FEATURED SPAS
& RESOURCES
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The Spa at The Grove Park Inn Resort, by Liza Schillo
To purchase a print of this drawing by author/artist
Lee Pantas, visit
Cherry Orchard Studio
“In
order to get to The Spa at the Grove Park Inn, you must walk through the
resort’s grand lobby, which is breathtaking enough—all stone, vast ceiling and a
fir eplace at each end large enough to fit a handful of people. But stepping out
onto the Sunset Terrace overlooking Asheville, and descending the stone steps
winding through the garden and around a lit waterfall, pennies scattered over
every rock the water touches, a feeling quite overwhelming wells inside me. The
anticipation and excitement of spending an entire day of pampering, inside one
of the world’s best spas! The feeling augments the closer I get to the entrance,
where I can catch the fragrant scent of herbs, and that warm, spicy smell that
saunas give when they are warm.
“Upon stepping inside I was amazed at the interior design. The theme
I was told is “Rock, Water, Fire, and Light,” and this is apparent
as the lighting resembles torches in increments along the walls,
whic h are all of rock. The ambience is one of an ancient library, or
a revered museum. I am immediately greeted with the fine manners of
one of their receptionists, who takes my name and hands me a black
notebook in which is an itinerary and a question sheet. He
courteously explains to me what I will be doing, and I take a seat.
Not a minute later another spa employee comes out to give me and the
other waiting ladies a tour before our treatments! We are lead
through the back and I learn that only paying customers over the age
of 18 are allowed here, to ensure maximum comfort and quiet to The
Spa’s clients. I also learned that no matter what treatment you are
undergoing, you are permitted to remain at the spa, using the full
 facilities,
for the entirety of the day, coming and going as you please! The spa
divides into men and women’s halves, and we are all taken to a very
classy locker room where we change into robes and flip flops. The
robes I was pleased to learn may be found in the spa store, as well
as most of the products used during massages. A hall leading to the
ladies’ fireside lounge stems from it a shower room (with large
showers, all of tile in a teal color, the “water” portion of their
decorating theme I’d assume), bathroom and vanity room. Let me speak
some on the vanity room: it was built for two Marilyn Monroes. The
Hollywood lights that run above the wrap-around mirror highlight
every amenity you could possibly need during your stay at The Spa.
Mouthwash, hair gel, razors, deodorant, you name it and it is there
at your fingertips! Tiny windows throughout the interior allow peeks
at things to come, some looking over the huge pool room that I will
come to momentarily.
In the lounge fancy snacks and cucumber water are provided, as well
as a spot by the fireplace, but if you’d rather, the ladies’
sundeck, complete with a hammock, is right outside. I was soon led
to my massage, but I do not want to ruin this surprise for you! Let
me just say that after I came out, my skin was literally glowing and
my head was huge from so much attention given just to me for a solid
80 minutes! I can’t remember the last time my body felt so good, so
cool and relaxed, yet strengthened. It is a feeling that can only be
created when you allow yourself enough time to drop everything you
are currently worrying with and simply focus on the now, on how your
body feels and what can ease that stress that so many of us today
are under too often. You can be assured that every masseuse at the
Grove Park Inn Spa is an absolute expert. I myself have applied for
various positions at the resort with an above-average resume, and I
know from experience that there is quite an extensive and selective
application process. They know exactly what they are looking for,
and at the Grove Park, they get it. My masseuse was one of the
younger ones; he told me that a lot of the staff is around 50 years
of age. He also described to me some of the other massage rooms, and
all are different; mine was The Dome Room: waterproof, containing a
bathtub and a water massager, as well as other special treats.
“After my treatment, I am taken to another lounge and provided with
a neck warmer until I am guided through another tour. This one leads
me to the pool that I’ve seen so many pictures of. However there is
much more to it than just the simple lap pool. There are of course
more king-size showers, and an unlimited stock of towels. Then the
women rejoin the men in this cavernous space containing se veral
pools and whirlpools. There is a sauna, what I caught a waft of
outside. To get to the sauna however you enter a room I’d never
heard of, an Inhalation Room. This room remains at room temperature
but inside is burning essential oils to breathe in! There is a
double whirlpool next to it titled the Contrast Pools. One pool of
103 degrees and an adjoining one of 65. After minutes in the hot
one, you are to plunge into the icy one! This is good for
circulation and detoxification of the bloodstream, especially good
after massages or strenuous workouts. Needless to say I did not
spend much time here but my body certainly tingled with a refreshing
cleanliness afterwards. I decide to try the large pools next. There
is one in the back of the “cave,” where the lights are dimmer. This
pool is unique because in the ceiling there are tiny, twinkling
fiber optic cable stars, just beautiful. A waterfall cuts through
between this pool and the front one, which is a mineral salts pool.
This was my favorite, at 86 degrees (several degrees above the
latter), I could open my eyes without the burning of strong
chlorine! Both pools are no deeper than 4 feet, and have speakers
underwater so that their soft, soothing music may still be heard
while you are swimming. Massage waterfall whirlpools bank this pool
on either side, and I test them out. These are like hot tubs but
with two streams of water that are just strong enough to sit beneath
for a good, hard massage on the shoulders.
For the remainder of the day I rotate between these varying pools of
water, and spend a good deal of time on their large patio with comfy
lounge chairs and another large fireplace. Here I order lunch, and
it is brought to me on a silver platter! The spa café is not just
hot dogs; I enjoyed the vegetarian BLT—their menu is clearly health
conscious, though if you’re not counting calories I recommend their
fruit creams, made with real fruit! Though menu items may seem a
little pricey, believe me you get more than what you pay for. That
is probably the most remarkable thing I found during my visit. I
noticed two outdoor gazebos while on the patio, and learned that
these are available if you wish to upgrade a massage to the
outdoors, with a view of our Blue Ridge Mountains. I shared the
patio with a good number of people, though I was astounded at how
vacant and spacious it seemed for such a renowned spa. Upon
questioning I found that there is usually a constant 30 to 40 people
at The Spa during busy summer months, yet even in the winter they
stay pretty full. This is because they have found that now spouses
and other acquaintances of people arriving at the Grove Park for
business have discovered The Spa! These otherwise stay-at-homes now
tag along for treatment while their significant other is in meetings
(a good idea, I think). Though 30 to 40 people may sound like a lot,
spread throughout The Spa it is a tiny number for the size of the
building, which I greatly appreciated. For most of the day I had the
pools to myself! It is good to make reservations several weeks in
advance, especially on weekends and summer days.
“After inspection of the spa’s store in the front (in which I was
very happy to find that my robe is carried there!), I exit the
building sometime around dusk, sorry to be returning to what I’d
left behind that morning. But as I stare into the wishing well of
the waterfall as I climb the steps, I feel no need to toss a penny
in, because tonight, I can’t wish for anything else.”
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