Here is our annual list of the reader-nominated Best Spas for 2019, as well as anti-aging tips.
The concept of self-care is everywhere these days. It can be as big as a solo trip overseas to sweat it out in an ashram—or as simple as taking 10 minutes with a meditation app.
Let’s meet in the middle with this year’s list of reader-nominated Best Spas. The region’s day spas, med spas and make-a-weekend-of-it spas are the perfect place to sneak in some self-care.
So, grab your girlfriends and decide where you want to book your next spa day!
“Im so stressed out,” is a familiar refrain in the Washington region. The nation’s capital and its surrounding suburbs attract Type A personalities who often pride themselves on being endlessly busy. But, thankfully, there are also plenty of spas that cater to the stressed out-set with treatments designed to help you find some Zen.
“Taking a few hours for a spa experience is very important because it gives you a break from stress and time alone,” says Marina Mitkovic, spa director at the Lorien Spa in Old Town Alexandria. “Relaxing your body can also lead to relaxing your mind, which both help with stress levels. That’s why it’s important to book a massage.”
The spa, located inside Kimpton’s Lorien Hotel, caters to locals just as much as out-of-town guests and, in fact, offers a membership that includes a monthly 50-minute Swedish massage, access to the hotel’s gym, a 20 percent discount on other spa services and a complimentary glass of Champagne when you visit. The membership ($100 per month) offers accountability and an excuse to make that time for self-care, says Mitkovic.
“Many of us have so many responsibilities that sometimes we forget to take care of our personal needs and, especially those who spend their time taking care of others, can get burned out,” she says. “Taking time to care for yourself can make you a better caretaker for others.”
That’s exactly why Calvert Thompson, owner of Calvert Rejuvenations, a day spa in Herndon, decided to open her own spa.
“It was always in pursuit of just helping as many people as I could,” says Thompson.
She got her first full-body massage at just 11 years old and “it clearly changed the course of my life.”
She opened her own spa in 2006 where she and her team focus on holistic self-care.
“I believe that self-care is a practice. You need to be able to connect with your body in a positive way,” says Thompson. “With a good advocate on your team, you can move forward into a higher state of living and a better relationship with your body and with your skin and with yourself. We’re very focused on that holistic approach. It’s not just a facial. It’s not just a massage. It’s true self-care.”
Read on for our reader-nominated list of the region’s 31 Best Spas.
Spas
Azure Dream Day Spa 2420 Wilson BlvdSuite
Calvert Rejuvenations
485 Carlisle Drive, Herndon; 571-323-1088
Casal’s Dé Spa & Salon
3033 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 571-312-3847
Champaka Thai Massage & Spa
14535 John Marshall Highway, Suite 205, Gainesville; 571-284-5133
Fountains Day Spa
422 S. Washington St., Alexandria; 703-549-1990
Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa
1600 King St., Alexandria; 703-894-5130
Origins Thai Spa Elite
925 N. Garfield St., Suite E, Arlington; 703-527-3019/ 703-527-3032
Origins Thai Spa
46179 Westlake Drive, Suite 130, Sterling; 703-376-8711
Salamander Resort & Spa
500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg; 540-326-4055
Serendipity Wellness Studio
5252 Lyngate Court, Suite 202, Burke; 571-217-1150
Skin + Touch Therapy Spa
714 Caroline St., Fredericksburg; 540-479-6470
Spa Minérale – Lansdowne Resort & Spa
44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg; 703-729-4036
Sugar House Day Spa & Salon
111 N. Alfred St., Alexandria; 703-549-9940
The Red Door Salon & Spa – Fairfax Corner
4210 Fairfax Corner Ave. W., Fairfax; 703-968-2922
The Red Door at Pentagon Row
1101 S. Joyce St., Arlington; 703-373-5888
The Red Door Reston
11838 Spectrum Center, Reston; 703-467-8488
The Red Door at The Shops at Fairfax Square
8075 Leesburg Pike, Suite 110, Vienna; 703-448-8388
The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Tysons Corner
1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean; 703-744-3924
Tranquility Day Spa & Salon
15125 Washington St., Suite 304, Haymarket; 571-248-4150
Medspas
Aria MediSpa2 Pidgeon Hill Drive
Astoria Laser Clinic & Med Spa
2106 Gallows Road, Suite B, Vienna; 703-992-9290
AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center
552 Fort Evans Road NE, Suite 110, Leesburg; 703-870-3844
Elume Medspa
3925 Old Lee Highway, Suite 53D, Fairfax; 703-962-1337
Inova Medical Spa
21785 Filigree Court, Suite 100, Ashburn; 703-554-1130
Izalia Laser Hair Removal & Rejuvenation Spa
114 S. Patrick St., Suite 1, Alexandria; 703-549-0911
Mountcastle Medical Spa & Laser Center
44095 Pipeline Plaza, Suite 130, Ashburn; 571-266-1776
Nova Medical Skin Care
200 Little Falls St., Suite 302, Falls Church; 703-237-7546
PureSkin Aesthetics
8130 Boone Blvd., Suite 360, Tysons; 703-627-7873
Radiance Medspa Fairfax
12585 Fair Lakes Circle, Fairfax; 703-222-0173
Radiance Medspa of Old Town
115 S. Columbus St., Alexandria; 703-299-6140
Sanctuary Cosmetic Center
1650 Tysons Blvd., Suite 100, McLean; 703-893-3937
A ‘Sanctuary’ for Anti-Aging
Dr. Soheila Rostami
“A lot of people tell me this is genetics, but I really think it’s because when I started [taking care of my skin], I wore sunblock every day … I use my Retin-A. I use my vitamin C. And I use some sort of pigment control. Since I was 27, I’ve been on a regimen for my skin. I do my neuromodulators on a routine basis. Every three to four months, I do my own injections. So I am the sample of what I preach.”
Rostami is the founder of Sanctuary Cosmetic Center in McLean, a medspa that focuses on both surgical and non-invasive anti-aging cosmetic treatments. The medspa, one of this year’s reader-nominated winners, is known as a luxury oasis for clients in search of refreshed, younger looking skin.
And while Rostami and the spa’s other board-certified physicians perform plenty of procedures (think Botox, microblading and fat-burning lasers), she says the anti-aging industry is still in its infancy. “I think we’re just scratching the surface. If you think of what’s happening in stem cell research and genetics … we are dipping into growth factors, stem cells. There are a lot of new and wonderful technologies that are going to be coming out and hopefully will be available to us. I’m very excited about stem cell research. I believe anti-aging is going to go in that direction.”
But before you book an appointment at any medspa, Rostami, who serves as both the medical director and CEO at Sanctuary, says to make sure you ask the right questions.
“Look at their training. Ask them how many procedures they have done,” she suggests. “The consultation is so important.”
Ensuring a good experience for her clients is why Rostami founded Sanctuary in 2015—and has plans to open additional locations in the future.
“This is a sanctuary for you to have your cosmetic procedures … when you walk through our doors you feel the serenity, comfort and safety,” says Rostami. “We’re trying to create an environment where you feel safe. That’s why I came up with it. I really felt [my clients] needed a sanctuary.”
This post originally appeared in our May 2019 issue. Want the magazine delivered to your mailbox every month? Subscribe here.
