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TREND WATCH Home Comforts At these luxury lifestyle developments, the path to wellness has never been shorter. Stressed-out Manhattanites may have their pick of some of the world's best spas, but the city's notorious traffic is guaranteed to kill that post-treatment buzz faster than they can scream, "Serenity now!" Luckily for residents of the upscale condominiums at 515 E 72nd Street (515e72.com) on the Upper East Side, traffic isn't an issue. The complex, part of the American Leisure portfolio of spas, hotels and resorts, boasts the tagline, "More Living Per Square Foot," and it stays true to its word. Keeping company with the condos' private park, fitness center, café and 56-foot pool is the Elements Spa, which provides massages, facials, body treatments, mani-pedis and waxing. Because the spa is exclusive to residents and their guests, treatment customization is a strong point; clients even interact in the decision-making process about brands and services. For its part, management keeps them keen—and loyal—with complimentary monthly events. As assistant lifestyle manager Hadassah Bitton notes, the spa is perfect for well-heeled, time-crunched clients. "Essentially we're offering people a resort-style lifestyle right in their homes," she says. The backdrop is less frenetic but the standards are just as stellar at Broken Sound (brokensoundclub.org) in Boca Raton, Florida. With no less than 27 "villages" comprising 1,600 luxury homes, such a grand-scale residential development requires a full-service spa to cater to its residents, and the 13,100-square-foot Moonstone Spa & Salon (another American Leisure property) delivers. No minuscule massage rooms or bare-bones gyms here: instead, clients can indulge in an extensive menu that spans Swedish massage, hydrating facials, hot stone therapy, manicures and pedicures. Six treatment rooms, a couples' suite, and men's and women's locker rooms with showers, steam rooms and whirlpools round out the spa's facilities, while the adjacent fitness center offers everything from Pilates to nutritional counseling. With the property's exclusivity comes a sense of camaraderie and loyalty, reports Maureen Fletcher Bankson, executive vice president of spa development and operations at American Leisure. According to Bankson, the spa's 150 standing weekly appointments are a testimony to the fact that "this type of environment promotes a deeper relationship with our membership than in a non-membership setting." Overlooking the rolling hills of the Cotswolds in the U.K., Orchard Spa caters to residents of The Lakes by Yoo (thelakesbyyoo.com), a vacation home development built on 650 acres of regenerated landscape. The sleek, modern space, designed by architectural firm De Matos Ryan, offers facials, massages, manicures and pedicures using locally made organic products that align with the bucolic setting. Other draws include a pool, gym, sauna and steam room, plus a club room with billiards table, honesty bar and fireplace, which encourage social interaction among residents. As Angus Morrogh-Ryan, director of De Matos Ryan, explains, "Traditionally spas were civic places shared by many. Modern life has set a trend for them to become synonymous with a restorative pampering of the individual as a retreat from public space. It could be argued that the privacy inherent in a 'spa in residence'—along with other modern-life developments—contributes to a diminishing of our ability to participate in public life. The reality is different at Orchard Spa, because the spa serves a community and provides a shared place for residents to interact in."—Lesley McCave 16 DAYSPA | FEBRUARY 2014