Not all spas are created equal. For those looking to truly indulge, there are certain spas around the world that offer decadent offerings. And for those with a sweet tooth, a luxurious chocolate treatment may be just what you need.
To help you have a delicious spa experience, here are six of the world’s top chocolate spas.
The Spa At The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Aptly nicknamed the “Chocolate Spa,” The Spa At The Hotel Hershey is a three-story, European-style spa renowned for its wide range of sweet treatments, with everything from chocolate massages to cocoa body wraps, facials, manicures, pedicures, scrubs, polishes and hydrotherapy, all with a chocolate twist.
While it’s difficult to choose with so many decadent options, I recommend the “Chocolate Fondue Wrap.” The treatment is like being packaged like a Hershey Bar, as rich fondue is applied to the skin and then you’re wrapped in a warm blanket. The experience ends with a cleansing Vichy Shower. Other notable menu items include the “Whipped Cocoa Bath,” which is like steeping yourself in an indulgent cup of hot chocolate, and the “Cocoa Facial Experience” where an edible dark chocolate mask is applied to the guest’s skin and can be tasted during the treatment.
After your treatment, wrap yourself in a plush robe and head to the guests-only spa restaurant, The Oasis. The space serves up delicious mini chocolate desserts, Hershey Kisses, hot cocoa and chocolate muffins in a tranquil space to enhance the sweet experience.
Sweet Bonus: In February, the Spa is featured during the town-wide celebration of all things chocolate, Chocolate-Covered February. This allows spa guests to receive discounts on select chocolate treatments—including the Cocoa Facial Experience, Chocolate Immersion and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry—Mondays through Thursdays. Additionally, the spa is offering a Chocolate Spa Sampler package for $208, which includes a Whipped Cocoa Bath (or Chocolate Hydrotherapy for men), choice of Chocolate Bean Polish or Chocolate Sugar Scrub, a 50-minute Cocoa Massage and lunch in The Oasis.
CocoaJuvenate Spa at Hotel Chocolat, Soufriere, St. Lucia
One of the world’s most romantic destinations, St. Lucia has a rich chocolate heritage dating back to the 1700s. You can still experience this tasty history through chocolate-infused foods, planation tours, cooking classes and the decadent CocoaJuvenate Spa at Hotel Chocolat. It offers a range of cocoa-inspired treatments, all of which are enhanced with NanoCacao, a finely ground cocoa harvested right on the hotel’s estate.
Try a Cacao Detox Body Wrap, which starts with a virgin oil infused with local cocoa. From there, the body is enveloped in clay, banana paste and chocolate before being wrapped in softened banana leaves. After the wrap finishes drawing toxins out of the body, the skin is moisturized with cocoa butter and massaged with a silky cocoa mousse. The Cacao Manicure & Pedicure, Cacao Body Exfoliate & Moisturize and anti-stress back massage infused with cacao, nutmeg and cinnamon are also tasty ways to detox.
Along with the chocolate-inspired spa, Hotel Chocolat features an array of other sweet experiences. Take a tour of the cocoa plantation, make your own chocolate bars and truffles in its Tree-To-Bar Experience or have a chocolate-infused meal in the Boucan Restaurant, with dishes such as the Cacao Gazpacho and Tomato, Cacao Ravioli and chocolate-infused chili.
Sweet Bonus: Hotel Chocolat offers a range of packages to make your stay sweeter and more affordable. For example, its Total Cacao Immersion package features accommodations, full breakfast with cocoa tea, a $50 per day beverage credit per couple, roundtrip airport transfers, a chocolate-making experience, full body cacao massage per person, Cacao Bellini or Cacao Martini on arrival, a ‘Cocoa Sack’ tote bag and all amenities.
After The Rain, Geneva, Switzerland
Featuring one of the world’s longest, most indulgent spa menus, After The Rain’s treatments infuse everything from gold to hazelnut milk to caviar to pearl. And of course, its expansive menu features an array of chocolate-inspired offerings and packages. Feeling lethargic? The chocolate body wrap features a mystery cream combined with milk and chocolate for a healthy energy boost. Does your skin feel flaky? The signature cocoa scrub is made on the spot using fresh ingredients, including brown sugar, vegetable oil and cocoa bean flakes. For something truly luxurious, opt for the iconic chocolate bath, a concoction of chocolate, milk and water that will immerse you in sweetness and leave your skin rejuvenated.
Sweet Bonus: The spa offers a variety of cocoa-themed packages all year. If you’re visiting solo, I recommend the Triple Chocolate Delight, which includes 30 minutes of relaxation time in the hamman, a 45-minute chocolate orange scrub, a 45-minute chocolate cream massage and a 45-minute chocolate facial. If you’re with your special someone, opt for the Je T’aime Moi Non Plus designed for couples. The package includes 30 minutes in the hamman, 45-minute chocolate cream massages, 30-minute chocolate and whipped cream bath and a delicious ending of ginger tea with chocolate shavings.
Spa Réveil, Austin, Texas
While the Spa Réveil offers massages, facials and body wraps, its menu also includes a unique option not found in all spas: curative cultural rituals. Holistic traditions from Morocco, Egypt, Bali and beyond are incorporated into indulgent yet good-for-you treatments that aid in the overall wellness of the body, mind and spirit. The Mayan Cocoa Ritual is the most delicious, inspired by a cocoa history that dates back to the Mayan civilization. During this time, cocoa was treasured for its plentiful vitamins and antioxidants and incorporated into almost all rituals and beauty regimes. Spa Réveil’s ritual in particular begins with a sweet cream sea salt scrub removing all the dead skin cells off the body. From there, skin is drenched in a rich chocolate serum. Next, enjoy a Vichy shower, scalp rub and Swedish massage before skin is made soft and supple with a chocolate lotion.
Sweet Bonus: For chocolate-lovers visiting the spa this February, the spa is offering an array of packages. First there is the Valentine’s Bliss, which includes a 20-minute Hydrotherapy Milk Bath, 60-minute Chocolate Strawberry Swedish Massage and 60-minute facial and beverage service. There is also the Couple’s Escape, which includes a 15-minute milk bath for two, a 60-minute Chocolate Strawberry Swedish Massage for two, a 50-minute pedicure for two and beverage service. Additionally, the Mother & Daughter Delight features a 60-minute Chocolate Strawberry Swedish Massage for two, an 80-minute manicure and pedicure for two and beverage service.
Chocolate For Your Body Spa, Chicago, Illinois
Chocolate For Your Body Spa doesn’t look at chocolate as a naughty treat, but as a powerful antioxidant with the ability to make the skin radiant. In the spa’s treatments you’ll find a mix of raw cocoa, fruit and spices, creating a powerful and curative combination. Opt for a 60-minute Chocolate Signature Massage, an experience that includes rich chocolate oils, a sensual chocolate scrub and a moisturizing chocolate lotion to give the skin nutrition and detox the body. There is also a 75-minute Chocolate Decadent Signature Facial that combines rich, organic chocolate with pomegranate to tighten and repair the skin.
Sweet Bonus: Each month, the spa offers a discount special to guests.
Sense, A Rosewood Spa, Riviera Maya, Mexico
The Riviera Maya is where the cacao seed is said to have originated. In fact, legend has it that the sweet treat was once reserved for royalty and Montezuma would drink 50 goblets each day. Today, people have a better understanding of the healthy benefits of chocolate. At Sense, A Rosewood Spa, the most luxurious offering is the Escape Together: Sun And Moon Journey, which begins with being picked up by boat for a private arrival into the spa. Once you’re resting peacefully on the cushioned flat bed, the body is exfoliated with a cacao scrub. After a nourishing body wrap and bath, guests enjoy a Mayan chocolate massage in a private open-air palapa with lagoon views. I also like the 120-minute Mayakoba Signature Island Massage, which is enjoyed next to a private lagoon and incorporates rich chocolate applied by gentle hands.
Sweet Bonus: Guests can spice it up with some chocolate decadence at Ah Cacao by delighting the taste buds with premium Maya chocolate, and learning how to incorporate this decadent ingredient into meals with a private chocolate cooking class.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
