Crossings

By Bernard Burt

The American spa experience is enhanced by people and products from many countries. Spending on treatments, accommodation, and travel is rising, as spa-goers realize that to feel good, stay healthy, and live fuller lives, they need to find a life-work balance that enables optimum health. Enter E’SPA, a British company that creates environments that blend Eastern and Western philosophies.  E’SPA is now opening spas at Mandarin Oriental hotels in Washington, D.C., New York, and Mexico. Having featured them in my book 100 Best Spas of the World, visits to their latest spas in Ireland and England revealed new concepts that cross borders.

Magical Ireland

Leprechauns were at work in the garden of the Park Hotel Kenmare when I arrived last November. As if by magic, glass-walled SÁMAS spa rises above the trees. LifeStyle programs are supplied prior to your arrival; guests choose a two-hour, four-hour, or six-hour treatment block rather than specific services. Therapists guide your choices and recommend treatments most suitable to your personal needs.

While SÁMAS spa glistens like a jewel box, the Park Hotel Kenmare is authentically Victorian. From my tower suite on the second floor, formal gardens and manicured lawns stretch down to Kenmare Bay and mountains ringing Bantry Bay. Opened in 1897, the forty-six-room hotel preserves traditions while launching Ireland’s first deluxe destination spa. Translated from Gaelic, SÁMAS means “pure indulgence of the senses.” For more information visit www.parkkenmare.com

Best of Britain

Making News: Britain’s largest brand of destination spas was created last year by Dorothy and Stephen Purdew. Acquisition of the Champneys Group, long a leader in U.K. health farms and city spas, led to regrouping Purdew’s entire operation, now eight strong. Champneys Henlow Grange, Inglewood, Forest Mere, and Springs, and three city clubs all feature Clarins and Decleor products plus Champneys own brand of bodycare creams. “Champneys didn’t live up to its reputation,” says Purdew. At the original Champneys in Hertfordshire an investment in new facilities will add a hydrotherapy pool. The Victorian manor house and motel-like wings are being refurbished. “It’s a famous name,” comments Dorothy Purdew, the seventy-two-year-old pioneer of health resorts in the U.K., “so it seemed silly not to use it.” “Health farm is a well-known term in the U.K., but conjures images of dormitories, cold showers, and carrot juice for dinner. Look for the new Champneys to open a minimum of two or three state-of-the-art spa resorts over the next three years.” Possible locations: Scotland, the Bahamas, Spain, or New York. For more information visit www.champneys.com.

The country house charm of Chewton Glen Hotel reflects meticulous attention to detail by owners Brigitte and Martin Skan. Winner of every hospitality award and a member of Relais & Chateaux, their fifty-nine-room resort near Southampton is quintessential English heritage. Adding a hydrotherapy pavilion last year completed the spa wing, which features an ozonated swimming pool of Olympian proportions. Walks to beaches along the Atlantic Ocean estuary where ocean liners pass, or a trek in the New Forest, are pastimes when you’re not in the spa. On the grounds are a croquet court, indoor tennis courts, and nine-hole golf course. Dining at the glass-walled Conservatory refutes everything you’ve heard about English cooking. For more information visit www.chestonglen.com

Also in the news: After many delays, Bath expects to have its new day spa fully operational this spring. Admission is based on two-hour segments, plus treatments. Spending a day in Jane Austen country can now include thermal soaks, scrubs, massages, and swims in the rooftop pool. For more information visit www.bathspa.uk

Texas Hill Country Crossings

New Age meets Texas Hill country atop a hill near Austin. The Crossings, a country retreat for rest and renewal, brings together programs from New York’s Omega Institute and a Texas-style spa. Opened last summer, its look is rustic but The Crossings sets a new standard for lifestyle learning. Omega, known for pioneer work in the Human Potential movement of the 1960s, comes south with a full roster of motivational speakers and wellness experts. Surrounded by a nature preserve, The Crossings is abloom with wildflowers between March and October; birders thrill to sightings of red-tailed hawks, great blue herons, and the endangered golden-cheeked warblers. Trails wind among groves of junipers and oaks, linking residences, activities, and the spa and meditation/movement studio in an intimate village. From the dining hall terrace you glimpse lakes amid canyons and forested hills. There’s a cafe for conversation and TV viewing (rooms don’t have television or mini-bar), library, and theater. Co-founders Ken and Joyce Beck envision The Crossings as a sanctuary where people can learn new skills, find inspiration, and life direction. Naturally, the spa provides multicultural rituals such as Ayoma Ayurvedic Remedies, Jamu Asian Spa Rituals, and European Kneipp Kur, plus an infinity-edge swimming pool, saunas, and massage. Best of all, the alfresco Watsu pool. For more information visit www.thecrossingsaustin.com