Where To Soak, Steam & Stay in North America’s Best Ski Towns
The best ski vacations make time to unwind and recover after hours on the slopes. Trade your ski boots for slippers and let the heat of a steam room or the quiet of a thermal pool soak into your muscles. Across North America, mountain towns are home to some of the most memorable spa and wellness experiences you can find, each one shaped by its landscape, local traditions, and the simple need to recharge after a day on the mountain.
Colorado has no shortage of ski towns or spas, but Old Town Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs is both a natural wonder and a wellness destination. This has been a public soaking spot for more than a century, where families have been visiting the therapeutic mineral pools in a welcoming space right downtown. Geothermal water flows into a variety of outdoor pools, some reserved for adults looking for quiet relaxation, others filled with kids laughing as they zip down the water slides. Upstairs, the wellness center offers massages and fitness classes, and downstairs, the hot water has revived tired bodies for generations.
And then there’s Vail, where the Sonnenalp Hotel’s spa manages to feel both upscale and deeply personal. Inspired by Bavarian design and family-owned warmth, the Sonnenalp’s spa offers everything from steam rooms and fireside lounges to an oxygen bar that’s particularly useful for travelers adjusting to the high elevation. The massage menu includes options specifically targeting ski recovery, like an oxygen bar for addressing symptoms of altitude sickness and relieving massages.
In Montana, Big Sky's Montage Resort has raised the bar for luxury in the Northern Rockies, and its spa is accessible to non-hotel guests. This wellness center spans over 11,000 square feet, with a tranquil indoor lap pool framed by mountain views and a full range of treatments designed for both indulgence and recovery. Guests can book facials that use oxygen infusion technology, body scrubs infused with Montana sage, or opt for a sound bath session to fully unwind.
Stay at Montage Resort in Big Sky
- Ski In / Ski Out
- Spa, Sauna, Steam Room, and Pools
- Ski Concierge
In Deer Valley, Utah, the Stein Eriksen Lodge’s old-world elegance is the perfect ambiance to pair with a spa built for recovery. Named for the Olympic gold medalist who helped define modern skiing, the lodge has long been a symbol of alpine luxury. Its 24,000-square-foot spa includes cozy stone fireplaces, oversized hot tubs, and a treatment menu designed for high-altitude comfort. Guests can opt for a boot relief Therabody Jet boots session, oxygen therapy, moisturizing manicures or pedicures, and much more.
Further north, in Whistler, British Columbia, the Scandinave Spa offers a more minimalist approach to wellness. Outside the main village, this open-air spa operates on a silent, screen-free policy that feels like a reset for both body and mind. Visitors rotate through cycles of heat, cold, and rest: think wood-burning saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms, plunge pools fed by mountain water, and solariums with daybeds facing the trees. It’s a ritual that draws on Nordic bathing traditions, and while it might sound intense, it’s also peaceful, especially when snow is falling gently over the treetops.
Where To Stay Whether it’s a deep-tissue massage after a powder day or a long soak with a mountain view, North America’s ski towns know how to do wellness right. Spots like Whistler, Aspen, and Park City have raised the bar with steam rooms, hot springs, and full-service spas that make it easy to unwind after a day on the hill.
With The Lodging Company, you can find a place to stay that matches the experience you’re craving, whether that’s a slopeside hotel with spa access or a quiet ski-in/ski-out chalet.
Katherine Lawless is a Minneapolis-based freelance travel and lifestyle writer. See her work on BBC Travel, Afar, the Minnesota Star Tribune, and Toronto Star, and more.