“I always look and feel my best in winter!” said nobody ever — except maybe Olympic ski star Mikaela Shiffrin. For the rest of us cold climate-dwellers, winter is the cruelest season. Even the latest Kylie Jenner Lip Kit can’t cure the winter plagues of chapped lips, static-y hair, and itchy, flaky skin — not to mention the perma-slouch you get from braving wind and weather. The fix: Step away from those half-price Valentine’s Day M&Ms and hit the spa. New England’s inn-based spas offer the perfect two-fer — a change of scenery and a big hit of Feel Good. Here are some places to escape into a cocoon of cozy, featuring luscious seasonal treatments that will warm you up, smooth you out, and make the long road to summer a bit more comfortable.
Wrap like an Egyptian: Gurney’s Newport Seawater Spa
“Everything about this treatment is warm,” said Arleen Sweeney, our therapist at Gurney’s Seawater Spa, as we settled onto a heated massage table for our Detoxifying Herbal Wrap. (Outdoor temp: Nine puny degrees.) You may not think of Newport, R.I., as a winter getaway, but the views are stunningly blue-on-blue at this Goat Island property; in fact, we had ocean views from our treatment room. Not for long, though. Sweeney had an eye mask on us in short order, and proceeded to whisk away our dead skin cells with a boar-bristle brush. We were definitely purring as Sweeney massaged us with locally sourced lavender oil. Next, she swaddled us in hot sheets of unbleached muslin soaked in an herbal potion. “People who are claustrophobic aren’t big fans of this,” she said, wrapping our arms to our sides. “This seems very mummy-like,” we responded. “If you come in here with a jar and a pair of tongs, we’re out of here!” we said, referencing ancient Egyptian burial customs. “Oh, that’s a different treatment,” Sweeney quipped.