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Even though the season for R&R is coming to a close, it isn’t too early to start planning for next year’s getaways. If a unique spa experience is high on the bucket list, then take a closer look at these interesting alternatives collected by Alison Nastasi of Flavorwire.

Floating Garden Spa (above)

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly retreat that is not only relaxing, but also remote, look no further than… your own island. This floating garden spa, created by Dutch architects Studio Noach and Anne Holtrop, features a lush blanket of greenery designed by vertical gardens expert Patrick Blanc. Within the emerald isle are healing baths, saunas, and various treatment rooms. The surrounding water makes the floating gardens a perfect hydroponic system, sustaining oxygen-producing plants and creating an inviting environment for birds, butterflies, and insects. It floats due to a buoyant material made of recycled polystyrene, which also helps regulate the island’s temperature.

Healing Salt Caves

It looks like a psychedelic candyland invented by Tim Burton, but the Galos salt-iodine caves in Chicago is a resort that provides guests with an authentic sea microclimate. The healing effects mimic that of the Black Sea. The crystalized salt has a delicate, shimmering pink hue and light flowery smell. These caves weren’t naturally created, though — apart from the salt, that is. The building process is apparently based on a technology created 20 years ago by Ukranian scientists. Low levels of iodine in parts of the US made Chicago a perfect spot for the pastel spa.

Full story at Flavorwire.

Alternative spas.