Country Spas

Winter is waning but we’re not out of the woods yet. March, perhaps the least inspiring of months, can be cold and blustery, trapping us in our homes where dry air zaps skin and hair and cabin fever drains psychic vitality. Opportunities for winter sports melt before our eyes, but it is still too cold—and too muddy—for spring activities.

A mini-getaway is in order, one that rejuvenates body and soul alike. Fortunately, the tristate region is home to a fine selection of spas that pamper and inspire.

For many, the end of winter brings thoughts of gardening. The potting shed is the starting point, but there is another potting shed that might be even more desirable. Blantyre’s Potting Shed Spa in Lenox, Mass., plants the seeds of personal well-being.

The Blantyre Estate, a so-called Berkshire Cottage built in the 1890s, has been transformed into a luxury hotel. Both full and half-day packages are available—the half-day including any 90-minute treatment, manicure, pedicure and lunch.

Full-day visits provide a choice of two packages: a 60-minute body booster, 90-minute massage and a 60-minute facial, manicure and pedicure, or a 90-minute body scrub and waterfall shower, 60-minute massage and 60-minute facial, manicure and pedicure. Lunch is also included in the full-day experience.

Potting Shed Spa at Blantyre,16 Blantyre Road Lenox; 844-881-0104. blantyre.com

Another Gilded Age Cottage has found new life as an integrative health spa resort. Belefontaine, once the Giraud Foster estate, has morphed into Canyon Ranch, the eastern branch of the health resorts started by Enid and Mel Zuckerman. It provides health, fitness and pampering services in an immersive environment.

Guests can turn from the many recreational opportunities at the ranch to choose from individual spa treatments or customized spa packages that include massages, body treatments and facials. The spa facilities include saunas, pools, gyms, exercise studios, indoor tennis, racquetball and basketball courts.

Canyon Ranch Spa. 165 Kemble Street Lenox; 800-742-9000.
www.canyonranchdestination.com

Perched high on a hilltop in Lenox, Cranwell Spa and Golf Resort, still another Gilded Age mansion, is one of the largest spas in the Northeast. A menu of more than 50 spa services, ranging from soothing massages and detoxifying wraps to nail treatments and salon services, is offered. There are men’s and women’s lounges, each with fireplace, whirlpool, sauna and steam room and a Spa Café offering daily lunches.

Cranwell is the only day spa in the Berkshires where visitors experience the breadth of amenities found at the resort. Packages are available Sunday-Friday but not on holidays and cannot be combined with other promotions.

Spa at Cranwell, 55 Lee Road Lenox; 413-637-1364.
www.cranwell.com

In Connecticut, yet another classic home, Winvian Farm, has been converted to a spa retreat. The 1775 home built by Dr. Seth Bird in Morris is now a luxurious resort, with 18 individually designed cottages, gourmet restaurant and lavish spa (ironically sitting on the site of the former pigpens but offering a rather more pleasant mud treatment).

The 5,000-square-foot Winvian Farm Spa is full of light and space. Guests can schedule an hour or an afternoon, with a range of restorative treatments and therapies such as yoga and fitness, massage, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy and skincare. One can bask in the sun-lit lounge, relax in the sauna, sip organic tea or enjoy a cheese plate with champagne by the circular stone fireplace.

Winvian Signature Spa, 155 Alain White Road, Morris, 860-567-9600. www.winvian.com

Guests at the Mayflower Grace Spa in Washington CT can expect an equally sensuous immersion in restorative spa treatments. The 20,000 square foot Spa House provides guests with a serene haven for activities and spa treatments. Spa House has four fully equipped exercise studios, including a private Pilates studio and an outdoor yoga and meditation garden.

Technogym fitness equipment and a Kinesis Personal Heritage unit help ensure an effective workout and all customized spa services are performed in tranquil and generously sized treatment rooms. The salon provides manicures, pedicures and a range of hair treatments. It also offers tennis courts and a putting green,

Mayflower Spa, 118 Woodbury Road, Washington; 860-868-9466.
www.gracehotels.com