the family spa vacation

Puzzling over where to take your family on vacation? Why not combine traveling with a sojourn in a spa that caters especially to families seeking bliss and balance? The family-friendly spa options listed below offer deep renewal, diverse activities and therapeutic treatments that can nurture and bond family members. Should you decide to go ahead and schedule a trip at one of these properties, be sure to book spa treatments well in advance of your visit.

Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Baja California, Mexico

North America's first fitness spa, Rancho La Puerta is 65 years young-- and the perfect place for families with children fifteen and up. Why? Because the Ranch offers the spa world's most diverse selection of treatments, fitness classes, yoga, meditation sessions and art programs. Families come from all over the globe to rest and regroup in the warm Mexican sunshine. While the ranch is famous for early morning hikes up Mount Kachuuma, you and your family may also trek to the nearby organic/bio-dynamic garden, where the Ranch farmers grow the spa's food. While you can try a new therapeutic treatment such as neuromuscular massage, your kids can move to the groove in such exuberant classes as African Dance, Rhythm and Drumming, Sculpt and Stretch or NIA. While meditative types can take yoga classes with one of the Ranch's superb teachers or guest instructors, art classes or bead work with artist Jennifer Brandt are also highly recommended. Chill out by walking the spa's labyrinth -- now that's a trippy family activity-- or take tennis, cooking and drawing classes together. Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Baja California, Mexico, 1-800-443-7565, www.rancholapuerta.com

The Greenbrier Spa, West Virginia

Home to famous hot springs, the Greenbrier is a historic property with a progressive approach to family spa vacations. While kids and parents invariably enjoy the hot springs and swimming pools, the Greenbrier's spa menu is for adults only. There is, however, a dynamic and fun learn-to-cook program for those aged 6 to 12. Cooking classes are conducted in the mess hall of the resort's underground "bunker." Built in the late 1950s atomic age as a government fallout-shelter, this secret space was discovered in 1992. The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, 1-800-453-4858. www.greenbrier.com

The Claremont Resort & Spa, Berkeley, Northern California

The Claremont is a beautifully maintained, 100-year-old hotel with a world class spa that sits high on a hill with a panoramic view of the East Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Facilities include a world class fitness center, yoga studios, several tennis courts and a beauty salon. Family friendly yet hip, the Claremont features a children's camp program that offers athletics such as swimming and tennis classes, arts and crafts, movie nights, etc. Book a private family yoga lesson with teacher Chris Hoskins, whose mastery of pranayama and asana merge with a compassionate heart: his classes are a revelation for yoga students of all levels, especially children!

The Spa is open to those aged 18 and up. Remarkable experiences here include the isolation tank (perfect for decompressing from jet lag, injuries or too much family togetherness)! The Claremont is the only spa on the West Coast featuring an isolation tank, Fifty minutes of floating weightlessly, supported by buoyant Epsom salts in the dark and silent isolation tank with total sensory deprivation promotes profound mind/body relaxation and rejuvenation. (The treatment costs $70.00 and is worth every penny, especially for stressed-out mothers, pregnant women, and anyone with injuries.) Floating in isolation tanks has been shown in some studies to confer health benefits that are equivalent to about 8 hours of REM sleep. The Claremont Resort & Spa, 41 Tunnel Road, Berkeley, CA 94705. (800) 551-7266, www.claremontresort.com

The Sea Island Spa at The Cloister, Georgia

South of Savannah, this private island is one of the oldest resort islands in the U.S. Families have been frolicking here for over seventy years, and this spa caters to kids eight and up. A number of blissful children's activities take place at the water's edge: bareback horseback riding lessons, tai chi, biking and dance are just a few. Along with art and writing classes such as mindful journaling, there are some groovy spa options here for children. While such treatments as Facial 101 are recommended for 8 to 15 year olds, if your kids are 16 and over, they may enjoy one of the many lovely massages on offer. The Cloister, Sea Island, Georgia, 1-800- SEA-ISLAND, www.seaisland.com

Windflower Spa at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, Texas

This may be the only spa in the world with a discrete treatment facility just for children: the SPAhhhT caters to children three and up. While kids can enjoy the 25-minute Just the Right SPAhhhT gentle full-body massage, conditioning skin treatments for treating sunburn that feature herbal compresses are also on offer. Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio, Texas, 1-800-838-1766, www.hyatt.com

The Homestead Spa, Virginia

This spa is so nurturing to people of all ages that there are special family programs designed to help close the generation gap while giving them profound bodywork, stress-reduction therapies and good old-fashioned pampering. For example, there are programs for male family members who want massages and facials, as well as numerous options for grandmothers, mothers and daughters. The Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia, 1-800-838-1766, www.thehomestead.com