As a Las Vegas native, I’ve spent a lot of time in hotels. For my seventh birthday party, I had a sleepover with a group of my closest friends in a suite at the Rio Hotel & Casino. We stayed up late, bouncing on the queen-size beds and making up dance routines to the likes of Ciara and Destiny’s Child — it was the early aughts. Going to the movies at a neighborhood casino was a regular family activity, and high school kick-backs often took place in hotel rooms. But it wasn’t until recently that I even thought to explore a key offering of hotels on the Las Vegas Strip: the spas.
Although Vegas may not be the first city that comes to people’s minds when they think about relaxation and self care, it is arguably home to some of the most stunning and rejuvenating spas in the country.
For this guide, I highlighted spas that offer day passes to nonhotel guests and those that don’t require you to book a service in order to access it. I wasn’t able to visit every spa in Vegas, so I prioritized the ones that had been recommended to me or had received positive reviews online. Many of these spas, excluding one that is $60, range from $100 to $170 (including fees), and some allow you to spend the entire day there, while others have a time limit. All these spas, which were 18 and up, had separate facilities for men and women, but clothing — at least a bathing suit or robe — was required in the co-ed areas.
A couple things to keep in mind before visiting a spa:
- Day passes are generally first come, first serve, and many hotels allot only a certain number of passes per day so it’s best to arrive early to better your chances. The weekends are typically the busiest and the toughest days to secure a day pass.
- It’s easy to get lost inside these massive resorts, so as a rule of thumb, look for signs that direct you to the hotel rooms. Spas are typically nearby.
Showing Places
Day Spa
Day pass fee: Day passes are $140 plus a 20% service charge Tuesday and Wednesday, and $120 plus a 20% service charge Thursday through Monday for three-hour access to the spa.Included amenities: Sauna, steam room, laconium room, vitality pools and experience showers
Open since 2021, Awana Spa at Resorts World is hands down one of the most impressive in the city — and the spot that most people recommended. The 27,000-square foot facility has a minimal, opulent design with various shades of beige — down to the towels — and curved walkways. It’s how I imagine a spa would look inside Kim Kardashian‘s L.A. mansion. Since the spa is a separate entity from the hotel, guests and nonguests pay the same rate.
My favorite amenity was the massive Fountain of Youth experience, which includes a network of vitality pools with a cold plunge pool in the center — the pools become progressively warmer in a counterclockwise order. In this co-ed space, you’re surrounded by projected images of beautiful landscapes like snow-covered mountains and clouds. This made me feel like I was hanging out in a hot spring in Switzerland, not in a pool on the Strip. The spa also has a vapor-filled steam room and a heated crystal laconicum room.With four TVs, cozy sofa seats with footstools and a small snack bar, the co-ed lounge area feels more like a sports bar than a spa. Here, you can buy fresh juice flights, fruit platters, a vegetarian bento box (which comes with avocado toast, caviar, hummus, veggies and a farmers salad) and a breakfast bento (includes sliced fresh berries, Greek yogurt, granola and a croissant). A 20% gratuity charge is added to all orders. You can also help yourself to complimentary water, dried fruits and nuts in the hallway. Foot massages are available for purchase as well. Clothing is required in this room. Another tiny treasure at the spa? A small dryer in the locker room where you can dry your bikini for free so you don’t have to wait until you get back to your hotel. Phones are allowed at Awana — you can store it in your robe pocket — but you can’t take any photos or videos inside the spa. If you need to take a call, Awana’s staff just asks that you are courteous of fellow patrons and don’t use speakerphone. Day passes give you three-hour access to the spa. The gym isn’t included in day passes. Open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $100 plus a 20% service chargeIncluded amenities: Vitality pool, laconium room, sensory shower and steam rooms
Although you’ll have to drop at least $500 to stay at this five-star resort, you don’t have to be a hotel guest to experience the award-winning spa here. Day passes grant you access until the spa closes.The white and gray decorated spa features a vitality pool, a calming laconium room, sensory showers (both cold and hot) and a steam room. It’s on the seventh floor — although you have to check in on the eighth floor first — and offers breathtaking views of the Strip. As you lounge on a gorgeous stone relaxation chair, you can people watch and take in the busyness of the city from afar. While most of the other spas I visited were closed off from the world, but this one, with this view, forced me to reflect on how I was taking a moment to indulge in self care, which was a nice feeling. The Waldorf Astoria’s spa also has a relaxation area that faces the Strip where you can grab water bottles, hot tea, fruit (oranges and apples) and other small snacks. After I left, I learned that you can request complimentary Champagne. I wish someone had told me this before. The spa also has a co-ed lounge area toward the middle of the space where swimwear is required. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $125Included amenities: Sauna, steam room, experience showers, cold plunge pools, whirlpools and heated stone relaxation chairs
Renovated in 2019, the Spa at Wynn is much smaller than its sister location, the Encore Spa, but it’s worth a visit if you’re looking for a laid-back experience that’s not too busy — at least during the week. Both the Wynn and Encore’s spas — which are owned by the same company — have received Forbes Five-Star Awards. Day passes cost $125 daily for non-hotel guests; this gives you all-day access. Day pass holders are allowed to come and go as they please and can also use the fitness center.The spa’s sunny aqua area, which has a stunning mural of fish on the wall, features a plunge pool, a whirlpool and an experience shower. Another section of the facility houses the steam room, sauna and a co-ed tranquility room, which is dimly lighted with flameless candles and offers comfy recliners that you can sink into for hours. It’s still bright enough to read a book in this room, where clothing is required.Cellphones are allowed only in the lobby, where there’s a TV and several magazines to choose from. This is also where you can find complimentary infused water, tea, coffee, fruit, gold dust lavender popcorn, lavender granola and chocolate-covered cranberries. Fruit juices, including apple, orange, cranberry and pomegranate, are also available upon request. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $105 on weekdays, $125 on weekendsIncluded amenities: Jacuzzi, sauna and sensory showers (The men’s and women’s steam rooms as well as the arctic ice room will be closed through summer for renovations.)
It’s hard to not feel like a Greek god or goddess here from the moment you turn the corner to get to the spa. You’re welcomed by an alluring waterfall fountain that pours from the ceiling and is surrounded by an elaborate brick wall, which truly sets the tone for the rejuvenating experience. The 50,000-square-foot spa boasts sensory showers and an arctic ice room, which dispenses a snowflake-like material into the air every few minutes. (It’s now currently closed.) This is the perfect balance after sweating in the detoxifying sauna. I repeated these steps a few times. The star of the show, though, is the stunning Roman Baths, which include two whirlpools (one is room temperature, while the other is a hot tub) and a cold plunge. The only thing that would’ve made it better is if someone actually washed your back. Kidding ... sort of. If I were coming off a wild girl’s weekend in the city, this is where I’d come to recover — and probably sleep — for hours. The lounge area is just as ritzy as the rest of the facility, with snug seating along with hot and cold beverages, including a custom blend iced tea. There are no co-ed areas in the space and clothing is optional. Day passes cost $105 on weekdays and $125 on weekends for non-hotel guests and grant you access for three hours. The pass doesn’t grant access to the hotel’s gym, though. Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $125 Included amenities: Sauna, steam room, herbal laconium room, igloo room, sensory showers, a jacuzzi.
With 134,000 square feet of space, Canyon Ranch’s spa is among the largest in the city. In the lobby, you’ll see a cafe where it’s normal to rock your robe while you eat a grilled bison burger or avocado toast, and a large fitness center, both of which you have access to with a day pass. (The fitness area also has a rock climbing wall, which you can use for a separate fee.) Day passes, which grant you in-and-out privileges all day, cost $125 for non-hotel guests daily. However, if you purchase a service over $75 — among the cheapest is a manicure — you’ll automatically receive a day pass with no additional fee. Once you check in, you’ll be escorted down a lengthy hallway to the grand spa, which features an herbal laconium room, a steam room, a sauna, an igloo room, sensory showers (cold and hot) and a jacuzzi. You can do your own thing and craft your own experience at the spa, or you can follow the curated guides displayed on the wall (options include the stress relief and relaxation routes) if you don’t know where to start. I opted to do my own thing. The spa also has a relaxation lounge where you can find hot tea, coffee, water, fruit and other snacks like trail mix. No phones are allowed anywhere at the spa. Clothing is required in the co-ed area, where you can access the salt grotto and wave room. The wave room, which is illuminated only by a wavy blue image on the ceiling that mimics water, was my favorite amenity because it was so meditative and hypnotizing that I found it hard to stay awake. Around me, several people were knocked out — and some were snoring.The spa was relatively busy when I visited on a recent Monday afternoon, but because of its size, I was still able to experience all the areas I wanted to in peace without feeling claustrophobic. It’s much harder to secure a day pass during the weekend, so it’s best to arrive early. Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $125 Included amenities: Sauna, sensory showers, aromatic steam room, cold plunge, heated stone relaxation chairs and whirlpool
Just a short walk from the Wynn tower is the Encore, which has its own spa that’s much larger than its sister location. A day pass also grants you access to the fitness center. It’s best to check in at the hotel’s front desk and let them know that you want to go to the spa to avoid security asking you for a hotel key. A staffer will then escort you to the elevator, which takes you to the spa floor. A sense of ease immediately fell over me as I walked into the elegant, golden lobby, which felt like being transported to Versailles due to the elaborate chandeliers and Roman art-inspired torso sculptures. The more than 60,000-square foot spa boasts an aromatic steam room, sensory showers and a sauna. (They ran out of cold towels, so I didn’t last long in the steam room and sauna, but I saw another guest make her own with ice from a water bucket — very clever.) The aqua area, which is filled with large white pillars, has cold plunges, experience showers and a whirlpool. You can follow the water transformation circuit or craft your own experience, which is what I did. Water, tea, coffee, fruit and other snacks are provided in the lounge area, which had large couches in the center and on the perimeter. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Day Spa
Day pass fee: $60 Included amenities: Steam room, jacuzzi and salt room
At $60, the Linq offers one of the least expensive day passes for its spa on the Strip; it grants you access to the spa and fitness center for four hours. The spa, which has a mirrored floor plan to separate the men‘s and women‘s locker rooms, has two co-ed jacuzzis, a eucalyptus-scented steam room and a room-temperature Himalayan salt room. (Outside the salt room was a sign that said salt care; a cute spin on self care.) The lounge area is decked out with fluffy chairs, snacks, fruit, water, the Linq’s signature tea and a dispenser, where you can select from various flavors like coconut and mango peach to add to your water. (You can also gauge how much you want to add to your beverage, which was a cool feature.)Of all the spas, this one had some of the best customer service when I visited on a recent Tuesday afternoon, particularly from a staffer named Joey, who was always close by and thinking one step ahead of the patrons. At one point, he offered me a eucalyptus and citrus towel so I could have an even better sensory experience in the salt room. There were fewer than five people in the public area on the day I was there, so I truly felt like I was getting a solo, luxurious experience at an affordable price. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
