For a price, anything can be made private. This is us saying you should ask if you can take over the Himalayan Salt Room inside the Hythe Hotel. The Well & Being Spa is lovely and restorative, but quiet time (either by yourself or with a small group) in the salt room is nothing short of divine. The low-lit room’s salt-block walls seem to glow from within and encourage your body and mind to melt into relaxation.

Before your massage at the Spa at the Four Seasons, take a few minutes to browse the exclusive line of Evidens de Beauté along the back wall. This luxury cosmetics brand was founded by a French fashion entrepreneur who was inspired by his wife, a famous Japanese voice actress, and this is one of the only places in the country to find it. The Haute Chocolate Ceremony is a winter-specific, 120-minute treatment centered around nourishing May Lindstrom products. The experience begins with a 30-minute full-body exfoliation using a warm blend of cacao, spice, and Honey Mud (raw honey, clay, and aromatic oils). Before rinsing under a private rain shower, guests are cocooned in radiant body and hair oil while receiving a cooling facial massage and a nourishing scalp treatment. The ritual culminates in a deeply restorative 60-minute full-body massage that leaves the skin luminous and the body completely relaxed. The experience ends with sipping a signature cup of Haute Chocolate in front of the relaxation lounge’s fire. 

The 535-seat Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek is a local treasure. The small theater brings in acts as diverse as Chinese pianist Lang Lang, British American rock band Foreigner, and singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin. VIP experiences—available to donors of $20,000 or more—gild the lily in the form of private backstage tours, exclusive access to intimate pre-show receptions and special performances, patron lounges with premium bar service and artist meet-and-greets, priority seating, and behind-the-scenes experiences including rehearsal access and artist dinners. 

The real question is what can’t you find at Chasing Rabbits? This multidimensional space in the Solaris is a restaurant, a speakeasy, a lounge, a nightclub, an arcade, and an event center. It’s, as Solaris Vice President Thea Knobel says, “a way to experience food, art, and culture more deeply.” Become a VIP and unlock year-round benefits like members-only events, skipping lines, priority reservations, discounts, and secret members-only dining menus. Coming soon is an exclusive (and limited) membership tier called the Solaris Social Club, in which an even higher level of service and engagement will unfold. “We’re always expanding,” Knobel says. “We always want to create new ways to enjoy dining, retail, and leisure.” 

The exhilaration of first tracks—whooshing down Vail’s or Beaver Creek’s pristine slopes before the lifts start turning—is within grasp of anyone who holds an Epic Pass and nabs a reservation before the signup hits capacity. You can level up that experience by requesting a buy-out, but since private bookings are run through Vail Resorts’ on-mountain Signature Clubs, you’ll want to shop those first. Of course, these clubs offer far more than just ski and ride opportunities; there’s valet parking, slopeside clubhouses, ski lockers, luxe changing rooms, concierge services, après-ski, private dining rooms, and, don’t forget, serious elbow-rubbing. (The most “affordable” is Vail Mountain’s sumptuous Game Creek Club, which includes access to a members-only Vail Village ski locker room and transfer from Eagle’s Nest to the Swiss-chalet-style clubhouse’s cozy dining room via snowcat.) Faced with a waitlist? Some homes for sale come with a built-in membership.

Hotels recognize the immense hassle of getting to and from the slopes with all your gear. Add kids to the mix and you’re exhausted before you’ve even gotten in the lift line. Enter the services of ski chalets and concierges, and consider your life changed. Just steps from Gondola One, The Chalet is the Four Seasons’ ski-in/ski-out answer for guests looking to take advantage of concierge services, Venture Sports rentals, ski lockers with boot and glove dryers, and a cushy lounge stocked with coffee and refreshments. Likewise, the Sonnenalp has partnered with Gorsuch Ski Cafe at Vail Mountain’s Gondola One to provide a slopeside lounge experience with gear storage and boot warmers, demos and rentals, and day-of ski tunes. The ski valet at Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch functions similarly.

Read More

Private Dining Experiences
Private Chefs for Hire
Private Outdoor Adventures
Experience Vail Like a VIP
Chic Boutiques
Getting Around in Style