After a few months of holiday indulgence that hedonistic bachelorette party you planned no longer sounds quite as appealing. In fact, you might get a hangover just thinking about it! For an alternative outing to celebrate your bride, gather the besties for a spa and wellness retreat. After all, you’ve always been a supportive, cohesive bunch of friends, and what better way to send your bride off than with a rebooted, restored and rejiggered coven of bridesmaids and bridesmen. Here are a few places to seek wellness and head healthfully toward a better y’all in ’22.
Water isn’t just for hydrating. It’s the key to renewal of mind, body and spirit, too. At Lake Austin Spa Resort, an intimate wellness playground poised on the shores of Lake Austin, anchored by pools, an over-water yoga deck, a dock loaded with toys (kayaks, SUP boards, water bikes and more), a lawn for practicing Tai-Chi (or just doing cartwheels) and an eye-popping spa, done up as an elegant lake house-style haven, your troop won’t be bored. Your biggest problem may be deciding which of the more than a hundred spa treatments you’ll try, though we suggest the bride cocoons herself away for the almost three hour-long, five mask-layered, multi-stepped supreme facial —  The Regal by Valmont. She’ll be spoiled with products made from caviar and a sculpting Japanese massage technique. Your bride can expect to see effects that last all the way to her wedding day and beyond. As for the rest of you, when not learning the meditative art of Bokken-do (Japanese sword practice), taking a crystal bowl sound bath, learning to cook from the resort’s hot French chef, or doing a water Tabata class in the pool, you’ll be experiencing spa treatments from body scrubs to massages. Consult with The LakeHouse Spa’s supreme staff to plan your bachelorette party. They can organize fetes for groups up to 30, which can include yummy lunch treats, luxurious treatments and access to the spa compound’s numerous amenities. (Note: book your bride’s Regal by Valmont facial with Lynn Fischer, our favorite on-site esthetician.)
Three Others to Consider
Head to the Poconos Mountains, where the Pennsylvania woods hold The Lodge at Woodloch, a retreat dedicated to the mantra that nature is the best medicine. A short drive from New York City, this sustainable resort will entertain bachelorette attendees with forest bathing, painting classes and lessons in eco-living at the property’s organic farm. Massages? Oh, yes. They’ve got those, too.
In California, swanky Cal-a-Vie Health Spa has your bridesmaids’ backs — literally on the massage table, but otherwise, too, with its French-Provencal-meets-California vibe. Amongst its 500 private acres, enjoy the destination spa’s Refresh & Renew program, which offers bespoke wellness options sure to jump start new group health initiatives. Opt for three, four- and seven-night spa programs, which include gourmet dining and more than 160 fitness classes.
The Boulders Resort & Spa, a desert hideaway, surrounded by saguaro cacti and 12-million-year-old boulders, just outside of Scottsdale, delves deeply into its terrain to offer wellbeing options. At the 33,000-square-foot-spa bridesmaids can experience activities from ax throwing to night bike rides to hiking, walk a labyrinth, take cooking classes and build strength via yoga and pilates. Deeply restorative spa treatments and off-property desert activities, as well as on-site golf add to the fun.
