Summertime in any major city guarantees hot temperatures, more activities, longer days and, for many, late nights. If you feel depleted and need a summer vacation or a quick recharge, we’ve rounded up a list of hotels that offer a refuge in the city. Their impressive spas, fitness centers and pools will help you emerge revitalized and ready for more urban adventure.
The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa
Everything is bigger in Texas, including The Houstonian and its private health club, which clocks in at a whopping 175,000 square feet. Guests of the Houston hotel receive access to the city’s most exclusive health club, which is more impressive than ever after a 2022 renovation with nine tennis courts (four indoor and five outdoor), a yoga studio, five pools, an indoor basketball court, a state-of-the-art cycling studio and much more.
After your workout, unwind at the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Trellis Spa. European-inspired architecture lends the 21 treatment rooms a villa-like feel, an effect completed by the exceptionally manicured gardens that house the spa’s 6,500-square-foot outdoor water circuit.
The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Nashville
When you need a moment of quiet from the sounds of Music City, look to The Joseph, A Luxury Collection Hotel’s 21st floor to find the 5,500-square-foot Rose spa. Upon entering, you will find yourself refreshed by the spa’s breezy interiors with light-washed wood and light pouring from lofted ceilings. And if not, continue to the spa’s facilities. Alongside six treatment rooms, the spa boasts purifying steam rooms to use in conjunction with the ice fountain — particularly welcome during the steamy summer — and multi-sensory, customizable experience showers.
The spa offers a Summer Day Spa package showcasing some of its signature treatments for a day of head-to-toe restoration. Start with a 50-minute Citrus Revitalization Treatment, a full-body citrus exfoliation primes your skin for maximal absorption of a CBD botanical body oil, followed by the 50-minute Hydrating Rose Facial, rose-extract-infused face and eye masks, accompanied by a neck and shoulder massage, that leave your skin nourished and glowing. To finish, the Summer Essentials Brightening Pedicure treats your feet to a lemongrass soak and a massage with a hydrating balm before polish.
The package also includes a discounted lunch at The Joseph’s rooftop poolside bar Denim so you can enjoy the oasis. But be sure to look around the hotel: the extensive art collection also proves replenishing.
The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago shares a building with the city’s premier shopping destination, Water Tower Place, and sits steps from the stores along the Magnificent Mile.
But shopping doesn’t necessarily have to be your only form of cardio. Get in a workout at the hotel’s recently renovated and expanded 2,700-square-foot fitness center. While you burn some calories on the top-of-the-line equipment, take in soaring views of the city and lake from big-picture windows. Otherwise, try the rooftop yoga sessions held on the hotel’s 75th floor or do laps in the atrium-enclosed swimming pool. Recover from all the activity at the hotel’s full-service K’Alma spa.
Of course, Kevin Plank — founder of the sportswear brand Under Armour — created Sagamore Pendry Baltimore with exclusive access to top-tier fitness and recreational spaces, affording guests the best of both a city hotel and an experiential retreat. The hotel’s most impressive fitness amenity is easily the entry afforded to FX Studios housed at Under Armour’s office campus. A water taxi delivers you to the elite training site famed for its high-quality equipment, world-class personal trainers and many fitness classes. Plus, its recovery center rivals many spas with an infrared sauna, Hypervolt massage guns and compressive therapy.
After breaking a sweat at the studio, return to the hotel to cool off at Sagamore Pendry’s happening infinity pool. Lined with cabanas and lounge chairs, it offers an unbeatable view of the harbor.
Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead
In the heart of bustling Buckhead — the neighborhood that rivals downtown Atlanta for the city’s primary destination for high-end shopping and buzzy restaurants — Waldorf Astoria offers a sanctuary of calm in the center of the action. You will find many a refuge hidden among the hotel’s 42 floors, beginning with the three-story spa. There, discover 13 treatment rooms, an exceptionally curated array of services, steam rooms, a vitality pool and a dedicated couples suite.
Continue your hotel hideaway into the evening with sunset cocktails and hors d’oeuvres served in the splendor of the lush garden, and if visiting in the summer, beat the heat by taking advantage of the hotel’s indoor pool.
