Santa Fe, New Mexico's
Ten Thousand Waves Spa - Asian Fusion

by Lisa Proctor

Nestled into the mountains just a few miles from Santa Fe, is a high-desert oasis that honors the tradition of a Japanese onsen (bathhouse) while offering all the services of a first-rate spa.

Authentic in every detail, Ten Thousand Waves greets new arrivals with a bright red vertical roadside banner beautifully drawn with Japanese characters. In fact, all signs at Ten Thousand Waves are written in both English and Japanese, including the private and public baths, guestrooms and more. 

Koi Pond at Ten Thousand Waves

While you can visit Ten Thousand Waves for the day, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by staying for an entire weekend. Once we had checked into our traditionally decorated Japanese room (complete with steam shower), donned our kimonos and slippers, and stepped out into our private rock garden, we had nearly forgotten that we were still in the U.S. After a cup of green tea and a short walk to the spa, we prepared for our Spring Renewal Package by steeping our bodies for an hour in a private wooden tub. Birds sang from their perches, the wind danced in the trees and the sky blazed a brilliant blue until we were discreetly notified by intercom that it was time to begin our treatments.

My husband and I met were escorted by our therapists to a large, comfortable room with two massage tables. We began with a Yasuragi Head & Neck Treatment, followed by an Indo-Asian Hot Oil Massage. For this treatment, aromatic and deeply healing hot oil is infused with therapeutic flowers and herbs. For instance, lavender for calming, comfrey leaf for cell production, white willow bark for relieving muscle strain and chamomile for uplifting spirits—just to name a few.

After a full body massage, ground calamus root powder was added to the oil blend to gently exfoliate winter-weary skin, leaving us smooth and glowing.  For the last 25 minutes, our therapists wrapped us in hot, herb, soaked linens, then placed cool cucumbers over our eyes and spritzed our faces with refreshing aromatic mist.

Ten Thousand Waves lives up to its reputation. The services, architecture, tubs, landscaping and attention to detail are each in their own right a work of art. It was the perfect way to begin the next 20 years of our lives together.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the 100 Fountain Spa, visit: Ten Thousand Waves For the best spas and wellness experiences in America visit: