How to Be Well in Baltimore: Fitness, Spas & Beyond

From downward dog to cow, lizard, cat and more, this ancient practice has deep ties to the natural world. Connect with nature in a 60-minute Vinyasa style yoga class at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, designed for both beginner and intermediate yoga lovers, with views of the penguins at Penguin Coast. After class, cool down with a leisurely stroll through Druid Hill Park where the Zoo is located.

The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Medifast Inc. team up every May through September for the Waterfront Wellness series featuring free fitness classes, four days a week along the beautiful Inner Harbor. Head to West Shore Park next to the Visitor Center for yoga, boot camp or dance classes.

Grab your mat and head to the West Square of Mount Vernon Place park for free yoga with City Fit every Saturday at 9 a.m. in the summer. Surround yourself with centuries of history as you stretch and pose in the shadow of the Washington Monument. City Fit also hosts free bodyweight bootcamps on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. after yoga.

While the Four Seasons is known for its luxurious accommodations, the hotel’s spa is an attraction of its own. Choose from a menu of signature treatments like facials and massages, plus specialty services like energy healing and ashiatsu (a therapist stands on your body for muscle relief). Spa guests also get access to the hotel’s outdoor pool on a terrace overlooking the harbor.

The Four Seasons Spa comes with breathtaking views of the Inner Harbor.

Run by two doctors, Art of Balance aims to help you achieve full-body wellness. The spa offers massages, facials and aroma therapy, as well as health and wellness treatments, therapies and coaching. Plus, choose from an array of non-surgical cosmetic procedures for aesthetic wellness.

What started as a barber shop has expanded into a full service destination featuring a classic clothing store, cigar lounge, speakeasy, restaurant and, yes, a spa. The QG spa offers the usual suite of facials and massages, but if you’d like something extra, try the HydraFacial, a cutting-edge technique that promises results in just thirty minutes. On the fourth floor is Four One Oh Salon, a spot designed to serve The QG’s female clientele with hair cutting and styling services.

Prepping for an event? Or just want to look and feel your best? Knock it all out at Neal’s The Hair Studio & Day Spa. Indulge in a facial, Swedish massage, hair cut and color, manicure and professional makeup application.

NV Salon offers a full range of hair, waxing and skin care services. Get your basic cut and color done, or opt for a blow out or updo. Plus book a quick treatment like dermaplaning or a facial peel.

The Loft Bodywork Collective is a boutique studio focusing on healing and rejuvenation through massage, acupuncture and holistic skin care.

The Well is a full-service wellness center specializing in acupuncture, shiatsu, group meditation, reiki, nutrition and massage therapy.

Located in the heart of Charles Village near Johns Hopkins University, Healing on the Bay offers a number of services such as mindfulness, meditation, life coaching, stress management, and massage therapy.

Located in Pigtown, Mobtown Ballroom offers private and public classes teaching lessons in lindy hop, East Coast swing and the circus arts (including lyra, fabrics, cyr wheel, hula hoop and trapeze). All instructors are world-class dancers, competitors and performers. Come by on Monday or Friday nights to make it a social event with drop-in lessons, late night dancing and a bar.

People of all ages come to study the art of boxing at Upton Boxing Center in the historic Pennsylvania Avenue district. Classes range from basic to advanced levels and are taught by top-notch instructors. The facility offers local amateur boxers all of the equipment necessary to master the craft. There are punching bags, heavy bags, full weight rooms and a boxing ring. The Upton Boxing Center is affiliated with USA Boxing, the Junior Olympics and the Silver & Golden Gloves Competitions.

Jake’s Skate Park, named after Jake Owen, a five-year-old South Baltimore boy who was killed by a cell phone distracted driver in 2011, features a bowl, mini ramps, rails, ledges and transfers. Located in the newly reopened Rash Field in the Inner Harbor, the skatepark was designed by Grindline, one of the top concrete skatepark and design companies in the country.

Opened in 2021, Rash Field contains three parks, a cafe and shaded overlook of the Harbor.

Anyone is welcome to test their skills at this free, public concrete skatepark.  Skatepark of Baltimore is open sun up to sun down in Roosevelt Park in Hampden.