Viva Las Wellness
Las Vegas’s reputation as “Sin City” might be well-deserved, but that’s not all there is to Las Vegas. As travelers become much more conscientious of their own health and well-being and demand experiences that are focused on wellness rather than excess and heathenism, Las Vegas has evolved accordingly. Below are just a few of the many ways you can indulge…in wellness.
Live (and eat) well at the Wynn
Every restaurant inside the Wynn and Encore offers vegan and vegetarian menus developed in collaboration with the celebrated vegan chef Tal Ronnen. Enjoy elegant, sophisticated plant-based dining at some of the top fine dining establishments in Las Vegas.
Wynn has also developed their “Wynn Living Well” series of wellness programs designed to renew, refresh, and reenergize you during your stay. Well-known health and wellness personality Amanda Kloots is the program’s ambassador, and this accomplished dancer, actor, bestselling author, athletic trainer, talk show host, and passionate proponent of healthy living has created a series of custom workout videos suitable for every fitness level that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your room.
If you’re looking for something even more holistic, Wynn exclusively offers TB12 Body Coaches through its fitness center, based on a system of wellness principles developed by Tom Brady (yes, THAT Tom Brady) and his Body Coach Alex Guerrero. TB12 Body Coaches are a mix of licensed physical therapists and athletic trainers who are credentialed in the proprietary TB12 training.
Stay Well at MGM Resorts
Stay Well hotel rooms offer evidence-based health and wellness features and programming to help create healthier indoor spaces developed by Delos, the Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. Deepak Chopra. Stay Well features and programs are best-in-class solutions designed to promote your health and well-being, including wellness features to help improve indoor air and water quality, nutrition, sleep patterns, and physical comfort, as well as reduce exposure to germs and allergens while also mitigating the impact that travel has on your body.
Stay Well rooms include enhancements such as air purification systems, circadian rhythm lighting to reduce jet lag, and sink water purification. Stay Well Premiere rooms also include memory foam mattresses and features such as guided meditation narrated by Deepak Chopra, a dawn simulation alarm clock, and peaceful soundscape to help you unwind.
You can Stay Well at a number of different MGM Resorts properties, including Bellagio, ARIA, Vdara, and Delano (which all offer Stay Well Premiere), as well as Park MGM, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay. New York-New York, Luxor, and Excalibur also offer Fresh by Stay Well rooms, which include features like the vitamin C shower infuser, an air purification system, use of hypoallergenic cleaning products, and aromatherapy featuring scents sourced from high-quality essential oils.
Get fit at the Cosmopolitan
Personal trainer Palani Mak offers his Sweat60 bootcamp program at the fitness center at the Cosmopolitan, where you will burpee and bear-crawl your way to enhanced strength and endurance through bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, and plyometric training. In addition to these high-intensity classes, you can also take a variety of yoga and stretching classes good for all levels of fitness. The real standout session here, though, is the sunrise yoga at the Boulevard Pool, a revitalizing yet relaxing experience offered the first and third Friday of the month at 7am through the summer.
Say spaaaaaaaaaaaah
It’s no secret that Las Vegas is home to easily a dozen first-class spas, but even so there are standouts among the standouts.
The Sahra Spa & Hammam at the Cosmopolitan is lined with sandstone corridors and offers Moroccan-inspired bathing rituals, honoring centuries-old practices of purification. The hammam room, a highlight here, contains the heated motherstone slab, two whirlpools, steam rooms, and stone loungers.
The 50,000-square-foot Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace exclusively features an Arctic Room, the only one of its kind in the world where the temperature is fifty-five degrees and faux-snow tumbles from the ceiling. Qua Baths also features three Roman baths so you can pamper yourself, literally, like a Caesar.
Canyon Ranch spa + fitness at the Venetian is one of the world’s largest day spas, offering more than 150 services in its sprawling 134,000 square feet with more than 90 treatment rooms. Easily one of the best hotel gyms anywhere, Canyon Ranch also offers personal trainers, a wide variety of fitness and yoga classes, personalized exercise & nutrition programs, movement assessments, and even a 40-foot rock wall. Another highlight here are the signature Aquavana experiential environments, a suite of warm, chilled, and aquatic experiences that include multisensory rain showers and a salt grotto.
Las Vegas is also home to multiple Forbes 4- and 5-star spas, including the Waldorf Astoria Spa (Forbes 5-Star), the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel (Forbes 5-star), and the newest entrant into the field, Awana Spa at Resorts World (Forbes 4-star).
Enjoy plant-based fine dining
The vegan scene in Vegas is surprisingly robust, even for those seeking something more upscale. In addition to the vegetarian- and vegan-friendly fine dining restaurants at the Wynn already mentioned, you can also enjoy 100% fully plant-based dining at Crossroads Kitchen at Resorts World and Saffron the Eatery off the Strip. Another restaurant worth highlighting is Harvest at the Bellagio; though not fully plant-based – there’s still plenty of meat-eaters to enjoy.
Harvest has been celebrated for years for its sustainable farm-to-table, thoughtfully curated seasonal menu. Vegan diners have their own dedicated menu, but vegetarian and vegan items abound on the “regular” menu, too – so much so that they aren’t touted as “vegan”…it’s just high-quality, seasonal cuisine.
It isn’t a vegan restaurant — the roasted half chicken in local ale brine is one of Harvests’ bestsellers — but while vegan diners have their own menu, those same vegan items also sit alongside the meat and fish offerings on the regular menu.
Go glamping and take a sound bath at Cherry Cloud Oasis
This adorable glamping escape located just outside of Las Vegas offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, stunning desert sunsets, and star-filled skies unobstructed by light pollution (you can even see the Milky Way). The totally off-grid property has six uniquely-themed vintage glamping trailers – BYO tents! – with activities that include soaking in natural hot springs, taking in a soothing sound bath, and visiting a local steam banya.
Get outside
Nothing is more healing than nature, and in Las Vegas we have access to stunning vistas and world-class outdoor recreation opportunities 365 days a year. Head out to Red Rock National Conservation Area (just 20 minutes from the Strip) for some of the best sandstone rock-climbing and hiking in the world, with dramatic rock formations and sweeping vistas that are truly otherworldly.
Go boating on Lake Mead or kayak the Colorado River in the Black Canyon (near the Hoover Dam). Head up to Lee Canyon in Mount Charleston for skiing and snowboarding in the winter and hiking, mountain biking, and disc golf all summer long (chair lift rides in the fall when the aspens turn a glowing golden yellow are a must!). Soak in natural hot springs at Arizona Hot Springs and Gold Strike Hot Springs in Lake Mead National Park October through April. Or test your balance and try standup paddleboarding on Lake Las Vegas (kayaks and a variety of other motorized and nonmotorized boat rentals also available).
If you’re short on time but still want to squeeze in some outdoor activity, join a Yoga in the Park class at Downtown Container Park, offered three days a week. Or take a walk through the beautiful botanical gardens at Springs Preserve, a 180-acre attraction that includes landscaped gardens of native desert plants, natural history & Vegas history museums, and desert hiking trails. In the spring and fall they even have a butterfly house!
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