Warm Up to Seasonal Treatments at Wintergarden Spa
Stress and Tension “Fall” by the Wayside with Autumn Inspired Services

Set at the highest point of Wintergreen Resort, the Wintergarden Spa’s unique location offers beautiful vistas of the mountains and the valley below, as well as the ideal setting to pamper and restore the body, release tension and renew the spirit. So, what better place to soothe the soul during this busy time of year, than the Resort’s full-service, destination spa which features fresh and festive seasonal treatments?

The spa’s newest services that will have guests “falling” head over heals for autumn’s warm colors, delicious fragrances and scrumptious ingredients, include:

Peppermint Pedicure: This wonderfully aromatic treatment starts with a warm foot soak in peppermint essential oil and peppermint pedicure soak salts to help stimulate, refresh, and restore. Feet are scrubbed with peppermint granules, leaving skin tingling and soft. A moisturizing peppermint lotion is massaged into the feet to complete the stimulating experience.
Pumpkin Facial: Enjoy the fall harvest with the pumpkin facial, including a relaxing massage, a vitamin C serum, and a 100 percent pure whipped pumpkin mask. Pumpkin is filled with vitamin A (a collagen booster) that will leave skin feeling rejuvenated.

CranMary Pedicure: A body polish exfoliates the skin, an exhilarating ice mask cools and refreshes tired legs and feet, and the CranMary smoothie provides softer, younger looking skin.
Lavender Pedicure Therapy: The natural essential oil scent of lavender relieves tension. This fragrant pedicure includes a sea salt foot soak, foot scrub, masque, and ends with a heel recovery to moisturize and repair dry/cracked areas.

Sweet Milk & Lavender Bud Facial: This elegant and fresh facial containing powerful antioxidants and natural nutrients corrects texture and tone, leaving the skin visibly brightened and rejuvenated.

The Wintergarden Spa’s 13 elegantly appointed, private spa treatment rooms, are set in a rustic mountaintop theme with pleasing earth tones of sage, creams, tans and blues. The Spa’s ambiance is soothing and serene, and in keeping with its focus on de-stressing, revitalizing and rejuvenation. The thematic colors also complement the Spa’s emphasis on the mountain top retreat experience, with its refreshing herbal body wraps, hot stone and other therapeutic massages, and a selection of restorative mountain mud and mineral facial treatments. The Spa boasts a full-service hair and nail salon, featuring four manicure and four pedicure stations.

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High on healing

Stressed? Head for the mountains for some quality spa time

Getaways for getting closer

Stress and long hours at the office regularly drive Karen Cross to The Homestead in search of relief.

The Homestead

1766 Homestead Drive

Hot Springs, VA 24445

540-839-1766

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There, she unwinds at the spa as massage therapists work the kinks from her sore shoulders and stiff neck. She often indulges in a facial, then a manicure and a pedicure.

“This is something you don’t do all the time — then it wouldn’t be a treat,” Cross said. “If you work full time, you definitely need time to relax and unwind. This is time by myself, when someone is pampering and taking care of me.”

Cross, senior vice president for Land’or International at Innsbrook and a resident of western Henrico County, travels to The Homestead in Hot Springs annually with her husband, John. While he plays golf, she rejuvenates in the sauna.

“I work hard,” Cross said. “This is time to give back to myself.”

Within an easy drive of Richmond, resorts such as The Homestead, Wintergreen, Boar’s Head Inn and Keswick Hall remain popular destinations, despite the soaring cost of gasoline. Richmond is home to a variety of spas, but many enjoy making a weekend out of relaxing near the mountains.

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“With the economy going the way it is, everyone is cutting back on eating out and going to the movies,” said Jana Powers, spa director at Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville. “But we are going strong. People aren’t willing to give this up. Spas help with your health and well-being.”

Boar’s Head Inn

200 Ednam Dr

Charlottesville, VA 22903

(434) 296-2181

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According to the International Spa Association, spa visits nationwide have hovered around 110 million the past few years, and spa industry revenues totaled $9.4 million in 2006. Since 1999, the number of spas has grown at an average annual rate of 21 percent, to more than 14,000.

“Spas give us the chance to calm our nerves,” Powers said. “They take us out of the real world, even if for a short period of time.”

At Boar’s Head, stressed-out souls can soak in a bubbling tub of goat’s milk and honey as they escape the daily grind of the workweek. The seven treatment rooms are filled on weekends, so be sure to book at least three weeks ahead.

If massages and body wraps aren’t your thing, escape to the sports club, play golf, take a hot-air balloon ride or visit historic sites, such as Monticello.

“You can definitely see the stress when people come in here,” Powers said. “You can see the change when they leave. They walk out smiling.”

Some book an entire day at the spa, with a break for lunch sandwiched between an exfoliating scrub and pedicure. Mary Anna’s Inspiration, a combination of a mineral bath with herbs, Swedish massage, European facial and pedicure/manicure, takes nearly five hours at The Homestead.

“We try to create the ultimate experience for people,” said Christie Ford, The Homestead’s spa director.

The emphasis, Ford said, is on using natural products unique to the area. Popular treatments include the mineral springs mud wrap and the buttercup scrub.

“We use ingredients you’ll see when you are out on a hike,” Ford said. “You leave feeling attached to The Homestead.”

The spa even gets children, Ford said, so The Homestead has designed treatments just for them.

Manicures and pedicures are popular for girls, who often get the treatments with mom.

“They get massages, too,” Ford said. “It’s not seen as pampering. With all the stress they are going through now with SOLs in school and everything else, this is a way to take care of themselves.”

Most come during summer vacation.

“When kids are out of school, weekdays aren’t really weekdays anymore,” said Kelly Stevens, spa services manager at the Wintergarden Spa at Wintergreen.

Wintergreen Resort

Route 664
Wintergreen, VA 22958
434-325-8003

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At Wintergreen, Swedish massage is the most popular treatment, Stevens said.

“For some, a spa treatment is a luxury,” she said. “But some use it more to help with their sore backs. For them, it helps them go on with their day-to-day lives.”

While many come to rest their weary bodies, couples make the trip for the romance of the countryside. Mothers and daughters make memories, and sisters use the time for bonding.

“I think the spa industry will only continue to grow as people realize just how relaxing it can be to escape from their daily lives,” Stevens said.

The adventure comes with a price. Individual treatments, such as manicures and pedicures, start at about $20. Packages that combine body wraps, facials, massages, exfoliating scrubs and soaks into a full day of luxury can add up to more than $500.

“Going to a spa is not an inexpensive treat,” Cross said. “But you get what you pay for. I work hard, so I don’t mind paying to pamper myself. Rejuvenation — that’s what it’s all about.”

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Spas Offer End-of-Year Stress Relief

Natural Body Spa & Shoppe / Washington DC Spas / Maryland Spas

She slowly moves her mouth to grin as she takes in the aroma and comfort of her surroundings, all the while wondering whether or not she is going to graduate on time.

The close of the school year can often yield anxiety and stress as students prepare for final exams and graduation, but tranquility and relaxation can be attained through reaching out to local spas in the Washington, D.C. area.

Store manager Jacki Barnett of Natural Body Spa and Shoppe said spa treatments are extremely effective in releasing stress, especially during pressure at the end of a semester.

“After being hunched over books and computers every day, it is important to take care of your body and let it unwind,” Barnett said. “Students looking to get massages and other treatments for the first time should come in and talk with a spa therapist first. They can look around the shop and get a feel for things. It is important to get treatments consistently for the best results. Over time, you will notice a change in stress level.”

The Natural Body Spa, located on 24th Street in Northwest D.C., specializes in waxing, skin care, full body massages and nail treatment for prices that students can afford. A 30-minute massage and facial starts at $50, and a pedicure/manicure spa treatment costs $75, but includes several amenities such as reclining massager armchairs.

The shop offers special services to men as well, from handling rough feet to coarse hands. For students looking to unwind together, the Natural Body Spa offers couples massages as well.

Gabrielle Monroe, a sophomore radio/TV/film major, enjoys the relaxation she gets from spa treatments.

“I don’t go to spas that often, but I have been before and massage truly do calm your body and mind,” Monroe said. “You feel well rested and your mood even changes. I went into a spa back home feeling really upset about an incident from earlier that day and left the spa with a new outlook on the incident. I haven’t tried any spas in D.C. yet, only because it seems like the prices would be steep.”

Fortunately, pricey spa treatments are not the only option in the metro area.

Students can also enjoy unique services at VIDA Fitness, where they can work up a sweat in the gym and then head to the steam rooms to unwind. Located near the Verizon Center at 601 F St., VIDA offers a blend of fitness and relaxation.

VIDA employee Dean Mote said, “The atmosphere is great in here. The staff is welcoming and the members are friendly. In fact, all of the staff knows each of the members by first name. You can have anybody give you a massage here, and you’ll feel better. We all just try to go overboard helping members, because it’s like a family here.”

VIDA’s services include sports massages starting at $90 and hot stone massages for $115, among others. A special deal on club membership is now being priced at $49, rather than the usual $199.

“It is really student-friendly here,” Mote continued. “It would be great to see more young people.”

Other great spas in the area include the Oriental Oasis in Northwest Washington, where body wraps, permanent make-up and hairstyling are all done under the same roof in an Asian-inspired shop. The Paris Alexander Skin & Body Wellness Spa specializes in healing and rejuvenating the mind and body, with affordable prices for high quality service.

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