Five ways to get close at the Spa & Salon at Aria

Think of the spa as another place to get close to someone special. Spas served as gathering places in ancient Rome where communal bathhouses were common, in Istanbul where Turkish baths or hammams became popular with sultans and throughout the world anywhere natural hot springs draw visitors.

The Spa & Salon at Aria features five ways to get close. Although it is by no means small -- it measures 80,000 square feet -- this nature-inspired retreat can bring couples, friends and family even closer. Among the special features:

1. The ganbanyoku stone beds, imported from Japan, are among the first of their kind in the United States. Guests recline on these lounges, which spa personnel say can soothe muscles, speed up metabolism and get rid of toxins as the heated black silica warms the body.

2. Groups can kick back in the Shio Salt Room with its illuminated walls and salt lamps. The spa claims the salt bricks help respiratory issues and improve skin. The chairs in the room resonate to synchronized music.

3. Head to a spa suite for VIP treatment in a spa within a spa. Treatments can be completed in the room and guests can sit in a whirlpool while they wait for their turns at massages and facials.

4. Visit a co-ed therapy pool, situated on a balcony, and enjoy the massage jets that line this infinity-edge pool. The spa designed it based on traditional Japanese open-air hot spring baths.

5. An aji stone wood-burning fireplace and a water feature round out the places groups of people can gather at The Spa & Salon at Aria. Head to the Fireside Lounge before or after a treatment.

Spa guests can take advantage of most of these spaces before or after their treatments. Aria and neighboring non-gaming Vdara guests who want to check out the space pay $35 per person Sundays through Thursdays and $40 on Fridays and Saturdays. Three-day passes go for $95 per person. Non-spa guests pay $45 per person on Mondays through Thursdays and $50 on Friday.

Info: The Spa & Salon at Aria, (702) 590-9600