As the excitement of the holidays wears off and the long chill of winter sets in, what’s left for many of us is exhaustion – and an expanded waistline. Here we select the six best spa and wellness retreats in Loudoun to replenish mind, body and soul.
Happy New Year – happy new you!
ARIA MediSpa, Sterling
Opened in 2013 and specializing in technology-driven body shaping, weight loss and anti-aging treatments, Sterling’s ARIA MediSpa has a 15,000-square-foot yoga studio and wellness center with a ‘hotel.’ Guests can recalibrate mind, body and diet during one, three or seven-day stays. You can also come in for daily massages, facials and exercise classes. Among the more high-tech treatments on offer: a three-step MAX Body Remodeling Program for weight loss and a Face Resurfacing and Wrinkle Elimination program administered by clinical aestheticians. You will look and feel new.
King Spa, Chantilly
Located just off Route 50 in south Loudoun, this sprawling three-story complex modeled on the traditional Jjim-Jil Bang spas of South Korea is the perfect escape. On arrival, guests get a pass that allows them to spend the entire day at the facility, but the place is so large you might not run out of rooms or treatments to try. On arrival, guests get a day-long pass to explore the multiple saunas and relaxation rooms. Saunas on the first floor include a Charcoal Room, a Rock Salt Room and Japanese Hikoki & Ion Room. A rooftop swimming pool complex features waterfalls, whirlpools and hot tubs. All this and there’s also a canteen-style dining area that serves fresh juices and superb South Korean food. A true fantasy.
The Goodstone Inn & Restaurant, Middleburg
The luxury inn set in tumbling green hills outside Middleburg has long had a reputation for exceptional fine dining. But the culinary experiences at the 235-acre Blue Ridge retreat are now complemented by a range of holistic wellness and recreational pursuits that get guests exploring the lush grounds of the property. Wellness activities include tai chi, meditation and breathwork classes; guests can kayak a creek that flows through the property, there are guided birdwatching hikes in a forest on the grounds and farm tours where guests identify native plants and learn about cultivating native vegetation. Some of the plants and produce you learn about on the tour might be on your dinner plate that evening. All that and there’s a heated outdoor saltwater pool and hot tub to relax around that’s open to day-guests via the ResortPass program.
Salamander Middleburg
This celebrated resort’s luxurious Forbes 5-star rated spa offers a range of regionalized holistic therapies in a maze-like complex of aromatic steam rooms, stone treatment terraces and sun-lit relaxation spaces. In keeping with the wine country location, one of the Signature Treatments is an invigorating Grand Cru Massage: a grape seed scrub to free the skin of toxins and impurities followed by a personalized massage. The spa also offers a range of facials that include a Gentleman’s for the guys: a deep cleanse, exfoliation, mask and treatment serum customized to your skin followed by a face, arms and upper back massage.
Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg
The opulent Spa Minérale at this Potomac River-front wellness resort offers a range of Asian-inspired therapies that include acupuncture, cupping and Eastern-style Gua Sha and Anma massages. Complementing the treatments, the menus in the resort’s restaurants use local, sustainably grown produce to enhance health and strengthen the body. What treatment to try for the best new you? The new Glo2 Oxygenated Facial combines oxygenation, exfoliation and infusion to rejuvenate and illuminate the skin. Follow it with a light farm-to-table lunch in the on-site Coton & Rye restaurant.
OmFLOAT, Ashburn
For a quicker (if more peculiar) reset, head to OmFLOAT in Ashburn for some water-based REST: Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy. The unusual treatment entails lying on your back in a dark 10-inch-deep tank of warm salt water and floating, Dead Sea-style, for 90 minutes. The ensuing weightlessness is said to induce an ethereal, meditative state akin to the most peaceful sleep. On top of the water therapy, book infra-red sauna sessions for detoxification and muscle pain relief and Contrast Therapy, a process involving moving from a hot sauna to ice bath and back.
