The Best Wellness Retreats and Spas in Oahu, Hawaii

Favored by celebrities as one of the best spas in Honolulu, it’s no surprise the Kahala Spa’s nine treatment rooms offer an unrivaled level of privacy and intimacy. Overlooking the lush gardens of the resort, each comes with its own relaxation area comprising a glass-enclosed shower, deep-soaking tub and personal changing space. Treatments span both traditional (lomi lomi massage, warm pohaku massage) and modern (Hemp CBD Recovery Treatment), but always commence with the traditional Ho‘omaka Foot Ritual and eye mask, infused with antioxidant-rich kinehe-flower essence.

Retreat to this award-winning wellness retreat in Oahu where a full suite of acupuncture services is on hand to combat travel-related issues, like poor digestion and jet lag. If you’re in Oahu to tie the knot, the unique Sorensensistem (a Japanese-style non-surgical lifting treatment) ensures you’ll put your best face forward on your big day, with no downtime. If needles aren’t your thing, there are various massages like the Taurumi, an invigorating (read: it will not send you to sleep) Tahitian-style treatment using the aromatic, nourishing goodness of monoï oil (coconut oil infused with tiare flowers).

If a stay at this all-suite property is not on the cards, a visit to its spa – one of the best spas in Honolulu – should be a plan B. The curated menu focuses on traditional Hawaiian treatments with a luxe twist. Volcanic Hawaiian stones are used with heated shells for their Keahilani treatment designed to promote deep relaxation, and lomi lomi massages offer holistic add-ons like dry brushing and lymphatic drainage, so your skin is primed for quality time in the sun.

Slip into Naio Bliss Spa’s cocoon-like treatment cabana, overlooking the yachts at Ala Wai Boat Harbor. The menu of treatments is extensive, but the Alihi Lani package remains a favorite of returning guests, including a lomi lomi massage combined with pohaku hot-stone therapy, before ending with an express facial. For additional indulgence, add on Gua Sha, a lymphatic-drainage face massage.

Let the others explore the North Shore, while you treat yourself to a soothing day at Nalu Kinetic Spa in Oahu. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Turtle Bay Resort, the spa menu runs the gamut of standard massages (aromatherapy, jet lag) to more specialized (salt-stone therapy, warm coconut lava shell) and skin-focused treatments (fruit acid facials, oxygen therapy and green-clay body wraps). There are hair and make-up services at the salon and pampering kids’ mini treatments, too, if you have young ones tagging along.

Tapping into local traditions and the healing power of Mother Nature, the treatments here take a more holistic approach with lotions concocted using native flora like lehua blossoms, ki leaf and handpicked pohaku (stones) from the Big Island. Unique to this spa retreat in Hawaii, the Pilialoha treatment uses flower essences and a rhythmic lomi lomi massage to relax and release tensions, finishing with a fresh-cut ‘olena ritual using Hawaiian turmeric. The spa features three treatment rooms, one couple’s room, as well as a relaxation lounge.

Like its sister spa Abhasa Spa at the iconic Royal Hawaiian wellness resort, the Spa Khakara focuses on treatments using natural, organic ingredients like Hawaiian honey, passionfruit and coconut oil. Housed in an intimate setting with only eight treatment rooms, there are four couple rooms for a day out out à deux. The signature Khakara Harmony massage is a lomi lomi treatment with a shiatsu twist, so you depart not merely relaxed but free of those pesky shoulder knots.

Massages are glorious, but romantic outdoor massages under the stars are even better. At the Naupaka Spa, conventional treatments are given a Four Seasons’ upgrade. The menu offers cutting-edge LED light-rejuvenation facials, healing-focused massages using heated basalt rocks, guided breath-work exercises and arnica oil to unlock deep-seated tension. For a holistic experience, book a session in the Vessel, a virtual-reality experience that uses therapeutic technology to bring on full mind-to-body relaxation.