Lynn Burshtein
Austin, Texas, regarded as the live music capital of the world and home to some of the best barbecue in the South, also lays claim to one of the world’s most popular destination health spas, Lake Austin Spa Resort. Consistently ranked at the top of readers’ polls in magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines, Lake Austin provides the ideal setting for a relaxing getaway amidst tranquil surroundings.
Texas Hold ‘Em: couples’ time at the Spa
Located less than an hour’s drive from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Lake Austin Spa Resort is a far cry from the city’s party-town image. The resort is small and intimate by design, holding only forty guest rooms. Accented with regal furnishings, a stay at the resort is supposed to emulate a weekend at your best friend’s lake house (assuming, perhaps, that your best friend is an upper-crust debutante with elegant taste). Indeed, the most extravagant of the guest rooms, the “Lady Bird” suite, which includes a sitting room, fireplace and private wildflower garden, pays tribute to the former First Lady herself.
Yet, despite the luxurious trappings, the environment here is a low-key and inviting one, with friendly and personable staff available to help around-the-clock. It is the type of place which easily lends itself to a cozy getaway with your significant other, a small group of friends, or a place for solo travelers looking for a bit of quiet time.
Hydro Bikes at Lake Austin provide guests with a scenic but challenging workout
This is not to say that there aren’t a variety of classes and group activities to participate in – in fact, there are approximately twenty different exercise classes offered daily, ranging from cardio dance to Vinyasa flow yoga to Spinning classes as well as aquatics classes held in the cleverly-converted “pool barn”. There are also informative “discovery program” lectures, cooking classes, and tours of the property’s exquisite organic herb and vegetable garden where guests can learn of the healing properties of herbs such as Rosemary or witness Monarch butterflies floating around the Tithonia (a Mexican sunflower). To make full use of the surrounding lake, there are Hydro Bikes™ and kayaks available on loan from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Guests can also venture off the property for a morning hike at Steiner Ranch, whose origins are steeped in Texas lore: legend has it Steiner’s nearly 3,000 acres of land were won by its owners in a poker game.
For those visitors whose dogs might also be in need of a trip to the “spaw”, Lake Austin allows guests to room with their four-legged friends for a fee of $300 per stay (There are restrictions on plus-size canines, however – only dogs weighing 35 pounds or less are allowed). Lake Austin will also pay homage to our hounds with its “Celebrating Paws” pet program, which takes place from February 2-6, 2011 and again from November 2-6, 2011. This in-depth program will explore the health benefits of pet ownership and include pet-inspired spa treatments for humans, such as the “peticure”. (Lake Austin will be donating 100% of the pet fees and proceeds from such treatments to the non-profit organization, the Animal Trustees of Austin).
As far as the resort’s cuisine is concerned, Lake Austin’s wholesome, tasty and elegantly-served dishes are a direct rebuttal to the region’s popular, but cholesterol-laden, carnivorous fare. Executive Chef Terry Conlon uses fresh ingredients from the resort’s organic garden wherever possible. A comprehensive salad bar is served at both lunch and dinner to provide nutritious and calorie-wise options, but Chef Conlon’s creativity is really shown through the wide array of dishes on the menu, which range from Mexican, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Asian styles. Entrees such as the Spicy Udon Noodles and the Wild Mushroom Tortellini are delicious and presented with flair.
This healthy approach is also evident at the resort’s Lake House Spa, a stately 25,000 square foot building that holds thirty treatment rooms, garden tents, the outdoor “Palm Pool” and two acres of terraced foliage and aquatic gardens. There are over a hundred treatments in the menu of services, but the best make use of the local elements. To wit, the “Tour of Texas” treatment begins with an exfoliating scrub made of local prickly pears rich in skin replenishing benefits. The scrub is followed by an Aloe Vera wrap that moisturizes and softens the skin while the therapist employs a face and scalp massage. The last part of this treatment is where you “strike oil”, i.e., where soothing essential oils are blended together with massage cream to provide a fifty-minute full body massage.
Of course, when it comes time to return home, any Southern Belle worth her salt will want to return not only feeling refreshed, but also looking her very best. To that end, the resort’s Iris Salon offers a wide selection of services for hair (including “Feng Shui” stylists, who consult with the client about her lifestyle to provide her with a cut best suited for her needs), make-up and nails, all of which will ensure that guests leave looking – and feeling – like the “Belle of the Ball”.
Please visit the website for more information.
Travel subsidized by Lake Austin Spa Resort
Images Courtesy of Lake Austin Spa Resort
