After a day on the trails in the Park, the best thing in Estes Park may be a massage table. Sixteen spas and bodywork practices are listed here, and most are massage first, from a resort spa on Lake Estes to a therapist who comes to your cabin.
Book the massage for the day after your big hike, not the same day. Trust me on this one. You'll want it more, and you'll actually be able to enjoy it instead of falling asleep on the table. Okay, you might still fall asleep.
Downtown
Couples massage is what brings most people down Pine River Lane, half a mile from downtown, next to Appearance Plus Hair Salon. Elements of Touch is a small spa on the river, and the river stays in view.
Book two massages and the couples room comes at no extra charge, and couples massage is what this studio is best known for. Hot stone and deep tissue are the other common requests, and each session is shaped around what the client asks for, in sixty, ninety or one hundred twenty minute blocks.
Add-ons are free, which is not how most massage menus work. At this East Elkhorn studio, next to Rocket Fizz, you pick a style (Swedish, deep tissue, sports, trigger point and neuromuscular work, body cupping) and then stack on hot towels, hot stones, aromatherapy blends or cold stones at no extra charge.
Off Steamer Parkway, a short way from the Stanley Hotel and under half a mile from downtown, Aspire Hotel & Spa mixes standard rooms with studios and apartments, some with full kitchens and mountain or lake views. Room size and balconies get the most notice, along with the pool, the sauna and a hot tub, and the rooms are quiet.
Massage and healing work happen at the same Big Thompson Avenue address as the Art Center of Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, about a third of a mile from downtown. Little is published about the menu or the practitioners, so call to ask what kinds of massage and bodywork are offered, and book rather than dropping in.
Around the valley
Near the top of Fall River Road, under a mile from the Park's Fall River entrance, Wildwood Inn spreads its rooms, suites and a vacation home over six acres. Hot tubs are the theme: a communal one with a sun deck, plus private tubs in some units, and that's what people remember.
Inside the Estes Park Resort on Lake Estes, about a mile and a half from downtown, this spa runs a full menu: massage, facials including Hydrafacial, acupuncture, scrubs, wraps and hydrotherapy. The sauna gets mentioned as often as any treatment, and so do the robes, the massage chairs and the lake view.
Couples massage is what Affinity is known for, in a dedicated couples suite that is one of three treatment rooms. The rest of the menu runs Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone, neuromuscular, prenatal, reflexology, cupping and the raindrop technique, and the therapists are good at shaping a session around what actually hurts.
On the YMCA of the Rockies campus, next to the Lula W. Dorsey Museum, the Center for Well-Being is where Homegrown Yoga & Massage does its work.
Injury work is what this massage practice gets known for: slow, deep technique from a therapist who clearly knows anatomy, and plenty of sessions built around athletes getting back to training. Styles include structural, Swedish, deep tissue, neuromuscular and joint range-of-motion work, plus prenatal and postnatal massage.
Emerald is the name that comes up again and again at this South St. Vrain studio, usually alongside words like therapeutic and relaxing.
Come fall, the menu at Move Freely Massage and Bodywork picks up pumpkin pie hot stones and a cinnamon and clove warming massage. The rest of the year it is a straightforward licensed studio on Graves Avenue: therapeutic, deep tissue, Swedish and prenatal massage in 60, 75 and 90 minute sessions.
On Big Thompson Avenue, east of downtown and a short way past the Visitor Center, Perpetual Wellness is a massage practice next to Grant Spencer Chiropractic and Highland Cabinetry. The menu goes beyond a standard hour: lymphatic massage, cupping, hot stones, aromatherapy and abhyanga, a traditional oil massage.
After a long day on the trail, the table comes to you. Jeni, who runs Wildflower Classic Mobile Massage, has a background in physical therapy and about fifteen years in the medical field, and she works in clients' cabins, rentals and homes in Estes Park, Lyons and nearby towns.
Out on Big Thompson Avenue, about a mile east of downtown, Emerald Lake Massage shares an address with KMAC Guides and Estes Park Rock Climbing. Ashiatsu heads the list of modalities.
Hands-on tissue work aimed at pain and stuck muscles, not a spa hour with music. A Fitness Fixation treats the body from a medical and performance angle, using myofascial manipulation to break down adhesions, ease pain and build range of motion and joint and tendon stability.
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Resort and hotel spas are one corner. The Qi Lounge sits inside the Estes Park Resort on Lake Estes, with couples suites, massage, facials and acupuncture. Aspire Hotel & Spa and Wildwood Inn list spas too. Elements of Touch is a small day spa on the river with a vacation home attached, and its menu is built around massage paired with other spa treatments.
Massage studios are the rest. Estes Park Massage lists sessions in 60, 90 and 120 minute blocks, and Affinity Massage and Wellness Center has three treatment rooms and a couples suite. Rocky Mountain Movement & Massage focuses on athletic recovery. 3 Feathers Wellness Studio and Homegrown Yoga & Massage list sound baths, and Emerald Lake Massage lists ashiatsu.
Wildflower Classic Mobile Massage comes to Estes Park, Lyons and nearby towns, which suits a cabin or rental. Many practices are small and work by appointment, so book ahead in summer and call about winter hours. Drink plenty of water, since the mountain air is dry. If you are staying in a rental or lodge room, ask whether the therapist travels there or whether you need to come to a studio, and how long to leave for the visit.
Yes. Wildflower Classic Mobile Massage comes to clients in Estes Park, Lyons and surrounding towns, and Move Freely Massage and Bodywork lists mobile appointments. Ask about travel areas and how far ahead to book.
The Qi Lounge lists couples suites, Affinity Massage and Wellness Center has a couples suite, and Estes Park Massage has a couples room. Hands Down Best In Town Therapeutic Massage lists couples sessions too.
The Qi Lounge Wellness Spa is inside the Estes Park Resort on Lake Estes, with views of Longs Peak and the Continental Divide. Visitors and locals both book there. Call for current treatment menus and hours.
The Qi Lounge and Hands Down Best In Town Therapeutic Massage list acupuncture. 3 Feathers Wellness Studio and Homegrown Yoga & Massage list sound baths. Check each practice for current offerings.
