Come In from the Cold

A visit to a spa is to experience the pure luxury of self indulgence - and it's also good for your health. The result is rejuvenation of your mind, body, soul, and spirit. What an investment in yourself! Yes, it takes a degree of time and money; but not as much as one might imagine. Whether you choose an hour in a day spa or a weekend at a resort spa, you will be richly rewarded for the experience. And… you deserve it!

We women have our usual jam-packed to-do lists tending to job, family, volunteer work, school - all those omnipresent tasks that return even once crossed off the list. And this year, we have extra work to do as we gear up to do leg-work for our favorite candidate, plus the myriad issues that need our attention. Little things, like saving the planet. And so, we need to be fully recharged with health and vigor - not to mention a relaxed mindset - as we prepare to get back to all the important work at hand. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for those around you!

Vermonters are fortunate to have an array of spas, from day to destination. They are tucked away in the mountains or right in the center of it all downtown, and most are easily accessible within a short drive. We urge you to gift yourself an hour, a day or a weekend at one of these spas by yourself, with a girlfriend, family member, or that special person in your life. The extraordinary spa treatment options, exercise choices, healthy food selections, and stunning environments will rejuvenate you to your core and may even help to ease, heal, deepen or enlighten your relationships.

Here are overviews of just a few of the spas within a short drive from anywhere in Vermont. We have also profiled the spa directors, whose vision and commitment to your experience makes all the difference.

The Equinox Resort and Spa
Manchester Village
800-362-4747
www.equinoxresort.com

There are many reasons to consider a long getaway weekend at the Equinox. The drive from Burlington along Route 7 is lovely if you are not in a hurry…and why hurry - and even better via Route 30. A stop at the Middlebury Co-op for lunch or other goodies, galleries in Brandon, and antique shops along the way are fun options leading to Manchester Village, loaded with famous outlet shopping, the excellent Northshire Bookstore, and wonderful spots for dining. Manchester has long been a destination for skiing at nearby Bromley or Stratton ski areas; in addition there's hiking, and even falconry. But the jewel in the crown of the Northshire is the Equinox Inn and Spa. Built in 1859 the Inn retains its original charm, including its famous Tavern Restaurant. The spa includes indoor tennis courts, and the most amazing indoor swimming pool in Vermont.

The service is superb and the rooms are spacious, comfortable and individually charming; a complete renovation of the rooms is underway and expected to be complete by May 2008 (our sneak peek at the renovated model revealed breathtaking décor).

Our spa experience began with a smorgasbord of daily fitness classes - yoga at 8:30 a.m., followed by Pilates and then water aerobics all topped off with a delicious lunch in the Tavern and leisurely time in the spa lounge sipping herbal teas by the fireplace in oversized comfy chairs and Turkish robes. My 110 minute deluxe facial left me with a softer afterglow that I am sure knocked out the stress of the preceding days - if not a few years too!

My friend opted for the full body deluxe rejuvenation, customized to include a maple scrub, individualized deep tissue massage and reflexology. Heaven was the only word to describe her experience. Our treatments were then followed by a dip in the outdoor whirlpool, with gently falling snow, then on to the steam room before a divine dinner in the Tavern and the best night's sleep in months.

Spa Director Susan Wheeler has spent more than two decades leading the Equinox to rate among the pinnacle of spas, in addition to serving on the board of directors of the International Spa Association for three years and currently sitting on the executive board of that organization. She moved to Manchester to be closer to her two young sons while they attended the Stratton Mountain School, bringing her experience as a fitness and movement therapist to the Equinox in the 1980s. Through the years, the spa has experienced new incarnations, expansions and renovations, but it's apparent that any change is always in accordance with Wheeler's high standards.

Wheeler is a lifelong equestrian, from her time as a competitive member of the Millbrook Hunt Club in upstate New York to her more recent purchase of a thoroughbred, Sir Lancelot, six years ago. Her office is filled with spectacular photographs of the pair jumping in competition. For Wheeler, there is a correlation between her passion and success on horseback and directing the spa. "The connection between horse and rider, the mutual respect, communication, taking risks, overcoming challenges, and setting and achieving goals" are all elements that Wheeler cites as informing her efforts to bring excellence to the Equinox Spa.

Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa
Stowe
800-253-2232
www.stoweflake.com

Touted as one of Forbes "Hottest Hotel Spas" it's hard to decide just what it is about the Stoweflake Spa experience that transports you to a kind of nirvana. It could be the 12-foot high massaging waterfall thundering tension from your body as gentle snowflakes fall around you. Or maybe it's the Hungarian Mineral Soaking Pool. And just when you think you have experienced it all, as you daydream in the privacy lounge, your spa therapist calls your name and soon you are in full submission undergoing your chosen treatment.

Stoweflake offers so many treatments it's difficult to make a choice, but I opted for the Herbal Deep Cleansing Facial. Under the tender hands of my aesthetician, my face was hydrated, detoxified, and remineralized through a deep pore cleansing, gentle extractions and restorative mask. The 80-minute process is perfectly passed, with massage and gentle lingering rubs, all executed with precise expertise. I was amazed at how much stress I held in my facial muscles, jaw, and neck. This treatment also includes massage, reflexology and exfoliation of the feet; so when done I was treated, literally, head to toe. Later at dinner and for weeks later, friends and family remarked that there was something different about me. Perhaps it was the clearer, relaxed face.

In the morning, I enjoyed the outdoor heated pool, doing my laps and then floating aimlessly, enveloped simultaneously by water and the spectacular views of Mount Mansfield seemingly right overhead. Both the Stoweflake Spa and its restaurant, Winfields, have won top awards from trade organizations through the years. Charlie B's Pub is also a great spot for lunch. All are connected to the same facility so you never have to leave the building. In addition to a full range of amenities one would expect, we also thoroughly enjoyed our spacious deluxe room. It was truly a delight to spend time there, with lovely views and flat screen television, quality furnishings, refrigerator, and turn down service.

An overnight stay is wonderful, but those who can only make an afternoon of it will feel just as welcome - after all, a little bit of nirvana is better than none at all, no?

Topnotch Resort and Spa
Stowe
800-451-8686
www.topnotchresort.com

Vermont may not be a big state, but we certainly have a big player in the spa stratosphere. Topnotch Resort and Spa is a 2007 Conde Nast award-winner, voted Number One Resort Spa in the Northeast, as well as receiving first-place honors in the nation for customer service - not to mention placing tenth overall among spas in the United States and Caribbean. Right in our backyard!

So, whether you ski or not, a trip up the Mountain Road in Stowe is not just for those with out of state license plates. Be sure to indulge yourself in the delicious, gourmet food available at the Harvest Market along the way.

Our time at Topnotch was short, but left us yearning for more. My friend chose the Signature Treatment Little River Stone Massage and I decided on the 110 minute Ultimate Deep Tissue Massage to detox from the inescapable political hype of the primary season. Ann Martin, recently inducted into the Luxury Spa Finder Hall of Fame, customized her techniques during my Deep Tissue Massage treatment incorporating deep tissue massage, shiatsu, reflexology, and reiki.

The spa director, Alexandra Robinson, has been with Topnotch four years (the first two as Assistant Spa Director). A delightful young woman from Liverpool, England, Robinson says she never dreamed she would head one of the most prestigious spas in the world, but at the tender age of 32 she's doing just that; she has already overseen a complete spa renovation in 2004, and currently supervises a full-time staff of 90 people.

Robinson originally came to Topnotch to receive sports therapy services following a severe skiing injury to her leg in Colorado, and ultimately accepted the position as Assistant Spa Director in 2001. She values teamwork in her role at Topnotch. "If the staff is mutually supportive to each other, that support simply transfers to our customers," Robinson says of her spa's envious location topping the list in superior customer service. "Our number one directive is to provide an atmosphere for our clients to reach indulgent relaxation."

Day Glow

Five Elements Salon & Day Spa
Rutland
802-773-8005
www.fiveelementsdayspa.com

All around the state, more and more towns, and even some villages, are home to day spas. This is a great, convenient option for us when we just want to cut to the chase, skip the drive, and get supine on a massage table, pronto! And though generally smaller in scale than their big resort or destination spa sisters, these local refuges offer a variety of wonderful, soothing treatments.

For five years now, Kelly Sweck has provided such a getaway in the middle of Rutland, right off Route 4 heading up to Killington. Her Aveda salon is tastefully decorated, and features the addition of a spa store, where you can pick up supplies to pamper yourself and/or someone you love right at home, from loofah sponges and exfoliating gloves, to organic Dead Sea salt scrubs and incense.

Sweck explains that the inspiration for her spa's name is derived from the five elements (water, metal, fire, wood, earth) which, she says, the Chinese believe bring balance into our lives - "and I wanted to share that concept with others," she adds.

For Sweck, the most gratifying aspect of being in this business is "the satisfaction of helping people feel relaxed and peaceful… and also being able to help someone who normally wouldn't take the time to help themselves."

To make the most out of a day spa visit, Sweck advises that you plan ahead for your appointment, and on the day of the treatments eschew heavy meals - and imbibe in plenty of water both before and after spa treatments.

It's always mud season at Five Elements, whose signature spa treatment features a seaweed and peppermint-infused purifying thermal mud wrap. I was placed in the outstanding care of Brieghde (Brie) Johansen. Originally from the Baltic coast region of northern Germany, Brie has lived and honed her massage therapy skills in a number of places (from Ireland to California) in her circuitous path that has led her to the Green Mountains.

We begin with a brief warm soak of my feet to ease the transition from the frigid January temperatures outside, while Brie describes the sequence of steps in the treatment. She invites me to choose from among several Aroma Soul massage oils - Mediterranean, Indian, Oriental, or Arabian. Disrobing to just a towel, I enter a walk-in shower located right in the room, and settle in for a 15-minute steam session infused with the surprisingly subtle yet heady Arabian scent that Brie has sprinkled into the air, enveloped by the intense moist heat hovering at the 100 degree mark. It was all wonderfully overwhelming. You want to make sure you keep drinking water before and after this intense heat.

I move from the steam to a supine position on the massage table, where Brie proceeds with a gentle sea salt exfoliation to slough off dead skin cells. Next she applies the mud mixture, consisting of seaweed for detoxification, and infused with peppermint for a scintillating, energizing buzz. I bask cocoon-like while the mud works its magic for about 20 minutes; rinsing off in the shower, I return to the massage table and settle in for a heavenly full-body Swedish massage. More than just feeling good, the massage serves to flush out remaining impurities from the body. It is, as touted at Five Elements, a "fabulous purification treatment that will leave you with renewed energy."

Okay, so we're in an urban location, and I vaguely hear a truck groaning into low gear, and then the distant wail of a train whistle - but under Brie's care, what do I care? I simply smile and think how nice it is to be here and nowhere else at the moment.

On my drive home, I marvel again at the tingling sensations caused by the mud's "ingredients." I ponder how amazing it is that the Earth yields such wondrous gifts, and know that we need to fight ever harder to protect a planet that harbors these amazing, rejuvenating treasures.

Stephen & Burns
Salon Spa and Boutique
Church Street Marketplace
Burlington
802-865-4766
www.stephenandburns.com

Entering the lovely, soothing environs of Stephen & Burns Salon Spa and Boutique in downtown Burlington, you might be surprised to encounter a comforting - though unexpected - smell: that of a home-cooked meal for the staff, in the process of being baked or simmered in an on-site kitchen. For the two-dozen employees, however, it's something they can look forward to on a weekly basis, courtesy of their boss, Marjorie Minot.

"I enjoy being able to impact people through food - putting love into food and serving it. I can cook food here for my staff - who I love - and have them get that love through the food that I cook them," explains Minot.

But Minot's desire to care for her staff goes well beyond the lunch table.

"One of the promises I made to myself when I joined the company was that I was going to bring the environment to a level where it felt great to work here," says Minot, who became co-owner with Stephen Rainville six years ago. Minot oversaw the renovations of the Church Street space that they moved into several years ago, designing it, she says, with the employees foremost in mind.

"It should of course feel wonderful [to clients] to be here for an hour and a half," Minot says. But she's cognizant of the impact felt by the staff who are there for eight or nine hours a day. Toward that end the floors, for example, are comprised of sub-layers of cork beneath the wood, doubled in thickness in places such as the hair salon section where stylists are on their feet all day. Not only does the cork muffle the "clackety-clack sound of heels", as one client describes it, but even more importantly, according to Minot, it minimizes the strain on their legs, hips, and backs. Similarly, in selecting the salon's lighting, she was sensitive to how someone would feel working in harsh light, especially having to see themselves in a mirror all day long, she laughs.

On a serious note she adds: "We provide services that I know I can guarantee the safety and comfort [of clients and staff]." Thus, she states that they would not offer nail services had it not been for the fact that she was able to find a high-quality but non-toxic polish produced by a company in London. And in a technique that reduces the amount of chemicals involved in hair coloring, the S&B process is to mix the Aveda colors "in the moment" as Minot calls it, describing the process like that of an artist mixing colors directly from the tube. "Aveda is an amazing product - and you have to be highly skilled to use it," Minot says of her salon's hair care product line, adding "We've just recently been approved as the Aveda training resource [in Vermont]." She is enthusiastic about what this means for the career development of local cosmetologists. "A lot of women in Vermont cannot travel [even] to Massachusetts or New York because of their family, because of their income level, the physical logistics. They can come here."

A unique feature of their new space is the pedicure area. Rather than the standard-issue "thrones" one usually finds, Minot instead designed a long wooden bench, had it built locally, and installed it such that clients are situated much higher than the person working on their feet. This way, the pedicurist can work in a comfortable position rather than be hunched over day after day. "Most pedicurists have to quit after a year or two [elsewhere] because it's so hard on their back. It's all about ergonomics for this person taking care of you," Minot gestures to the pedicurist busy at work. "If I care for Michelle she can care for you. With a [client base of] 7,000, I can't care for you. I can care for Michelle. That's my job. I give my staff what they need, so they can care for you."

Minot is a self-described multi-tasker (she can be found teaching yoga up Church Street at the Fitness Center Downtown, for example). She grew up in Burlington and grins when she credits her work experience as a teenager at McDonalds for teaching her many valuable lessons that serve her to this day. She has held numerous other jobs in the food industry, from waitress and scheduler at TGI Fridays to running the restaurant section of a Chicago health food store in the late 1970s. As she points to various innovations or management systems she's put in place at S&B, oftentimes she notes that the idea came to her from her experience garnered through these stops along the way - whether as valuable inspiration or prime examples of what kind of environment she does not want for her employees.

"I left home when I was still in high school, and college right after that wasn't an opportunity for me - and so I've created my college along the way," Minot reflects. "This is the culmination of all I've done, and I'm now looking at what I'm going to do next."

Pause. Okay, what will that be?

"I am going back to school, and it all depends on if I get accepted into the program, but…" she pauses, "I actually want to be a doctor."

She continues, "I want to have a family practice and specialize in helping people cope with chronic pain. I need to find a creative program to get into that will accept somebody my age. I did think 'oh gosh - if you go to medical school you're going to be in your 60s before you ever finish!' Well you know - I'm going to be in my 60s anyway. Why not?

"That's my next goal! And I think it's important for other women to see that, because how many of us are waiting? If you want to give up, just say that you want to give up. But women in their 40s and 50s and 60s are the future of this planet. We are. We have the wisdom, we have the training, we can see into the future - we know the past. And if we don't step up now and take charge - what hope is there?"

The Spa at Hawk Inn and Mountain Resort
Plymouth
800-685-4295
www.hawkresort.com

If Judy Bishop says she aims to please, you can believe her. The former New York and Vermont State Archery Champion - though sparing the arrows (!) - will hone right in on any and all points of discomfort you may be experiencing, employing her expertise as a massage therapist in order to relieve your pain and promote relaxation.

Hawk Mountain Resort is located along Route 100 in Plymouth, home of our Vermont-born president, Silent Cal Coolidge. It occurs to me as I arrive that perhaps Coolidge got his nickname having been rendered speechless by the immense beauty of this area. Hawk Mountain Resort is an example of the many inns and resorts all around the state that, though not full-blown destination spas, do possess smaller-scale spa facilities but many of the same services. This, combined with the naturally-serene ambience of the Vermont countryside, provides you with an alternative route to attaining relaxation and rejuvenation, truly getting away from it all.

Bishop took over management of Hawk's spa just over a year ago, having recently returned to her home state after years living out west. "I have three granddaughters [here] and I wanted to be closer to them," she smiles.

Her background as a home health aide and nurse's aide - and perhaps the grandmother in her - may in part explain her soothing, comforting demeanor. She's soft-spoken, but her eyes sparkle as she relates her constant amazement at, for instance, the profound healing and restorative properties found in essential oils, or the complex interrelatedness of the human body's various trigger points. "I love my job, I love the healing aspects of massage, and I like educating people - so it's a very rewarding position for me," Bishop says.

"You might be bothered in your shoulder," she says, pointing to a spot on a color-coded wall chart. "So I see from this [diagram] that I can release it by working a little on your jaw, here.

"I've worked on several firemen from 9/11; a group came up just recently in fact for a birthday party. They said how they'd find a knot in their back and they would literally punch each other [to try to alleviate the pain] - I said oh my gosh, you don't have to do that! I showed them the trigger point charts and that all they have to do is this, (gesturing) lightly, and it will release."

Colleagues at Hawk Mountain report that Bishop has a dedicated base of clients who will phone to make an appointment, asking for what's become the "Judy Massage" - a hybrid of different techniques that she integrates depending on the person's current physical state. And she's adamant that visits to spas are not just indulgent pampering. "All massage goes to the cellular level. You're stimulating every system within the body: cardio-vascular, digestive - if you don't hear the person's stomach start grumbling, you haven't hit the right spot!" she laughs. "You're stimulating the cells between the muscle and bone, and getting toxins out of the muscles into the blood stream to be excreted out of your body: and that's why after a massage it's so important to have lots of water, so that you get rid of those toxins."

Bishop's staff includes four to five employees, in addition to a large network of subcontractors she calls upon as needed. In this rural area of Vermont, that is the most challenging problem she generally faces. "Getting enough people to work when you need them - finding the right people to work at the right time, when you need it - that's the challenge," she says. "We have two massage therapists who travel an hour to an hour and a half away! So to get highly-qualified people you have to draw from a long distance." It's one of her objectives to draw in more customers from the general public; she emphasizes that the spa and its services are available to anyone, not just those staying at Hawk.

"I aspire to operate in a very loving, kind, professional way," Bishop says, and then adds, "And, I think I do."

Stop and Smell the Rose Petals

Bishop describes the Spa at Hawk's signature treatment, the Vermont Rose Petal - which uses products by the Burlington-based company Lunaroma:

"I went to Lunaroma where the product is made, to be educated more about it. It's all organic, a great product - they make each product special for each spa.

First, we'll do an organic sugar body scrub to exfoliate and clean the skin, [sloughing] old cells off your body.

Step two is the jasmine rose honey wrap - comprised among other things of Vermont honey, organic maple syrup, and rose petals. Rose essential oils bring vitality as well as nourishing the skin.

Next, I'll wrap you in hot towels and let you cocoon for 20 minutes - during which time we give a scalp and face massage. Then, you'll take a shower, which is right in the same room, and you'll return to clean sheets on the table, to a full body massage using rose and jasmine body butter.

I can't wait till you see and feel how your skin feels after, because it's just phenomenal!" She was right on target.

Stepping Stone Spa and Wellness Center
Lyndonville
866-626-3104
www.steppingstonespa.com

Truly an example of "hometown girl makes good," Lyndonville's own Jen Kirchoff is the rock at Stepping Stone Spa and Wellness Center (SSSWC). Kirchoff grew up on her family's small beef cattle farm nearby, and is a graduate of Lyndon Institute (2001) and Lyndon State College (2006), where she earned a degree in Allied Health Science and won awards as outstanding female athlete, as well as LSC's Character Award. She has a multi-faceted role at SSSWC: Manager, Personal Trainer, and Sales/Marketer, responsible for ten employees.

"More Than a Spa - A Journey to Well-Being" is how SSSWC is touted on its Web site; we visited them last year and found this to be the case
(see www.vermontwoman.com/articles/0107/spa_bound.html for our report).

In addition to the massages, body wraps, salt glows, and sauna therapy one would expect at a spa, SSSWC also offers educational wellness programs and classes. For example, an offering last fall by Dr. Christine Girard was entitled "Cancer: Recovery and Recuperation;" and in late March, "Raising Healthy Kids" will be the topic for consideration with Dr. Ben Kligler (for more information, visit http://www.steppingstonespa.com/interior.php/pid/2/sid/59)

Kirchoff is a personal fitness trainer, and visitors to SSSWC will no doubt benefit from her impressive athletic background: assistant volleyball coach and head softball coach for Lyndon State; professional figure skating instructor; collegiate ice hockey player, Division I; softball team Most Valuable Player at Lyndon State; not to mention volleyball player and soccer player, and coach of local youth groups in softball, and swimming!

It appears that Kirchoff is coaching her current team at SSSWC to success, also: it was awarded "most improved business" by the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.

Kirchoff says she wants to maintain a team-oriented environment, and see SSSWC grow "as a business and as a healthy and relaxing place for people to come to."

She seems to be making those goals!