VIRGINIA:
D.C. Getaway
As part of the $60 million renovation and expansion of Lansdowne Resort, the premier golf resort in the greater D.C. area, the new Spa Minerale is now open. Highlights are three relaxation lounges with fireplaces--for women, for men and co-ed--and whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and amenity-stocked locker rooms. The private Spa Suite has its own lounge and four treatment rooms for small groups to enjoy together. Complete salon services are available for both men and women.
Involving stretching, sports massage and deep tissue techniques, The Golfers' Massage concentrates on the neck, shoulders, lower back and hamstrings. And, among a long list of body/beauty treatments is the Men's Detoxifying Facial, which soothes irritation caused by shaving and sun.
The entire 305-room resort was been renovated within the last couple of years, with a five-pool complex and an impressively luxurious golf clubhouse added. 45 holes of top notch golf include the 7,063-yard Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Course, the Norman Course, and the brand new Norman-designed 9-hole Course. The three tracks ramble through the Virginia countryside through woodlands and meadows, along the Potomac River and Goose Creek. Golf magazines have placed the two championship layouts in the "Top Ten New Resort Courses". (http://www.lansdowneresort.com)
FLORIDA:
Island Magic
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has a whopping new, $16 million spa with 26 treatment rooms. There is an indoor pool, and a new, adults-only spa pool with underwater music. Choosing from an extensive menu of signature treatments, golfers often go for the After Sports Massage, the Sports Pedicure and the Environmental Defense Facial.
Unique here are the Ocean and the Seaside spa suites, each with private lounges and four treatment rooms, for small groups. Spa butlers are on hand to serve signature beverages and set spa appointments. The facility is open to the public as a day spa.
Located directly on the sandy coastline of this beautiful island off north Florida, the Ritz offers priority guest access to The Golf Club of Amelia Island (closed for renovation through August, 2007), where breezy beachfront fairways are framed by live oaks, palms and pristine sand dunes. Tee times are also arranged on other nearby island courses--Long Point, Ocean Links and Oak Marsh. (http://www.ritzcarlton.com)
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HAWAII:
Big Island Luxury
Combining stretching, acupressure and Swedish massage, Balinese massage, is a treat at the new Mandara Spa at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort on the Kohala Coast on the island of Hawaii. A recent resort-wide renovation has upped the luxury factor.
Serene and sultry, the atmosphere and décor in the spa is Hawaiian and Balinese-influenced, and although you can get traditional spa and sports-specific treatments, the focus in on ancient healing arts. Golfers leave their clothes on and recline on padded floor mats for the Thai Massage, where stretching and gentle pressure unblock energy and re-balance the system to increase flexibilityand relieve stress. You can even get your cellulite smooshed, your skin dermabraised and your teeth whitened! (http://www.mandaraspa.com)
The Weiskopf/Morrish-designed, links-style Kings' Course at the Marriott is set on breezy highlands where six good-sized lakes and 70 or so bunkers add to the fun. The dramatically beautiful Beach Course runs along Anaeho'omalu Bay in a spectacular layout carved from lava outcroppings. (http://marriott.com)
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FLORIDA:
Marine Environment
More than a hundred beauty and body treatments are on the menu at the new, 30,000-square-foot spa at the 5-diamond-rated Ponte Vedra Inn and Club near Jacksonville. Waterfalls, flowing water sculptures and a quiet garden courtyard contribute to a soothing environment. In two dozen treatment rooms, golfers particularly like "The Point" sports specific massages. In a "Deep Heat" Wrap cocoon of steamy towels brewed in fresh herbs, every one of your muscles and joints will relax and recover as you doze in a private, dimly lit, fragrant room.
The spa overlooks the historic Ocean Course, where 99 bunkers, acres of sand, elevated greens and strong sea breezes will keep you on your toes. It's water, water everywhere on thirteen holes of the Lagoon Course, where tiny greens are protected by deep bunkers. Both courses have been recently updated, and the entire resort underwent a a $65-million renovation, including the transformation and addition of new rooms and suites, the expansion of the shopping promenade and the oceanfront gym. (http://www.pvresorts.com)
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ARIZONA:
Privacy for Guys
Men are happy campers at Spa Avania, one of the most spectacular spas in the western hemisphere. A new addition to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, the spa is a $9 million dazzler set away from the busy resort in a tropical enclosure with a lotus pond, a mineral pool, natural light-flooded treatment rooms and private garden suites. The fiber-optically lit and musically enhanced French Celtic mineral pool is a lovely place to float and relax while gazing into the adjacent lily pond where gold fish glide.
Besides hanging out in their own leather-and-steel, indoor-outdoor lounge, hot- and cold-water plunges and outdoor showers, guys can arrange to have sports massages, barber shaves, performance facials and other macho treatments in the "men's suite", enjoying the flat-screen TV and stocked mini-bar.
Each of the spas' treatment rooms is open to a private outdoor area and/or a skylight, allowing natural light to shift according to the time of day and evening. The concept of the spa is based on the body's daylong natural cycle: music, scents and rare teas are attuned to morning (awakening and revitalization), midday (restoration and balance) and evening (relaxation and repair). And, this may be the most musically advanced spa ever designed, offering iPod docking ports with Bose speakers in each treatment venue; playlists are coordinated with a guest's moods and the time of day.
Among a wide variety of body, beauty and sports treatments offered are the Kneipp hydrotherapy and European Balenotherapy programs of immersion in mineral and enzyme baths designed to relieve muscle aches and spasms, arthritis and general body pain.
Perfect for couples, and for the guest desiring to remain incognito, are the ultra-private garden suites with plunge pools and lounges.
Do set aside several hours to enjoy Spa Avania, whether you indulge in spa treatments or not. Two sheltered outdoor fireplace lounges have comfy sofas where guests can snuggle and sip wine, order from the healthy spa menus, or just settle in with cups of tea. A unique YogaAway program and other exercise classes, and a state-of-the-art fitness center, are available, as are complete salon services. (http://www.spaavania.com)
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The new Santé Spa Bear Mountain in the Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort and Spa on Vancouver Island offers traditional spa and esthetic treatments, medical esthetics and Living Better lifestyle programs. Besides massage, skin treatments and salon services, you can get Botox, peels, medical microdermabrasion and more. Reasons to spend the day are the outdoor mineral pool and the Vichy showers, the fireplace lounge and the café. The VIP couple's suite has a soaker tub and fireplace, too. Take off your golf shoes for the Mulligan foot soak and a foot-and-leg massage. Too much sun? The Fore The Face facial calms irritation, replenishes moisture and helps your skin repair from sun damage, and comes with a soothing scalp massage. The Eagle Massage relieves aching joints and muscles of the lower back, shoulders and upper arms. (http://www.westin.com)
The Jack and Steve Nicklaus-designed Mountain Course at the Golf and Country Club at Bear Mountain makes the most of the spectacular setting, with elevated tees and greens overlooking the city of Victoria, the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. In 2008, a Nicklaus Academy and the Nicklaus Valley Course will open. (http://www.bearmountain.ca)
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