Spa Profile: Spa at Chaco in Albuquerque Offers Treatments Inspired by Local History and Resources
Hotel Chaco
One of New Mexico’s newest luxury spas is Spa at Chaco, located inside Hotel Chaco in the heart of Albuquerque’s historic Old Town and the popular Sawmill District. A favorite hotel amongst Hollywood’s biggest stars filming at local Netflix Studios, Hotel Chaco provides guests with a five-star southwestern experience that is complimented by the recently unveiled Spa at Chaco.
Opening their doors in September of 2023, Spa at Chaco offers some of the most one-of-a-kind treatments in the area. Designed to offer a guest experience in harmony with the ethos of the hotel, both Spa at Chaco and Hotel Chaco embrace local Indigenous history and incorporate the land’s story into every part of their design. Named after Chaco Canyon, an UNESCO World Heritage Site located north of Albuquerque, Hotel Chaco is inspired by the story of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the area.
Swimming Pool at Hotel Chaco
Chaco Canyon’s history is carried throughout the spa’s thoughtful design and specialized wellness offerings, and local sage and skincare products are incorporated into treatments. Located on the second floor of the hotel, Spa at Chaco entices guests with an extensive offering of traditional and esoteric therapies, from hot stone massage to chakra cleansing. With an outdoor sauna, stunning views from the spa’s exclusive terrace, and specially designed treatment rooms, visitors are sure to be indulged when visiting this premium wellness retreat.
For an insider’s look into this luxury spa’s unique offerings and features, we spoke with Jana Wofford, Spa Director for Spa at Chaco.
Spa at Chaco Lobby {Image courtesy of Emily Okamoto]
Why you’ll love it:
There’s a lot that is surprising about Spa at Chaco. The smaller, homier, and calming feel of our spa is something guests really enjoy. The experience within the treatment room is on a different level in comparison to other spa locations. Our treatments are a little bit different than other offerings around New Mexico. What happens inside our spa doors is unique, especially when guests choose from our one-of-a-kind experiences, like the Journey treatments, Chakra Balancing Massage, or VitaGlow Massage.
Visitors will also really enjoy our highly trained staff. We focus on one-on-one interactions, and our team has worked very hard in making each service their own. As beautiful as the exterior of our spa is, it’s what’s happening inside the treatment room that guests will enjoy the most.
Treatment Room at Spa at Chaco
Key features:
We have six treatment rooms, including two standard massage rooms, two facial rooms, and two couple’s suites. Both our couple’s suites include large soaking tubs and showers, which we use for different treatments, including as an add-on option for massages and facials. We have a beautiful Himalayan salt wall room, where we perform our Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, as well as our other treatments. We offer our guests a co-ed locker space and private changing areas for use before and after their chosen treatment.
We also have a dedicated relaxation space, where guests can enjoy teas, spa water, and snacks before and after their facial or massage. And on our wraparound terrace, we have our dry sauna and outdoor shower for guests to use, as well as an outdoor fire pit guests can relax by.
Insider’s tip:
When we’re giving tours of our spa, guests are always impressed by the serenity of the outdoor terrace. I would definitely recommend guests experience the entire outside space of the spa, before and after their treatments. Guests can enjoy the dry sauna and relax in the fresh desert air, take a cool shower with mountain views, and sit by the fire pit in cool weather.
It’s just a different experience. You can hear the fountains from the hotel when you’re sitting outdoors. It’s incredibly serene. It’s the perfect space. Right now, everything’s blooming, so you can really see the beauty in the trees and flowers throughout the property. For those receiving one of our unique Journey treatments, you can choose to sit outside for the post-treatment tea service, giving you the opportunity for self-reflection or to simply enjoy the music, fountains, or sauna after your therapy.
Spa at Chacos treatment room
Spa snacks:
Our guest relaxation area offers fresh spa water, assorted snacks, and nuts for pre- and post-treatment.
We also offer a tea service with our Journey treatments. We really wanted to make it a true experience from the moment you come in. Our Journeys begin with contrast therapy, where you can enjoy all our spa elements, from the sauna to the shower to the tub. Then, you’ll experience two hours of body work before replenishing with the tea service. Our tea ceremony is designed to complement each specific Journey and offers fresh berries, chocolate, and nuts along with a warm pot of tea.
Unique treatment:
The Holistic Wellness Journeys are our most unique treatments, and each one offers its own specialized therapies for our guests to experience. All our Journeys begin with contrast therapy to help your body relax into a meditative state and creates a total body experience. The inclusion of contrast therapy is a very unique offering from our spa. Visitors looking for something different are really drawn to the transformational effects of our Journeys. You can leave feeling like a different person.
In our Journey to Renewal, we offer sound healing, which creates an overwhelming sense of relaxation and offers our guests the opportunity to go inwards and experience personal insight. Our Wellness Journeys are powerful treatments and we can all benefit from taking the time to look inward and take care of ourselves.
Insider’s favorite:
A treatment I’m really fond of is the Rio Grande Hot Stone Massage, in large part because of the backstory behind the treatment. On the first day of our orientation as a full spa staff, the massage therapists harvested the stones we use from the Rio Grande River, as a group. It’s something that was a bonding experience for our team. Not only are the stones from New Mexico’s ground, but they were specifically chosen to be a part of the healing journey for our guests. I’m drawn and partial to that because it’s magic.
We clean and care for the stones and put them out in the light of the full moon. Our therapists chose their favorite stones based on what they felt would be best for trigger point therapy and which ones they resonated with the most. Each stone is an extension of our therapists’ healing abilities for our community, and I find that really special.
Spa at Chacos relaxation area
Regionally inspired treatment:
The Cacao Signature Renewal Body Treatment is a unique wellness offering at our spa. It’s designed around the story of Chaco Canyon and how cacao residue was found inside pieces of ancient pottery from the area. Being that cacao is not native to New Mexico, this showed how the people of Chaco traded with other communities and inspired researchers to learn more about the history of Chaco Canyon.
With our Cacao Signature Renewal, we have cacao nibs that are ground up for the treatment, and we paired that with products from Taos Bee Company, a local vendor and owner of one of the largest bee colonies in the southwest. Guests begin with the cacao nib body scrub, then have a beautiful body wrap with our cacao moisture mask. Then guests enjoy a full body massage using Taos Bee’s honey cream and their restorative propolis toner spray. The whole treatment is dedicated to the story of how cacao came to Chaco.
Featured brands:
Our spa features a variety of premium skincare and lifestyle products, including a selection of local New Mexican brands for our guests to enjoy.
Skincare brands include Skin Authority, Naturopathica, knesko and Dermaflash. We also feature local New Mexico brands Taos Bee Company, Spanish Clover Collection, and Native Scents. Body care brands include Bodybliss, Tara Aroma Wellness, and Lost Range CBD.
Follow @hotelchaco on Instagram to keep up with the latest news and offerings from Hotel Chaco.
Lauren K. Malott is an Albuquerque-based award-winning marketer and a freelance writer with a love for all things beauty and wellness. Outside of work, you’ll find her indulging in New Mexico’s famous green chile, creating art, and playing with her oversized but adorable cat. Follow her on Instagram: @laurenkmalott