SpaFinder® Wellness unveiled the winners of its 2012 Readers' Choice Awards that identify spa-goers' favorite spas across the globe.

Once again, the Readers' Choice Awards tallied a record amount of votes globally — more than any other year in its 10-year history. As such, the Awards provide the most comprehensive consumer assessment of the global spa market available today.

The ultimate annual Readers' Choice honors are the Crystal Awards, which are given to the most-voted facility on each of six continents. The 2012 crème de la crème are:

• Africa: The Spa at the Oyster Box, The Oyster Box Hotel
• Asia: Chiva-Som
• Australia: Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
• Europe: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris
• North America: Life in Balance Spa, Miraval
• South America: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires

To help consumers identify the best spa for their specific goals, SpaFinder Wellness also collected votes for aficionados' favorite spas across 27 categories. Reflecting the diverse interests of today's spa-goers, eight new Category Awards were added this year, including "Best for Girlfriend Getaways & Bachelorettes," "Best for Weddings," "Best for LGBT," "Best Beach Spa," "Best for Families," "Best for Outdoor Adventure," "Best Pet-Friendly" and "Best Instructor."

"Working your way to the top of a global industry crowded with tens of thousands of hotel, resort and destination spas is nothing short of an extraordinary feat," noted Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder Wellness. "We salute all our 2012 winners, particularly those that have won awards for the first time."

Four Seasons was a much-celebrated brand for spa-goers once again in this year's Awards, netting two of the six Crystal Awards. The famed Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat; Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris; Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires; and Miraval were also repeat winners, while The Oyster Box Hotel took top honors for the first time.

The Awards also recognize 44 Country/Region Award winners. The Four Seasons brand appeared frequently in this list too, collecting top honors for properties in 10 out of the 44 country/regions covered by the Awards. This was a year where recognition of enduring high quality was a prominent theme: Thirty out of the 44 spas voted as favorites this year by country were also honored last year as leading spas in their countries via the 2011 Awards.

The complete list of winners with detailed property descriptions can be accessed here: spafinder.com/rca.

Readers' Choice Awards are based on votes submitted worldwide at SpaFinder Wellness' global consumer websites (including spafinder.com) and by readers of SpaFinder Wellness digital publications. Voters were asked to cast ballots only for stay and day spas they've personally visited within the past three years.