SPAS WITH PANACHE
The Palms Spa, Turks & Caicos,
British West Indies

Above: A large reflecting pool welcomes visitors to The Palms Spa. Below: a spa treatment room.

Turks & Caicos, a pristine island chain just below the Bahamas, is poised to become the Caribbean's next hotspot. Posh resorts are springing up on the main island of Providenciales, and one of the most talked-about new hotels is The Palms, located on the island's most celebrated strand, seven-mile Grace Bay Beach. The resort, with a neo-Palladian look inspired by British set designer Oliver Messel, has 72 rooms featuring custom mahogany furnishings, marble floors and terraces overlooking the azure Caribbean Sea. There is also a large, lagoon-style, infinity-edge pool (with white, circular mattresses for ultra-comfortable sunbathing) and Parallel23, a hip restaurant serving fusion cuisine by chef Jasper Schneider, a protégé of Eric Ripert.

But perhaps the biggest buzz concerning the Palms is centered on the 25,000-square-foot spa, set in its own building and surrounded by lush gardens and towering date palms. Conceived by Angel Stewart (of Golden Door fame), the spa features eight hand-cut coral-stone cabanas around a peaceful, torchlit reflecting pool. One of the signature treatments is the Zareeba, a steam ritual developed exclusively for the resort by a Jamaican herbalist (zareeba is Arabic for safe enclosure). The 80-minute treatment, which is known for its detoxifying and soothing properties, takes place in a private canvas tent. The participant stirs a boiling clay pot of therapeutic herbs (lemongrass, wild basil, rosemary, eucalyptus, etc.) that releases steam. The rhythm at which the herbs are stirred produces the intensity and amount of herbal steam received. A light massage follows.

Another treatment found only at the Palms is the Mother of Pearl Scrub, which incorporates hand-crushed local queen-conch shells, said to act as an exfoliant. You'll also find a wide range of massages (hot basalt stone, Balinese, Swedish, Thai), facials and salon services. Guests can enjoy yoga, Pilates or tai chi in a shoji-screened studio or burn a few calories in the fitness center – there is even a traditional barbershop for men. And, certainly, the spa's most luxurious elements include the two couples' treatment rooms – which come with private Jacuzzis and flower-filled patios – where you can unwind after a side-by-side aromatherapy massage or an aloe wrap. Plus, you don't even have to dress for dinner – stay in your robe and attendants will serve a meal by candlelight right in your spa suite.

By Jill Fergus