Sundara Best Award Winning Wisconsin Spa Resort
Let’s just get one thing straight: a trip to The Wisconsin Dells doesn’t have to include water slides. It can, in fact, include so much pampering and relaxation that the sound of bellowing children — and the very thought of a water slide — is a hazy memory.
Rick Duarte is the general manager of Sundara Inn & Spa, an award-winning, adults-only resort located on the outskirts of The Dells. Sundara opened in 2003, and Duarte says that since then, the public’s perception has started to shift.
“The stigma that The Dells are solely a family vacation destination is starting to lift,” says Duarte. “Sundara allows guests to truly escape.”
Located on a 26-acre pine forest, Sundara feels more like Lake Tahoe, Calif. than south-central Wisconsin. The resort has 26 suites and 12 private villas, all designed using feng shui principles and eco-friendly business practices. The lodging accommodations are top-notch, including dreamy queen- or king-sized featherbeds, a fireplace, Bose sound systems, large whirlpools, telescopic two-person showers and three-season porches overlooking the wooded splendor.
Room prices range depending on dates and room type, so check the Web site for up-to-date pricing.
Upon arrival, most guests ditch their clothing for a thick, soft robe and sandals — both of which Sundara provides — or a swim suit.
Sundara guests are invited to swim in the heated, outdoor pool (open all year), walk the grounds, relax in the meditation room or experience the five-station ritual bath. The ritual bath is based on the ancient tradition of physical and spiritual cleansing, and allows guests to rotate between a hot and cool rainfall shower, aromatic steam room, oil-infused whirlpool and cool pool.
Sundara offers a variety of services for an extra fee. Such services include dozens of different massages — from hot stone massage to golfer’s massage — as well as makeovers, organic body wraps, river stone facials, foot rituals, thermal mud wraps, hair removal and many more. Most services run between $75 and $150.
Also, Sundara offers a “spa together series” that invites couples to enjoy side-by-side services.
The Warm Glow Massage, for example, allows a couple to have a simultaneous 50-minute, Swedish-style massage by two different therapists in an ambient room with a fireplace. The couple each pick a candle made from organic material and essential oils — there are eight aromatic choices — which is then lit, melted and used as a massage lubricant.
The therapists’ expertise in body massage and energy work is immediately apparent. Guests inform the therapist whether they prefer a light, medium or firm massage as well as any areas that are in need of attention. The Sundara therapists, however, are trained to detect — via a person’s energy — the areas of the body that are in need of massage, even if they weren’t verbally identified. This ability sorts the good therapists from the truly great.
Sundara attracts guests from all over the Midwest for many different reasons. Most people visit to relax and escape the demands of the real world, while others come to mark a milestone such as an anniversary or honeymoon. Sundara also caters to people who are healing — or trying to heal — from an emotional or physical set back.
It’s common for groups of women to stay at Sundara for a bachelorette weekend or a girls’ getaway. To appeal to more men, last year Sundara introduced The Wild Rock Golf Club, a golf course built on and around an on-site quarry. Duarte says the golf course has attracted more males to Sundara, and consequently introduced them to the spa concept.
“Once we get them on the course, they might try the spa experience and realize it wasn’t what they thought it was,” says Duarte.
Duarte says he wasn’t much of a “spa guy” prior to his employment with Sundara, but is now a firm believer that spa services help to alleviate stress and create a sense of peacefulness.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve changed,” says Duarte. “I understand the importance of balance. When your mind is clear, and your body feels good, life is so much better.”
The Sundara experience is enhanced by an impeccable staff that’s friendly and accommodating, but the resort’s biggest strength is in the fine details. For example, a “turn down” service features an employee offering to pull back your sheets before bedtime, the body exfoliant in the shower is made from sand collected near the Dells and the complementary refreshing drinks and healthy snacks appear to be endless.
Throughout the facility, glass dispensers of cucumber-infused filter water or herbal iced tea are available. Plus, coffee, a large assortment of teas, granola and apples are always on hand.
Sundara does not have a restaurant, but has a full menu featuring seasonal, locally produced food and wines. A $14 cheese plate comes with five different types of cheese, a sampling of fresh fruits, berries and a lotus flower.
Many guests opt for room service, but there is a communal eating area.
Green practices are important at Sundara. The building was designed to be eco-friendly in many ways, from the reclaming of every drop of rain water to the drinking cups made from plants. Duarte says Sundara has many long-term goals to continue their green living commitment, including a massive, on-site garden. Sundara is a member of Travel Green Wisconsin and the Green Spa Network.
In 2006, Sundara was named the third best “favorite spa escape” by ABC’s “Good Morning America.” For five years in a row, Luxury SpaFinder Magazine named Sundara one of the 10 most romantic spas in the country, and most recently, Conde Nest Traveler announced Sundara as one of the top 38 best spa resorts, according to a readers’ poll.
However, the biggest testament to Sundara’s success is found in the guest journals, which feature pages and pages of handwritten stories of rejuvenation.
“So many times in today’s world we are rushed and stressed,” reads one entry from a Madison couple. “It’s so important to slow down once in a while and there’s no better place to do this than Sundara.”
 
