It’s hard to be stressed in Palm Beach, where the day’s biggest obstacles might include wiping your toes clean of the beach’s fine white sand and scoring a table on the terrace at Bice. On an island like this, where the sea exfoliates and the breezes massage, going to a spa to unwind may seem a bit redundant. But that doesn’t mean you should pass on a visit to one of the island’s sumptuous properties. On the contrary, there’s just something about islands and spas…one water-centric retreat deserves another.

For an island this diminutive (the whole darn thing is only 16 miles long), Palm Beach has managed to pack in some seriously expansive spas, most of which are part and parcel of the area’s luxury hotels. The majority of them have facilities such as relaxation rooms, saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools, and fitness facilities. Since access to these spa playgrounds is generally included when you spring for a treatment, it’s well worth making a day of it.

Case in point: the sprawling treatment facilities at The Spa at The Breakers are accompanied by a lap pool and fitness center with treadmills overlooking the pool and ocean. Start with a workout, splurge on one of the seaside-themed treatments like the Seaweed Bubble Bath, and finish up with a steam and sauna. The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach may seem claustrophobic in comparison, situated as it is on the hotel’s lower level and–perplexingly for a town devoted to sunshine–lacking natural light. But it’s still worth a stop for the whirlpool, steam room, sauna, and expert BABOR and Kate Somerville treatments that incorporate marine oils and sea salts.

If you’re sensing an ocean theme in the spa offerings around town, you’re definitely onto something. As fitting as shell motifs and maritime scrubs may be, our top pick of the Palm Beach spas is the Eau Spa by Cornelia at The Ritz-Carlton, which offers something totally different in its indulgent treatments and whimsical décor. If you can only go to one spa in Palm Beach, definitely shell out for this one. You’ll feel like Alice in Wonderland as you lounge alongside the oversized chess set in the “Self-Centered Garden,” nibble mini chocolate cupcakes in the relaxation room, and swing on birdcage-esque chairs over the reflecting pools. Despite these relaxed touches that delight your inner child, the spa maintains an aura of elegance with treatments like the Bejeweled Signature Facial and opulent, boudoir-like villas.

But if younger-leaning is your thing, make your way to the hip, modern, New York City transplant exhale at the Omphoy. There are fewer facilities here (there is no separate dedicated locker/changing room, for example), but tranquil spaces like the meditation garden with teak pagodas set the stage for the spa’s emphasis on mind/body balance. Jump into one of the Core Fusion classes that exhale is known for before taking your tea in the relaxation room, and you’ll end your day both mentally and physically refocused.

You may feel like walking on water after all this pampering…until you look in the mirror and realize that the humidity has wrought havoc on your hair. Not to worry: there’s a small outpost of NYC/Hollywood favorite Frédéric Fekkai for all of your distressed tress needs. But unfortunately, when you discover that digging in the sand has made mincemeat of your cuticles, there aren’t that many options for manis and pedis aside from the overpriced nail spas at the big hotels. This is one treatment you might want to have done on the mainland before you arrive–and the absence of cheap corner nail spots is perhaps the only arena in which Palm Beach’s island living feels like roughing it.

Photo of Eau Spa by Cornelia