Best of ATX 2026: Wellness & Travel

Best Wellness-Centric Work Spot: Gevity
Photo by Chad Wadsworth

While many of us groan at the return-to-office movement, Gevity is a place where we actually want to get work done. Short for “longevity,” the North Austin club beckons members with sound bath meditations, strength and mobility classes, and even a co-ed recovery lounge with communal cold plunges and a dry sauna. But the coworking hub still manages to foster plenty of productivity with private meeting rooms and workspaces-some complete with treadmill desks.

Best Celebrity-Approved Wellness: Ways2Well

The world of longevity is certainly having a moment, and stars keep flocking to Austin-based Ways2Well. The data-driven wellness lab is leading the vanguard with everything from stem cell therapy and EBOO blood cleansing to Dexa Scans, CO2 Max tests, and hyperbaric chambers. Notable clientele has included Jelly Roll and Russell Crowe, who credit the company’s wellness programs as significant for their weight loss journeys, and Aaron Rodgers, who has used their neuroscience brain scans for diagnostics. Even Austin podcasting giant Joe Rogan is a fan of the clinic, utilizing their plasmapheresis and stem cell therapy.

Best Fitness Studio: Present Practice
Photo by Luisa Pineda

Staying fit became a lot more fun this year thanks to the communal dynamic and spirited live music workouts at Present Practice. Since opening downtown in January, the studio hosted its inaugural Yoga House during SXSW and offered unique activations and live music during special iterations of its yoga and Pilates classes throughout the year. Driven by love of community and travel, the studio also facilitates unforgettable global wellness retreats, including upcoming trips to Namibia, Morocco, and Kenya this fall.

Best Spa: Folklore Spa
Photo by Teal Thomsen

Maximalist design lovers, we’ve found your mecca. Camp Lucy owners Whit and Kim Hanks knocked it out of the park with their new spa, which brims with vibrant hues and international antiques. Housed in a former Vietnamese town hall building that was reassembled at the Dripping Springs property, Folklore opened this past winter with mesmerizing wallpapers and colorful pieces from across the globe. Walk around the space to view glazed clay tiles and plates in the Victorian Majolica style, ironwood statues from Asia, and sea sponge busts from the Amalfi Coast before you unwind with a soothing massage or facial. Kim worked with London-based interior designer Charlotte Smiley, who helped select the wallpapers and light fixtures inside the spa. To make sure the decor wasn’t too overpowering, the co-owner used antiques to ground the design. “If you’re looking at our hot pink walls and you’re like, whoa, but then you see a beautiful piece of old brown wood furniture, your mind thinks, “Oh, this isn’t too crazy,” Kim says. “It gives the space soul.”

Buzziest New Hotel: 1 Hotel
Rendering courtesy of 1 Hotels

Perched inside the new Waterline building, the tallest tower in Texas, the much-anticipated 1 Hotel Austin is taking our hospitality expectations to new heights. Slated to open this September, the 252-room, pet-friendly hotel includes 60 luxe suites and a signature restaurant (Alteño Austin) by James Beard Award nominee chef Johnny Curiel, whose Denver restaurant Alma Fonda Fina received a Michelin star. The nature-centric, sustainable hotel will also boast a rooftop lounge (watr), and stylish pool, plus an outpost of the Bamford Wellness Spa. Looks like it’s time for a staycation.

Best Staycation: Melrose River Club
Photo by Lisa Hause

Less than 35 minutes from Austin, this adults-only boutique hotel entices guests with its charming cabins and casitas next to the San Marcos River. Unwind with a dip in the luxe pool, take a walk along the riverbank, or grab a seat next to the fire pit under the stars. For those who want to socialize, Melrose River Club hosts regular events like supper clubs and gatherings in its stylish pavilion. But if you’d rather just hang with your dog, the 12-acre property has several designated pet-friendly cabins perfect for your pooch.

Best Hotel Revamps: French Cowboys
Photo by Hunter Mitchell

Who doesn’t love a makeover? French Cowboys co-founders Dylan Petrich and Franklin Dusserre are breathing new life into weathered hotels and inns across Central Texas. From retrofitting Heidelberg Lodges’ 1930s property into stylish green-and-white cabins at riverside Petit Cowboy to transforming the Gruene Outpost River Lodge into Hacienda Del Rio with modern amenities like a curated clubhouse, barrel sauna, and pickleball court, the business partners are infusing a bit of that je ne sais quoi into the Hill Country.

Best Beauty Must-Haves

These 3 skincare debuts had our skin glowing this year.

Lazyface Facescreen
Courtesy Lazyface