Newsflash: In Las Vegas, it’s easy to burn a ton of cash. And while a little gambling is part of the fun, make sure you carve out some time for an experience that’ll give you a guaranteed return on investment. Enter the Mandarin Oriental Spa Las Vegas. The place is a hotbed of mind-body magic, and a little QT in its plush confines will do wonders for your spirit. No matter how bad you are at Blackjack.

We abandoned the constant commotion of the strip to try out two services during our stay. First up was the one-hour-and-fifty-minute East Meets West Massage ($280 to $330). True to its name, the treatment combines healing techniques from different continents, including restorative stretching, pressure-point therapy, deep-tissue massage, and rhythmic Thai massage. You’ll lie on a cushy treatment table while the therapist gets to work, working out kinks and tension like a pro—and with a little help from an active, muscle-and-joint herbal massage cream. This isn’t the type of massage that lets you completely drift away, but its effects felt longer lasting than a typical rubdown. We stepped out of the treatment room feeling refreshed, mellow, and better aligned. For you yogis, the feeling reminded us of the yoga-class afterglow.

And because no one can resist a little positive juju, we stuck around for the 90-minute Good Karma Treatment ($240-$280). Drawing on the healing powers of jade and ginseng, the service kicks off—no pun intended— with a deeply relaxing foot treatment. After treating our tootsies to a warm, sudsy bath that smelled like jasmine flowers, the therapist applied an herbal exfoliant and a deep moisturizer. The pampering felt like a godsend after days of strolling the strip (confession: we may have dozed off a little in our chair.) During the full-body massage that followed, warm jade stones were placed on vital energy points meant to rev up healthy chi and good karma. Afterwards, we felt calm, peaceful, and ready to do more hoofing from casino to casino.

But first, we spent some time chilling in the relaxation area. There’s a lot to take advantage of here, so make sure you show up early for your treatment and leave some time for hanging out afterwards.  Special heat and water experiences include steam rooms, an ice fountain, a soothing “vitality pool” that looks out onto the strip, and a shower that—in true Vegas style—has differently themed settings.

There’ll be a bit of culture shock when you leave this tranquility den and head back into Sin City, but you’ll be armed with infinite good vibes—and maybe a little bit of good luck.

For more information and to book your treatments, please click here.
-Jenny Berg