrasion in their skincare protocols. Guests can reserve appointments for massage, skincare, hair removal, cupping, vibrational sound therapy, acupuncture and dynamic body balancing. Within each specialty is a variety of offerings. For example, massage treatments include cranio-sacral therapy, ashiatsu, Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi, Thai, reflexology and shiatsu. Located in a renovated, Mid-Century doctor’s office, the spa is an urban treehouse with bright decor.
1600 W. Lake Street, Ste. 100, Minneapolis, MN
Aurora Spa
(Photo Aurora Spa / Courtesy Aurora Spa)
Aurora Spa is an oasis of relaxation and rejuvenation. They offer an opportunity for guests to look and feel their best without having to resort to cosmetic surgery or invasive treatments. Instead, they turn to traditional treatments, holistic philosophies and therapeutic therapies. They incorporate natural and organic products into their treatments, treatments that include massage therapies, facials, nail care, body treatments, saunas and ion footbaths. They design their treatments with the goal of helping guests to detoxify, repair, renew and enhance. They hired a feng-shui specialist to help design their environment and provide such amenities as robes, lockers, a shower and drinks. They’ve curated several packages to cater to those with specific needs, whether it is a full day of relaxation, a CBD journey, detoxification, restoration or beauty. They offer rituals and journeys designed for couples and will help to arrange and host spa parties.
1609 West Lake Street, Minneapolis