Après Spa

Considering the kind of pain that skiing tends to bestow upon muscles you never even knew you had, it’s little wonder that Switzerland is such a spa mecca. The Alpine village of Verbier—home to some of the toughest runs in the country—is now the site of a major new den of post-slopes pampering, thanks to the W Hotels group, which just debuted a new property in town. The hotel’s Away Spa Verbier is helmed by an alum of the French wellness brand Cinq Mondes, who tweaked the chain’s typical formula to better cater to the aprés-ski crowd. Instead of the usual REN products, it uses the high-end local lines Phyto 5 and Gemology, and Verbier’s take on W’s standard Away Massage ($184) incorporates hot stones and body brushing. There are also sport massages with names like the “Mogul Leg Pump” ($184), a jacuzzi for soothing tired muscles, and a heated indoor/outdoor pool with a stunning view of the snow-capped mountains. Granted this is still a W, so it’s not for the buttoned-up or bookish—clubby neon lights, for example, inexplicably ring the steam room—but then again, neither is Verbier.