The Ritz-Carlton Spa Orlando, Grande Lakes
All that’s missing is the lullaby. But you won’t need a tune crooned when you’re rocked to-and-fro in a hammock hanging in the rooftop garden at The Ritz-Carlton Spa Orlando, Grande Lakes. There, in this outdoor setting, an able therapist will lull you to repose with an Eco-Hammock Massage. In a ritual meant to evoke warm breezes, lazy afternoons, and golden rays of caressing sun, the therapist melds cranial and sacral massage techniques—as well as shiatsu and reflexology—with ministrations led by the rhythmic motions of this air-suspended al fresco massage table. A medley of fragrant herbs wafts a soothing perfume and birdsong serves as ambient music. Plentiful greenery and rustic wooden benches, carved from found wood, set a bucolic mood at this unexpected tranquil spot above a sprawling, urban resort. Views of the lake and pool area enhance the sense of escape, placing you far from the theme park throngs. End your spa experience at the Scrub Bar, where you can design your own salt and herb body scrub to take home as a souvenir. ritzcarlton.com
—Becca Hensley