On a peninsula known more for its beaches than its beauty services, Cape Cod is actually home to a handful of hidden-gem spas where visitors and locals alike can trade sand and sun for Zen and saunas. Here’s a peek at some of the Cape’s top spots for year-round R&R — no sunscreen required.

More than 60 years ago, singer Patti Page famously recorded “Old Cape Cod,” which conjured images of sand dunes and salty air in a catchy chorus that Groove Armada later sampled. The song’s namesake is a 65-mile peninsula that stretches from Massachusetts into the Atlantic and still conjures images of summer idyll: white-sand beaches; perfect blue skies; and local delights like fried clams, fresh oysters, and lobster rolls.

From June to August, the region is alive with tourists, swelling to about 500,000 people — nearly double the year-round population. But by mid-October, the region begins its annual hibernation and clotheslines that were heavy with towels and swimsuits are now barren. Towns are quiet, beaches deserted. 

For locals, though, the off-season means easy access to everything from dune-side trails to seats at the bar. The non-summer months may get dark and stormy, but cooler temps — and fewer people — offer ample time to enjoy the Cape’s other delights: empty stretches of sand under moody skies, watching cold-water surfers paddle into ocean waves, and having the time to indulge in the area’s myriad of spas. Best of all? The Cape is utterly unfussy and understated — and its venues for beautifying are no exception.

Chatham Bars Inn

Tucked away at the end of a cul-de-sac, the Chatham Bars Inn spa’s quiet luxury begins on the stroll down a cobblestone path, past a pool and hot tub, to the ground-floor entrance. The understated comfort continues inside, with what the inn calls its “calming relaxation room,” a semi-lit space that boasts plush chaise lounges, fruit-laden water, and snacks — because who could refuse artisanal energy bites before a full-body massage? Services include standard massages, facials, and manicures, as well as beach-forward options like an Ocean Massage (read: wave-like massage strokes), and a Healing Seaweed Body Wrap, which includes dry brush exfoliation and an algae body mask.

297 Shore Road, Chatham, MA

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club

Just a few minutes down the road from the Chatham Bars Inn is Le Petite Spa at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich. Accessible only to guests, this is the complete beach-meets-spa experience for luxury-seekers who never met a salt scrub they didn’t like. Le Petite Spa offers a number of packages that include combinations of facials, body treatments, and massages. Plus, it offers waxing — a relative rarity on the Cape —plus the Anti-Stress Gentlemen’s Facial and prenatal massage. Its most decadent pick is Queen for a Day: a one-hour facial, one-hour massage, a choice of mini-upgrade additions (from dermaplaning to aromatherapy), and an exfoliating pedicure.

2173 MA-28, Harwich, MA

The Beach House Spa

Set on the Cape’s bay side just north of Chatham is the elegantly low-key Beach House Spa. The Beach House is under the umbrella of the Ocean Edge Resort across the street, but the spa is a standalone venue with a Cape-style exterior and an updated, modern-beachy interior. It offers a full range of self-care services, from massages to body treatments (not to mention waxing and nail care), as well as men’s services like the Man-icure and Sea Escape Men’s Facial. 

2740 Main Street, Brewster, MA

Supple Apothecary

New England native Alison Supple Evans started her beauty career in California, where she developed a love for natural products and treatments and opened her first venture, Supple Berkeley. When she moved to Cape Cod, she took that passion with her and opened Supple Apothecary in Orleans, where she’s become an under-the-radar local favorite. Each customized, one-hour facial includes skin analysis, an herbal wrap, cleansing, a natural peel, acupressure, an upper-body massage, and gua sha, among other treatments. Supple also features a well-curated shop with natural skin products, apparel, and jewelry. 

82 MA-6A, Orleans, MA