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Luxurious Spas –
the New Community Amenity |
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isually stunning and sybaritic, spas have long beckoned the world-weary traveler for rest and respite. Now, planners are bringing the spa experience home to the neighborhood.
From Oregon to Hickory via Greensboro, Marcia and Russ Reighley have discovered that a full-service spa within a community can be a powerful attraction for friends and family spread from coast to coast.
“My sister lives in Portland, and belongs to a lovely golf club out there,” she explained, as four of us gathered around a comfortable table in the reception area. “After spending a week with me here at Rock Barn Golf and Spa, she wants to return as soon as
possible to what the family calls “Spa Reighley.”
Mrs. Reighley and her sister succumbed to indulgences that week, with three treatments at the spa, a trip to the fitness center every day, and relaxing soaks in a number of the spa’s pools.
Now semi-retired, Russ Reighley consults from home, taking clients for a round of golf, or supper at the clubhouse. Actually, it was he who recognized how much his wife would enjoy the spa, pools and fitness center. He wasn’t sure how much golf he’d be able to fit in, but he knew she would love these special treatments.
“He sure was right about that,” she laughed.
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hree times weekly, Mrs. Reighley attends a 6 a.m. fitness class, and works with a personal trainer and takes yoga. She loves the center with its eight treadmills, free weights, kickboxing, spinning, yoga and Pilates classes, and the wireless sound system that allows her to choose from radio, TV, or bring her own CD and listen to a book on tape, or language class.
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For couples seeking togetherness in their rejuvenation, the “massage duet” more than doubles the pleasure,
from the moment the handsome bathrobes and slippers are donned.
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“I think this was supposed to happen the way it did,” she mused. The couple had a townhome in downtown Hickory, where Mr. Reighley was president of Ellis Hosiery until it was sold. About the same time, the family home in Greensboro sold, as well as the townhome. Rock Barn was perfectly positioned for the next phase of their lives.
“My five-year-old grandson and I are learning to play golf together,” she explained. “We thought this wonderful environment might act like a magnet to attract our family, and it’s working!”
Her daughter recently visited, and both of them enjoyed a “premier” facial at the spa. Afterwards, newly rejuvenated and relaxed, they met at the clubhouse for lunch. Mrs. Reighley is particularly fond of the Vichy Neroli Body Polish, a relaxing body scrub, followed by a trip to the Vichy shower, which gently massages and cleanses the body. The aroma of orange blossoms follows the newly polished hedonist out the door.
In fact, she is so enamored with the spa services, the Reighleys are bringing 30 family members to Rock Barn following their daughter’s wedding.
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The extended family will no doubt meet under the waterfall, or by the crackling fire in the outside whirlpool –
after they have enjoyed the steam room, salon treatment, and workout. |
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Mrs. Reighley touts the convenience, but more important, the superiority of the spa facilities. That’s not by accident, says Caroline Cauthen, marketing manager for Rock Barn.
“The community planners experienced fabulous spas everywhere, and after each trip would return with more ideas to enhance our facility,” she said. “The Asian influence is soothing, with a sort-of modern Zen décor and stonework.”
Tempted by her enthusiastic descriptions, my husband and I decided to indulge ourselves. From my personal experience, the aromatic oils are delightful, and the massage therapists highly skilled at their craft. I particularly enjoyed the sounds of exotic birds chirping on the Asian music, playing in the background.
For couples seeking togetherness in their rejuvenation, the “massage duet” more than doubles the pleasure,
from the moment the handsome bathrobes and slippers are donned. The therapists find individual aches and pains and wither them away, working in sync with one another and the lucky couple on matching massage tables. Afterwards, the bracing, bring-me-back-to-reality jump into the ice-cold plunge pool truly took my breath away. One slight negative here. Although it’s the norm in most luxury spas, the steam room and sauna are found in the men’s and women’s changing suites, precluding a romantic téte-â-téte in that relaxing atmosphere. This minor quibble aside, there’s little else to critique at the Spa and Fitness Center.
Superb sushi, available on request from the helpful attendants, furthers the Asian and health motif, and with an adults-only policy at the spa (the youngsters have a great outdoor pool next door), unwinding becomes an art form.
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Our carafe of champagne followed us from pool to pool, poured into unbreakable flutes, of course.
Chaise lounges beckoned from every corner, as relaxed men and women toyed with novels, or read magazines. |
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Would Marcia Reighley use the spa as often if it weren’t in the neighborhood? “Probably not,” she reflects, simply because of the convenience of having it virtually in her backyard. Do the other amenities add to the package? Absolutely, especially if you ask the grandchildren and extended family.
When her sister left Rock Barn for Portland, she admonished, “Marcia, you are so blessed. If you don’t use this facility, shame on you.” Mrs. Reighley intends to bring her sister back soon – very, very soon.
Down on the coast of South Carolina, between Hilton Head and Savannah, another community enjoys the advantages of a super-luxurious spa next door to primary and vacation homes. Daufuskie Island Resort & Breathe Spa has been featured as a fantasy date destination on ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” and was named among the “50 Best Offshore Escapes” by Conde Nast.
That’s now, but not too long ago, Southern literature fans will remember that Pat Conroy taught in a one-room school here, and introduced Daufuskie to the world in his first book, The Water is Wide.
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Today, instead of Revolutionary War-era battles on the beach,
families are seen playing in the waves and riding their horses.
Golf is another award-winning amenity at Daufuskie, but when a hard day’s play is done, it’s clear
that a massage, with a personal spa coordinator on call, is the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation.
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Even the name, Breathe Spatm, evokes the surroundings. Inspired by one of the five core elements, Air, the name is a symbol for health, and, of course, reflects the same relaxing and non-intimidating atmosphere which pervades Daufuskie. The long-term residents have especially welcomed its relatively new presence on the island.
Vicky and Mitch Evans live in Palm Beach, Florida, but for the past ten years, she’s made the six-hour drive up I-95 at least once a month to her getaway home on ferry-accessed Daufuskie Island. These days, with the magnificent Breathe Spa at Daufuskie, there’s even more reason to head the car north and park it at the ferry.
“I try to use the spa every time I visit,” she explains, noting that although she frequents a great spa in Palm Beach, this one is top-drawer as well. “We get a discount because we are members of the club,” she said, “but it’s the convenience as much as anything else.”
Mrs. Evans tries to spend a week each time she visits, and Mr. Evans joins her whenever possible.
“I have a friend who writes for
Travel and Leisure among other magazines, and she says that Daufuskie Island is really quite a beautiful and
unique setting.”
The spa is very popular with homeowners and visitors, and Mrs. Evans warns that it’s important to call ahead.
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She knows so many people who have homes on the island, and they all gravitate toward this peaceful existence,
apart from the pressures found on the mainland. |
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“The ferry takes about 45 minutes, and my husband says he never minds the trip over, because he feels as though the vacation has begun as soon as we step on the boat,” she says. Mrs. Evans sees bridal parties using the spa, as well as a number of men who play golf, then enjoy a massage.
For spa novices, a 25-minute introductory treatment gradually introduces the overall Breathe experience. Other treatments include the Surf and Sand Body Polish, signature facial (which combines a customized masque and aromatherapy treatment using warm and cool river rocks combined with reflexology), and the Herbal Bath, derived from Native American healing customs.
While the concept of spa as community amenity is certainly new to the Carolinas, the spa experience dates back to at least 1778, when the healing properties of a small spring in North Carolina were discovered by explorers. Native Americans had enjoyed its 102-degree mineral waters for centuries, but with the arrival of colonists, Warm Springs became one of the first destination spas on the East Coast, attracting huge investments in luxury hotels and smaller boarding houses.
Today, the name has changed to Hot Springs, and the fine hotels are gone, but a few choice B&Bs remain to welcome the faithful to a slightly updated but still extremely rustic outdoors spa experience on the banks of the French Broad River, about thirty minutes north of Asheville. Our experience included a brief thunderstorm, courtesy of Mother Nature, which added to the cozy feeling in the warm, bubbling water, as raindrops pelted the tin roof over our tub.
Elsewhere in the Carolinas, you will find destination and resort spas either connected with, or adjacent to first-class residential communities. Among them are Pinehurst and Ballantyne in North Carolina, and in South Carolina, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, and the Inn and Spa at Palmetto Bluff, in Bluffton.
Each reflects a vision of what it takes to “seduce the senses,” to borrow a phrase from spa expert and author Umberto Angeloni. Every experience seeks to restore balance and wellbeing to the mind and body. And without a doubt, those who are fortunate enough to live near destination, resort, day, health, and fitness spas know that living well is the best revenge against the ravages of stress and aging.
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Katherine O. Pettit has worked as a
writer, magazine editor, printer and public relations consultant. The Columbia
resident has published more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers.
Her writing explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles,
business and management.
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