My muscles were on fire when I walked through the doors of the spa at Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid.
I’d spent most of the previous two days being outdoorsy in bone-chilling temperatures: first I’d gone snowshoeing, then I’d done a winter hike. So when I had the chance to get a massage, I leaped at it.
The lodge itself has an interesting story. On walking in, I assumed it was a historic sports lodge dating back decades, perhaps because—with its log construction, secluded location, and deep, overstuffed lobby armchairs— it reminded me strongly of the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello. However, the hotel is just 10 years old.
I made my way to the spa and felt my tired bones relax the moment I got a whiff of that unique spa scent—some combination of essential oils and deeply unwound people.
Photo courtesy of Whiteface Lodge.
After checking in, picking up my robe and slippers, and stowing my gear in a locker, I ambled down a quiet corridor to my private treatment room for a Swedish massage.
Unlike many other hotel spas I’ve tried, where the therapist basically waves her hands over your back while coating you in chocolate or green tea or whatever, at this spa, my therapist gave me a massage worthy of the name. At my request, she dug in with both hands, and I felt everything stretch out. After 50 minutes, I felt much more limber than I had coming in. (I could have also tried all kinds of other massages, including sports, deep tissue, hot stone and Thai.)
The spa also offers a wide range of other spa services, including manicures, pedicures, facials, wraps and hair styling, as well as a spa café that I didn’t have a chance to try. There’s also a pool and three hot tubs, but I’d forgotten my bathing suit. Even without sampling any of those, though, I was happy to just camp out there with a magazine after my treatment. From the rustic-style furniture and lamps to the sauna, which smelled as though it had just been cut from the forest yesterday, it felt like I was hiding out in the woods with some very rich elves.
All of this mountain pampering doesn’t come cheap, of course. The 50-minute Swedish massage costs $135 (but you can pare that down to $125 on Mondays through Thursdays). Packages are available, too.
Disclosure: I visited the spa and had my treatment as a guest of Whiteface Lodge and the Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau, neither of whom reviewed or approved this post.
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