Palm Springs Spa at Séc-he named top spa in U.S.
The Spa at Séc-he in downtown Palm Springs was the top spa in the U.S. in 2023, and also was number one for sustainability, according to two recent industry rankings.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' spa, which opened in April 2023, topped the travel website Spas of America annual Top 100 rankings for spas in North America, based on unique page views and consumer choices on the site throughout 2023. All spas on the list must also hold a Google Review rating of 4.0 or higher to be considered for inclusion. The new list includes 82 spas from the U.S., 14 from Canada, and four from Mexico.
"Thank you to Spas of America for this recognition,” Daniel Spencer, spa director, said in a statement. “Creating a one-of-a-kind wellness destination rooted in the sacred healing waters and hot springs of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and offering innovative and traditional spa therapies has been a dream come true for my team and me.”
The 40,000-square-foot hot springs and spa in downtown Palm Springs also won the Green Spa Planet Sustainable Spa/Wellness Facility Award for 2023. Billed as "one of the most luxurious hot mineral spring spa destinations in the country," the spa, the latest incarnation of both commercial and sacred bath houses on this spot, is at the corner of North Indian Canyon Drive and East Tahquitz Canyon Way, at the site of the tribe’s long-awaited Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum, which opened in November, and its Casino Palm Springs.
The spa is fed by underground hot springs, or "séc-he," meaning "the sound of boiling water," used by the tribe and their ancestors for millennia. The waters, unlike others in the area that flow from earthquake faults or are pumped in from the Colorado River, likely come from ancient spring snow and rains that were naturally filtered underground before bubbling back to the surface, according to U.S. Geological Survey researchers.
Both Palm Springs' and the tribe's identities and history are intertwined with the flows. The city took its name from the springs and the adjacent native palm trees, and "agua caliente," a Spanish phrase that was imposed on the area, means "hot water."
Design inspiration for the Spa and Cultural Plaza is rooted in Agua Caliente traditions such as basket weaving, pottery (ollas) and botanical elements native to the tribe's reservation. The facility is home to 22 private mineral baths, gender-specific bathhouses, 15 treatment rooms, a salon, fitness facilities and outdoor mineral pools.
Recent research from the Global Wellness Institute suggests interest and investment in hot springs developments will continue to rise. In 2022, the global Thermal/Mineral Spring sector was worth $46.3 billion, and the GWI predicts it will climb to $90.5 billion by 2027.
Janet Wilson is a staff writer for The Desert Sun. She can be reached at jwilson@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs Spa at Séc-he named top spa in U.S.
