5 Minnesota spas that offer ways to escape cold and stresses of daily life

Winter weather takes a toll on mind and body. Days can seem endlessly gray and your joints, muscles and skin can all feel the effects of the cold. If you need to take a break or just crave overall stress reduction, check out these five spa services statewide — plus do-it-yourself options — to try this winter or any time.

[More: The start of a year is a good time to refresh your self-care]

One of the hottest wellness trends is a salt cave.

At four-year-old Bella Vita Salt Caves in St. Cloud, you relax in a lounge chair (no cellphones allowed) while a machine called a halogenerator breaks up the salt and disperses it as an aerosol to be inhaled and absorbed by skin. The walls and floors are covered in more than 7 tons of Himalayan pink salt imported from Pakistan. It’s called halotherapy, or dry salt therapy, and mimics the effects of a natural salt cave.

While salt therapy is relatively new in the United States, it’s been used in Europe for nearly 200 years. It may provide health benefits such as improved breathing and sinus function.

“Your nose may feel different or you may cough and sneeze, which is the natural process of the salt working,” said founder and owner Christina Piecek.

Bella Vita’s cave fits up to eight people. A 40-minute session costs $30, or less with multiday passes. You can pay more to add yoga, a sound bath or massage.

DIY: Pour inexpensive Epsom salts into a hot bath at home. They dissolve into magnesium and sulfate, which helps relieve muscle and joint pain and can reduce stress.

Sauna’s Finnish roots are firmly planted with many Minnesota residents. And 612 Sauna Society Cooperative was the nation’s first community-owned and operated mobile sauna.

The cooperative’s 335 members, who pay a one-time fee of $300, benefit from discounts, a free monthly session and a sense of community ownership. But anyone can book 90-minute community sessions online Wednesdays through Sundays for $45.

“It’s super healthy to drink a gallon of water, sweat it all out and breathe in the steam because everything is so dry in the winter,” said singer Barbara McAfee, 65, who was the cooperative’s first member in 2016. About once a month, she’ll drive an hour or more from her home in St. Croix Falls, Wis., to wherever the Twin Cities-based cooperative’s mobile sauna is.

The wood-fired sauna is kept at 180-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Studies show that regular dry sauna therapy has many health and psychological benefits, including helping people with cardiovascular disease and rheumatic diseases like fibromyalgia. And the release of peptides can contribute to overall well-being while reducing stress, pain, inflammation and fatigue.

The sauna travels to several locations September through May. It will be at Theodore Wirth Regional Park’s trailhead through March 9. It fits up to eight people.

DIY: Turn on a hot shower and sit in the bathroom and breathe in the hot, humid air to mimic the steam from splashing water on a sauna’s hot rocks.

Soak. Sauna. Steam. Cold plunge. Repeat.

That’s the mantra at two-year-old Watershed Spa in Minneapolis.

But it’s the Japanese-style communal bath that makes this place special. Watershed Spa’s single communal pool, which is heated to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, fits up to 23 people. It’s coed, so wear a bathing suit, and remember, no cellphones are allowed.

Founder Nell Rueckl advises approaching the spa’s bathing ritual as a guide. “Listen to your body” and follow all or some of the steps in any order you wish, but don’t skip the cold plunge — contrast therapy (moving between hot and cold therapies) is a cure-all, she says.

The ancient Greeks and Romans thought so, too. Warm-water bathing is said to have a range of benefits including reducing stress, fatigue, pain and anxiety.

It costs $63 for a 2.5-hour bathing ritual, more if you add spa services. An annual bath membership costs $250. Watershed just began offering private soaks in stainless steel Japanese soaking tubs, with an option to add various herbs.

DIY: Go to your local community aquatic center to sit in the heated whirlpool or sauna and then hop into the cold pool, or use your own bathtub for a hot then cold bath.

Anda Spa in the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis isn’t just for overnight guests.

After the hotel’s recent multimillion-dollar renovation, the holistic-focused spa began offering memberships. Three annual tiers ranging from $1,050 to $3,050 provide regular access to spa amenities (9 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Thursday), including a steam room, dry sauna and hydrotherapy tub. Members also get discounts at two on-site eateries and on Biologique Recherche products.

Try a massage with hemp-derived CBD oil to help relieve arthritis, inflammation and tension, suggested hotel general manager Mark Maggiotto.

“It’s not just about the facial or massage, but how it will make you feel about yourself when you leave,” he said. “It’s about self-care and wellness, slowing down and paying attention to yourself. We hope it’s transformative.”

DIY: At home, turn down the lights, play some mood music and ask your partner to give you a massage. Return the favor for a couple’s date night.

Drive about two hours north of the Twin Cities for an immersive experience at Glacial Waters Spa in Nisswa. It’s part of Grand View Lodge, which has a 60-room hotel and other accommodations if you want to stay overnight, but the spa is not limited to overnight guests.

Dawn Southworth, managing director of the lodge, notes that all spa services start with a private consultation with an aesthetician to customize each experience.

The 60-minute corrective facial (starts at $180) has several options: The age corrective facial uses antioxidants and vitamins to reduce lines and wrinkles; the calm skin facial uses camomile and aloe vera to balance and hydrate skin. A 60-minute gentleman’s facial (starts at $165) uses mild-scented products.

For the body, try the alternative therapy of cupping (90 minutes, $265 and up), which involves placing cups on the skin to create suction to relieve muscle tightness, release toxins and help improve circulation and reduce inflammation.

DIY: Invite a friend over and give each other facials, manicures and pedicures. Choose a collagen mask to plump and hydrate skin, or nail polish colors like Boozy Chocolate or Midnight Mantra.