What’s the vibe?

A serene, if-you-know-you-know petite powerhouse of an oasis tucked away in the Halekulani Hotel—itself an elegant reprieve from the kitschy overwhelm of Waikiki Beach. The spa’s interiors are done up in light wood and cream tones, with windows that open directly onto the hotel’s central lawn, which leads to the pool and beach.

The history?

Halekulani is owned and operated by a Japanese brand, Mitsui Fudosan (as of 2019, there is also a Halekulani in Okinawa, Japan), which means it comes by its chic remove and expert hospitality honestly. But before its acquisition in 1981, Halekulani was one of Waikiki’s original hotels. Built in 1883 as a private home, it became a residential hotel in 1907 with five rentable bungalows. Gray’s Beach, which fronts the hotel, was historically known for its healing waters, or kawehewehe (which translates to “the opening up”), which early Hawaiians sought out for relief from their aches and pains.

Photo: Brandon Barré/Courtesy of Halekulani

What should you try? What’s new for 2026?

You might expect a jewel box like this to be focused on aesthetics only—and I did get one of the best pedicures of my life there, in a zero-gravity chair. But the thing to get is the vibroacoustic massage, in which a tension-melting custom rubdown is followed by a brain-wave-tingling audio session (delivered via headphones) on a gently vibrating waterbed-style massage bed. You leave feeling like you got 9 hours of sleep in 20 minutes. There is also a Korean-style, high-tech head spa with scalp-specific treatments for optimal hair health (and ultimately your best hair day ever).

The thing to get outside of the spa (besides the hotel’s famed coconut cake, which I would argue is a different but no less important kind of wellness) is a surf lesson with SpaHalekulani’s team of experienced local watermen, who make even the most inexperienced of surfers feel safe and comfortable and downright Kelly Slater–like on a board. (“Our success rate with getting first-timers to stand up is around 100%,” the spa director told me.) Waikiki is where the modern conception of surfing began; getting out in the waves is thoroughly healing to body and soul.

Photo: Brandon Barré/Courtesy of Halekulani