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Each concourse at Denver International Airport includes an outdoor deck for relaxing.
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Now Arriving: Wellness
As flyers seek ways to maintain health while traveling, domestic airports are responding with spa facilities, meditation spaces and more.
By Amity Moore Joyce
Beyond the desire to avoid rushing through the terminal as gate agents announce your name over the airport PA system, followed by the panic-inducing, “Your plane’s doors will be closing in two minutes,” there’s a new reason to arrive early for your flight: wellness. A growing number of airports in the United States are focusing on traveler well-being. They recognize that air travel can be stressful, so they’re revamping interiors, adding yoga mats, welcoming airlines and other businesses to highlight self-care, and generally taking steps to make arrivals, departures and layovers healthier experiences.
Big picture windows at Denver International Airport bring the outside in.
Wellness at the Terminal
For airports, an emphasis on wellness starts with simple changes in design. Florida’s Jacksonville International Airport, ahead of the current curve, introduced calming spaces, natural lighting, live music and an art gallery as early as 1995 and 2004. These features, initially rolled out to prepare for Super Bowl XXXIX, have since become permanent fixtures in the airport.
In the 20 years since, other airports have adopted similar structural design or interior decor. Art exhibits—clinically proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and improve mood—are now common sights at airports, including Chicago Midway and O’Hare, Portland, Nashville, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports. These displays promote health and also introduce travelers to regionally inspired art or to works by local artists. Likewise, large, floor-to-ceiling windows at Denver International Airport (DIA), show off nature's art, framing the Rockies to the west and fertile plains to the east. Seeing such open spaces entices passengers to relax and breathe deeply. At San Francisco International (SFO) flyers can find their inner sanctum, thanks to redeveloped space for yoga and meditation rooms. These quiet zones come equipped with mats, low lighting and a peaceful environment—perfect retreats for finding your center before boarding a crowded flight.
A colorful light show in Chicago O’Hare International Airport provides an engaging experience for travelers
ADOBE STOCK
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) also has a yoga room as well as its Live Well Walking Path, which gives travelers a designated roughly 1-mile route through Terminal D to stretch their legs and lower cortisol levels. Similarly, Minneapolis–St. Paul International (MSP) offers a 1.4-mile walking loop inside Terminal 1. Both the sites at DFW and MSP make great places for kids to release some energy and passengers with layovers to get a little exercise between flights.
LAX PUP volunteer handlers and dogs interact with passengers.
LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS
Furry Friends
If flying induces your anxiety, a little affection goes a long way. That’s why therapy animal programs have become increasingly popular. Los Angeles International (LAX) introduced the PUP program (Pets Unstressing Passengers), where trained dogs roam terminals to comfort anxious travelers. Similarly, SFO’s Wag Brigade and DIA’s Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) offer soothing companionship from dogs (and one cat at DIA) wearing vests that say, “Pet Me!” Handlers walk these animals through the airport terminals to delight and comfort travelers. Studies have shown that being near animals prompts human bodies to release serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin, hormones that encourage relaxation and alleviate stress.
Be Relax Spa at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Concourse D
BE RELAX
Spa Stops and Quick Pick-Me-Ups
For those looking to really indulge, spa services are popping up in many terminals and concourses. Be Relax Spa recently opened two locations in Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Whether flyers find themselves in Terminal A or D, they can decompress with a massage, a facial or nail care services. Similarly, at airports from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, XpresSpa offers massage services, manicures and rejuvenation options, such as a chakra bed or LED face mask. Traveling through O'Hare, Tampa International or Seattle-Tacoma International airports? No problem. Terminal Getaway Spa is the go-to for nail care and massage. And at DFW, Spa Here promises 1,000 square feet of wellness nestled in Terminal C, complete with “privacy cocoons” for ultimate relaxation. Or, take advantage of the Clarins partnership with Air France at the airline’s lounge, offering a choice of three facial treatments—"Anti Jetlag,” “Instant Detox” and “Focus Regard”—inside New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Fueling the Body, Feeding the Soul
A growing number of airports are also embracing healthier food options. They're welcoming restaurants like Denver's Root Down and Los Angeles' Cava—both known for their vegetarian menus—to their hometown airports, DIA and LAX. Cava joins smoothie hotspot Earthbar, a California haven for health nuts since 1971, at LAX.
Delta’s check-in area for Concourse D Sky Club in Atlanta
DELTA
Clubbin’ It
What the airport doesn’t provide, airlines often do in their clubs and lounges. Delta Air Lines’ Sky Clubs and Delta One Lounges as well as United Airlines’ United Polaris, for example, have been adding wellness features, such as spa services and mood lighting therapy. If you’re a member, you can often find showers for quick pick-me-ups, nap pods, massage chairs and day beds with gentle white noise in the background. These lounges, while exclusive and costing extra, can be a welcome respite—away from the din of the typical airport experience.
Thus, for many travelers, whether you indulge in a five-minute chair massage, a walk through a nature-inspired terminal or a downward dog before your gate opens, airports are increasingly becoming places to care for your mind and body and offering reasons to arrive early—not out of necessity, but for the opportunity to recharge, reset and restore before takeoff.
Visit AAA.com/Travel to make your airline reservations.
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