T+L Reports: New Zealand, Naturally

Three new North Island spas are responding to the country's trend toward naturalism by relying on pure, plant-based products made exclusively with local resources.

At Living Nature Day Spa (State Hwy. 10; 64-9/407-0113; www.livingnature.com) in Kerikeri, a town in the Bay of Islands, the "sheer indulgence" facial includes a warm, honey-like mask derived from the native manuka bush. For centuries the Maori have believed that this substance has powerful antibacterial benefits. Firming flax extract, moisturizing macadamia oil, and purifying halloysite clay also find their way into other exotic treatments. Just north of Kerikeri, the Spa at Kauri Cliffs Lodge (Matauri Bay Rd., Northland; 64-9/405-1905; www.kauricliffs.com) offers dozens of services created with the Evolu Botanical Skincare line. The products' key ingredient—clear New Zealand springwater—is blended with vitamin-rich kiwifruit extract and sweet almond oil, both of which help hydrate even the driest skin. The Spa at the Hyatt Regency Auckland (Waterloo Quadrant and Princes St.; 64-9/358-8142; auckland.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/) is scheduled to open next month in the heart of the city. On the menu: masks and scrubs using thermal mud from Rotorua, New Zealand's famed geothermic region.
—Elizabeth Hansen