Maitreya Retreat Spa

Maitreya Retreat Spa sits on Water St in Santa Cruz, built around the idea of a Japanese-style bathhouse where people soak, steam, and socialize in a garden setting. The main draw is the communal area of hot tubs and a sauna, open to walk-ins with a $40 single-entry day pass (multi-pass and membership options are also sold). For more privacy, separate outdoor hot tub rooms with steam rooms, showers, herbal tea, water service, and towels can be rented by the hour, priced at $45 for one person or $50 for two for a 50-minute session.

Massage is offered as its own service, with nine treatments on the menu and a roster of state-certified therapists trained in styles including Swedish, deep tissue, Esalen, polarity, reflexology, Shiatsu, acupressure, sports massage, and Reiki. Deep tissue work, the signature treatment, costs $10 more than the base massage rate. Couples massage is available, and anyone who pre-books a massage gets complimentary access to the garden and communal soaking areas afterward.

Hours run noon to 11pm Monday and Tuesday, noon to midnight Thursday through Saturday, and the spa is closed Wednesdays. Sundays start with women's-only hours from 10am to 2pm, switching to co-ed from 2pm to 11pm. The space is set up to encourage mingling rather than silent solo soaking, with hot tubs and the sauna arranged for easy conversation between guests.