At the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club, the spa's signature treatments include:
The Symphony Facial, which begins with application of thermal sea clay to the spinal column, a technique that increases the skin's receptivity to an anti-aging masque of marine ingredients.
The Thermal Clay Experience, which begins with application of self-heating clay that promotes deep relaxation and detoxification and concludes with a Swedish Massage.
The Romantic Interlude, a spa experience specifically designed for a bride- and groom-to-be that features a candlelit bath for two with champagne and chocolates, followed by individual exfoliating scrubs and massages.
The spa at Cranwell Resort also caters to men, offering specialized treatments that include a Men's Facial and a Men's Premium Pedicure that is specifically designed for golfers and tennis players. Over lunch at the Spa Café, Spa Director Helen Pierce told me that about 35 percent of the spa's clients are men.
Pierce also said that the spa's layout is designed to encourage people to "share the experience." A very popular Duet Room allows any two people to have side-by-side treatments, and the three-room Spa Suite, comprised of two wet treatment rooms and one massage room, is popular with wedding parties and groups of girlfriends. Pierce also emphasized that her staff seeks to customize the spa experience for each guest. In fact, when appointments are made, guests are "interviewed" so that they can be best matched with treatments and therapists.
When people come to the spa, "They really want to escape," Pierce said. "We try to be the facilitators."
Beyond the spa and of course, golf, Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club also offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, tennis and biking, with rental equipment available on the property. The resort's Golf Digest School offers instructional opportunities for golfers seeking to hone their skills. Conference and banquet facilities are also available, as are four restaurants including the Spa Café. The surrounding Berkshires region of Massachusetts is also a popular downhill skiing destination in the winter and a hotbed of arts and cultural activities in the summer. Tanglewood, Edith Wharton's The Mount, Chesterwood, the Norman Rockwell Museum and Jacob's Pillow are all nearby.
I was terribly reluctant to leave Cranwell after just one day of bliss, but then I remembered--I had to make a very important stop at a fish market on the way home to buy cocktail shrimp. After all, endorphins aren't forever, but pregnancy sure feels like it is!
What You Need to Know
Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club is located at 55 Lee Road in Lenox, Massachusetts, about 130 miles west of Boston and 185 miles north of New York City. From exit 2 off the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), follow Route 20 West for 3.5 miles to the resort.
For lodging and spa reservations and to inquire about special spa packages for overnight guests and non-guests, call Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club at 413-637-1364 or toll free, 800-272-6935.
To request a free Visitor's Guide from The Berkshire Visitors Bureau, call toll free, 800-237-5747.
Photograph © 2002 Kim Knox Beckius, licensed to About.com, Inc.
