http://www.coldspringliving.com/
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.coldspringliving.com/
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posted at 04:19 PM in Antiques, Art, Bed & Breakfast, Boating, Constitution Island, Day Tripping, Flea Markets & Garage Sales, Food and Drink, Hikes, History, Kayaking Events, Motorcycle Rides, Once upon a time, Outdoor Recreation, OverNight, Parks, Places, Real Estate, Rentals, RoadTrips, Scenic Drives, Spa"s, Street Fairs, Top Picks, Trains, What's happening on the Hudson River__, Yoga | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
http://www.marleneweber.com/src/about.php
The Marlene Weber Corporation began in October of 1976 with the purchase of a three-stylist salon in Lagrangeville. From that day forward, Marlene Weber's business prospered. Marlene's creativity lent itself to the remodeling of a barn where she opened the day spa in December of 1989. The hair salon and spa merged to become the Marlene Weber Day Spa in April of 1992. We currently house over 40 technicians specializing in all aspects of hair, nails, makeup, skin and body care. Hudson Valley Magazine has awarded "The Best Spa in the Hudson Valley" to Marlene Weber Day Spa for several years in a row. At Marlene Weber Day Spa, our staff is the key to our success. We take pride in selecting our employees and developing their skills through training. We have an in house training program that is held weekly to keep our staff at the forefront of the industry. Senior stylists conduct this program teaching different techniques ranging from blow-dry styling to advanced techniques in hair color. The spa body staff regularly train for new services developed by Marlene and inspired by current trends in the industry. The education program is an ongoing process, so that each technician can expand their creativity and hone their craft. The spa is an active member in the community. For almost a decade, Marlene Weber Day Spa has participated in the Look Good...Feel Better program in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. This program is a hands-on workshop, which helps cancer patients cope with the unpleasant side effects of cancer treatments. The staff participates in walk-a-thons, and cut-a-thons to help raise money for various causes such as breast cancer, battered women, earth day and AIDS research. During the holiday season a food drive is held, with all proceeds donated to families in the local area. In addition, we provide gift certificates and donations throughout the year to support a plethora of local charities and fundraisers. The barn's unique architectural design allows for a gallery setting enabling us to display and promote the work of local artists. If you are interested in becoming part of the team at Marlene Weber Day Spa please contact us at 845-454-5852.

Staff
Community
Posted at 04:11 AM in PoughKeepsie, Spa"s | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
http://www.emersonresort.com/I
ntroducing Emerson Resort and Spa, an extraordinary destination offering the reassuring sense that one is no longer part of the outside world. Make yourself at home in one of our 53 exceptional guestrooms and suites. Enjoy comfort food favorites at theCatamount Restaurant. Or indulge in one of the soothing treatments at our Forbes Four-Star Spa. Outside, the picturesque Hudson Valley will complete this perfect environment of total harmony.
![]()

In 1836 Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Nature,” an essay inspired by the serene beauty of this area. The publication of “Nature” prompted the American Conservation Movement, which led to the establishment of the 600 square-mile Catskill Forest Preserve that surrounds Emerson Resort and Spa.
Where the resort now stands was once The Riseley Flat, a thriving dairy farm built in 1840, and a barn built in 1860, which is now The Country Store. In 1874 trains began stopping at this site daily, bringing hordes of visitors for their first taste of the Hudson Valley. For many, that first taste was of the ice cream, made fresh at the Riseley dairy.
Though the cows have since moved on, the historic buildings have been lovingly restored for modern use. One of the most remarkable adaptations is the 64-foot high barn silo that was turned into the World’s Largest Kaleidoscope. Sadly, the Cockburn House, which was the location for the former Inn, was destroyed in a fire in 2005. However, with more than 40,000 square feet of new construction, including 26 guest suites, a new spa facility and expanded meeting/conference space, the Emerson Resort & Spa today has emerged more impressive than ever.
Posted at 04:04 AM in Health & Fittness, OverNight, Spa"s | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/travel/2009/03/22/2009-03-22_five_upstate_new_york_spas_for_a_relaxin.html
After a long winter of dealing with frigid temperatures, freak snowstorms and the gloom of a faltering economy, spring has finally arrived - at least officially.
Friday's snow shower proved springtime in March is something of a formality. But New Yorkers watching their dollars don't have to go far to shake the post-winter blahs. Here are five quick upstate getaways, all within a couple of hours of the city and about $500 or less, where you can spend the weekend relaxing, rejuvenating and reenergizing the soul without breaking the bank.
Woodstock Inn on the Millstream
This cozy, 18-room inn has gorgeous grounds overlooking Tinker Creek, where you can watch deer and other wildlife in a rustic setting yet still be within walking distance of the town of Woodstock, home to one of America's oldest artists' colonies.
Tinker St., Woodstock's main drag, is full of small bookstores, funky boutiques and art galleries. Spend a lazy afternoon strolling and exploring, then dine at any of the highly regarded restaurants in town.
The Inn has rooms of various sizes, making it a perfect escape for a romantic weekend or a family getaway. Rates start at $129 for a standard room, which includes a breakfast buffet featuring locally baked goodies. 48 Tannery Brook Road; 1-800-420-4707; (845) 679-8211; www.woodstock-inn-ny.com.
You don't have to travel to India to find your spiritual side. Ananda Ashram, about an hour from Manhattan in Monroe, was established by the Yoga Center of New York in the 1960s and is a popular destination for yoga practitioners from the city.
The weekend program begins on Fridays at 6 p.m. with two daily yoga classes for all levels. The tasty vegetarian meals are served, buffet-style, in the dining hall at set times.
While people take their yoga and meditation quite seriously here, you aren't pressured into following a rigid schedule, and classes aren't mandatory. Rates start at $70 a night for a dormitory-style room with shared bath. 13 Sapphire Road, Monroe. (845) 782-5575; www.anandaashram.org
Warwick Valley Bed & Breakfast
Just 50 miles from the city sits Warwick, a quaint town surrounded by hiking trails and orchards that serves as a relaxing escape for any harried New Yorker.
Check yourself into a room at the homey Warwick Valley Bed & Breakfast, a colonial house in the heart of the charming village. The pace is nice and slow on Main St., where you can fill an afternoon antiquing and window-shopping, then enjoy a good meal at one of several restaurants. If you're in the mood for some vino, there's no shortage of tasting rooms at the vineyards along the Shawangunk Wine Trail (www.shawangunkwinetrail.com), which runs through Warwick.
Warwick B&B rates start at $120 and include a hearty breakfast. There's also a choice of weekend shopping, dining and skiing packages, starting at $300. 24 Maple Ave. (845) 987-7255; www.wvbedandbreakfast.com.
New Age Heath Spa
Head to the heart of the Catskills for a weekend of relaxation and peace at New Age Health Spa, situated on 280 scenic acres.
Explore the lush grounds on guided hikes, dine on delicious meals - including salads with herbs and vegetables grown in New Age's greenhouses - or enjoy one of its many yoga and fitness classes, and within a day you'll certainly feel refreshed and de-stressed. And if this doesn't do the trick, swim some laps in the indoor pool or simply book a spa treatment.
Rates start at $259 a night for a two-night minimum stay, but New Age is all-inclusive, so everything is covered (with the exception of spa treatments). Solo travelers can be placed with a roommate to keep costs down. Through May 21, guests who pay for two nights and four spa treatments can bring a friend along for free. 7491 State Route 55, Neversink. 1-800-682-4348;www.newagehealthspa.com.
The Roxbury Motel
The Roxbury isn't your typical roadside motel. If you're a fan of kitsch, book one of the colorful theme rooms inspired by '60s and '70s shows like "The Partridge Family," "The Mod Squad and "The Jetsons" to lighten your mood.
You can't help but feel refreshed after a weekend relaxing in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Begin your day with a breakfast of fruit and pastries in the sun-drenched dining room, then head to Roxbury's Shimmer Spa, where guests can find peace and tranquility as they lounge in a hot tub or sauna or enjoy a full menu of services in the treatment room.
At night, unwind across the street at the Public Lounge, about as fun and funky a bar you'll find outside of Manhattan.
Rates at the Roxbury start at $129 on weekends, which includes a continental breakfast. 2258 County Highway 41, Roxbury, NY. (607) 326-7200;www.theroxburymotel.com.
Lowenstein is the author of "City Weekends: The Greatest Escapes and Weekend Getaways In and Around New York City."
Posted at 09:00 AM in Bed & Breakfast, Food and Drink, Health & Fittness, Hikes, Outdoor Recreation, OverNight, Places, Scenic Drives, ShawanGunk"s, Spa"s, Trains, Yoga | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
http://www.shawangunkjournal.com/2009/03/19/news/0903192.html
![]() | |
Aerial view of proposed Williams Lake development. Courtesy image |
First a little history: Anita Peck, whose grandfather founded the resort, said the family, after 75 years in business, had decided to shutter its doors and sell the property. She said the resort needed major renovations that were too cost-prohibitive for the family to invest in such a large project.
The family had hoped the property would attract buyers who shared their land stewardship values and would work to preserve the area's unique history. In 1999, Peck placed 450 of the property's 730 total acreage into a land conservancy and donated 10 acres of natural cave to the nature conservancy when Indiana bats, an endangered species, were discovered to be hibernating and reproducing in the caves.
Prospective buyers "came and went" when they realized more than half of the land was placed in a nature conservancy, until Peck said she overheard a member of an interested group say, "It's already got a land conservancy; we won't have to do it ourselves."
Allred was one of the people visiting the resort that day in 2006, and, after purchasing the property, has located into the home in which Peck was raised.
Hudson River Valley Resorts, the company proposing the $200 million project, consists of "four or five socially responsible investors," Allred said; "a handful of like-minded folks who are committed to this vision."
He said that, with "the exception of anything of historic value," including the kiln walls, artifacts from Rosendale's vanished natural cement industry, and a building known as the honeymoon cottage, the project calls for the total demolition of the existing building, to be replaced by a "modern, clean, energy-efficient" resort.
He described the property as rich in biodiversity, consisting of flora and fauna variety beyond just the "cute little bats."
The developers' concept plan calls for sustainability in the redevelopment of the site into "a modern, higher-end resort and residential community," that focuses on wellness and outdoor recreation, complete with a spa and a health center.
He said the idea is to have a spa, new resort, wellness center, and a museum highlighting Rosendale's natural cement history, with amenities such as hiking and biking trails along the entire conservation area.
Plans also include "two neighborhoods" of 60 single-family homes and 100 kiln-styled townhouses, with walls that abut one of the prominent kiln walls on the site, creating "a verticality and a dramatic sense of the old and the new."
The single-family homes will leave a "relatively small footprint," he said, "and are carefully sited for views and privacy, to minimize tree-harvesting, and are very thoughtfully placed for passive solar heating."
The 130-room hotel is planned to be LEED certified, a program that rates a project's performance across a variety of spectrums, including "energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 reduction, indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts."
Allred said he hopes the hotel will be built to Gold LEED standards; the highest level of LEED certification is Platinum.
The overall project, he said, "fits so well with the plans of the county" in terms of the strategic planning because it emphasizes green building design, tourism and smart growth.
Plans also include provisions for aggressive rainwater recycling and reuse, with an eye toward sustainability.
He said the resort seeks to utilize local goods whenever possible in terms of supporting local farmer's markets, growers, and businesses, and is committed to working with local materials and suppliers. He said the project should create jobs to employ approximately 200 local people.
Allred lamented the snail's pace of movement on the project, noting that they are still awaiting the final scope, which is one of the first steps involved in the SEQRA process. "We submitted our plans in November 2007 — the statute on the scope is supposed to be 60 days, we're now into our sixteenth month. Why does it have to take six, 10, 12 years before we can get through an environmental review process?"
Acknowledging some local opposition to the project, he charged as "unfair" the criticism leveled at the project regarding the perceived loss of public access to the property. He said that, though the William's family has been very generous over the years, the property has always been private. Nevertheless, he said his organization is committed to continuing "Anita's legacy of providing access, particularly for recreation, environmental and educational purposes."
To that end, he announced the return of the William's Lake Mountain Bike Classic, to be held on June 14, which is being co-sponsored this year by Favata's Table Rock Tours and Bicycles of Rosendale and Hudson River Valley Resorts, LLC. For more information about the Classic, visit: http://www.trtbicycles.com/.
Posted at 05:17 AM in Development, Economy & Business, Environment, Places, Real Estate, ShawanGunk"s, Spa"s, WildLife | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2009/2/Lodging/Hudson-Valley-Havens
The lobby of the Belvedere Mansion.
Some resorts have sprawling properties that take an entire visit to roam—one even has a maze. Most of these featured also have plush spas, even some that are eco-friendly. Buttermilk Falls, one of the more well regarded properties that manager Dan Reyburn says “is neither b&b, hotel, inn, spa. It’s really just not definable,” has a menagerie of animals that roam the property.
Most have stood the test of time—some throughout hundreds of years, while the owners have painstakingly preserved the history, where generations have lived, visited, and created memories. This is about the best of the Hudson Valley’s multiple personalities.

Posted at 06:25 AM in Bed & Breakfast, Food and Drink, History, Once upon a time, OverNight, Places, RoadTrips, Scenic Drives, Spa"s, Travel | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/travel/escapes/05spas.html?scp=2&sq=buttermilk%20spa&st=cse

Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times
REGIONAL The Emerson Resort in the Catskills is part of the growing destination-spa scene in the Northeast.
SARAH KERSHAW
IN the world of spa
travel, the Northeast is not known for leading the way. With a few
exceptions, the best-known, most sought-after destination spas tend to
be far west of the Mississippi and well south of New Jersey; California, Arizona, Utah and Florida are some of the hot-spot states.
But as more travelers seem to expect spa treatments to be part of their getaway experiences, and spas within driving distance of New York City recognize that travelers in a squeezed economy want to stay closer to home, a growing number of nearby hotels and resorts are building spas, revamping existing ones and rolling out all-out marketing blitzes to draw more travelers to the luxurious land of the facial, the massage and the manicure.
Some newer properties — like the widely praised high-end Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Conn., which opened a 20,000-square-foot spa in 2006, and the over-the-top Winvian, which opened last year near Litchfield, Conn. — hope to compete for the upper-echelon business of spagoers who might otherwise fly cross-country for their pampering, or in the parlance of spa marketing, “wellness.”
The Northeast spas all have two key shifts in the spa industry going for them. First, the great spa experience is no longer necessarily built around warm weather; the opening of the all inclusive, fitness-and-weight-loss-focused Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., in 1989, signaled the renaissance of the winter-weather spa.
“What’s happened now, as the trend has gone to more and more places having spas,” said Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder.com, which reviews, publicizes and sells gift certificates for spas, “is that people have experienced spas in weather that isn’t so great, and it’s possible to work around that.”
And second, while 10 years ago spa vacations tended to last a week or more, with many resorts requiring seven-day stays, more spas, lodges and hotels that have added spas now allow quick stays.
So a two-day jaunt to a spa is much more common at a time when Americans are taking shorter vacations. Wearing a bathrobe while eating grapes and sipping detoxifying teas, getting a deep-tissue massage and then taking a steam bath, all within the first few hours of your vacation, is a pretty efficient way to unwind.
According to SpaFinder, there are more than 1,500 day and destination spas within a 200-mile driving distance of New York. Of them, 31 are listed as overnight or resort spas, though Canyon Ranch and the Deerfield Spa, a much less expensive all-inclusive fitness spa in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, are among the few that qualify as true destination spas, meaning that everyone has traveled there for a spa experience.
OPENED in 2006, the Lodge at Woodloch, also in the Poconos but more upscale than Deerfield, bills itself as a destination spa. The Mohonk Mountain House, a Victorian-era lodge in New Paltz, N.Y., added a 16-treatment-room spa in 2006.
The number of overnight spas within a four-hour drive of New York City has increased slightly in recent years, although the total number of such spas across the country has increased faster, according to SpaFinder.
Still, spa mavens have taken note of a few additions and changes on the local landscape — a green spa and a more traditional lodge that was rebuilt after a fire, both in the Catskills, as well as a funky and lavish resort in northwest Connecticut.
An organic vegetable garden, llamas, chickens, honey bees, goats and peacocks are not typical at spas, but nor is using solar-power and geothermal energy to heat the sauna, steam room and mineral salt water pool. At Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa in Milton, N.Y., about 90 minutes north of Manhattan, manicures and pedicures are done beside the indoor pool, which is enclosed by soaring glass ceilings and overlooks the Hudson River.
The people who work at Buttermilk describe the property — a 70-acre farm with two ponds filled with ducks and geese and landscaped with pear, cherry, peach and apple trees as well as opulent flower and herb gardens — as “ ‘Dirty Dancing’ meets ‘Jurassic Park.’ ”
A 10-room inn built in 1680, where prices range from $225 to $425 a night (separate and much more spacious carriage houses range from $325 to $650 a night), Buttermilk opened nine years ago and had a small, cramped spa in one of the cottages with tiny treatment rooms separated by screens. But last year the owner, Robert Pollock, who also owns the Great Jones Spa in Manhattan, built the new solar-powered spa.
The spa, which is open to people who are not guests at the inn, is spare and sleek and has seven treatment rooms and a small steam and sauna room. Mr. Pollock said he was planning to bring yoga and a gym to Buttermilk, and possibly dinner and cooking classes. A 60-minute deep-tissue massage or a basic facial costs $100.
For those looking for a fitness vacation, Buttermilk would not deliver, though there are some running trails on the property and plenty of biking, kayaking and other outdoor recreation in the Hudson Valley.
Included in the cost of lodging is breakfast, made with eggs from the chicken coop and fruits and vegetables from the organic garden, and afternoon tea, but the inn does not serve dinner. There are several restaurants in New Paltz and on the Newburgh waterfront, about a 20-minute drive, and the four restaurants of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, about 25 minutes away, which are closed the first three weeks of July and between Christmas and New Year’s.
A much more traditional spa in the Catskills is the Emerson Resort & Spa, just outside
Woodstock
, about two hours from Manhattan. It completed a major renovation last year after a blaze damaged much of the main inn in 2005. With the reopening, the resort, along Route 28 in Mount Tremper, where there is no cellphone service, opened an 8,000-square-foot spa. The smaller original spa is still standing across the street and is used for overflow on the weekends. The 25 suites in the main inn — rates range from $520 to $705, including breakfast — are handsomely appointed, many of them duplexes with small balconies. But the adjoining and more affordable log-cabin-style lodge, with another 27 rooms, where current rates range from $248 to $486, also including breakfast, feels something like a downtrodden, overpriced motel.
The spa itself, which is opened to nonguests, does not feel much like an escape, and has an awkward setup: the facilities — the 10 treatment rooms, the nail and hair salon and a small fitness center — are spread out along the public corridor of the hotel’s main building. At least one fitness class is offered on Sundays and weekdays, and on Saturdays there are cardio, Pilates, yoga and tai chi classes.
Guests interviewed over a recent weekend said the treatments were uneven. Although the same guests said they were disappointed with the food at the hotel restaurant, the Phoenix, they said the food at the spa cafe was excellent, offering fresh smoothies and salads with locally grown vegetables. The spa offers unusual treatments, including a cranberry bog bath and a hot-oil-and-herb-poultice massage, in which the therapist uses heated herb packs dipped in oil to scrub and detoxify the skin, followed by deep-tissue massage. The 50-minute treatment is $105. A traditional 50-minute Swedish massage is $95, and a 50-minute facial is $95.
ALSO about two hours from Manhattan, in the Litchfield Hills of northwest Connecticut, is the far more decadent and expensive Winvian.
If one does not flinch at spending, on average, $2,000 a night, including exceptional meals and ample liquor in your room but not including spa treatments, then read on. This adult playground (many reviews have used the words “gimmick” and “whimsy”) is the kind of place where you never have to leave your room to feel like you have gone to a very wild, crazy yet relaxing place that has thought of every detail before it could ever occur to you. Is there a television? Wait, there it is now, rising mechanically out of the floor.
The lodging there, inside a grand farmhouse and in 18 cottages designed by 15 different architects, is the highlight, the spa almost incidental. The cottages, on 113 acres, are from 950 square feet to 1,250 square feet, each with a distinct theme — the Helicopter Cottage contains a fully restored 17,000 pound Sea King Pelican chopper, and inside the copter is the bar and entertainment center; the Greenhouse Cottage is made almost completely of glass; and the Maritime Cottage is essentially a luxurious lighthouse.
Each room (accommodations are for two but rooms have pull-out couches and the resort allows children only at certain times of the year) has a generous private steam room, which is nice because the spa has a tiny steam room and sauna. Prices range from $1,450 to $1,950.
Current rates at the Mayflower, about eight miles away, with its more elaborate spa and extensive menu of fitness classes, are $520 to $1,500.
At Winvian bicycles are left outside your door, and the resort sits next to the 4,000-acre White memorial foundation, where you can hike, bike, ride a horse, snowshoe and cross-country sky. There are also canoeing and boating nearby. The resort has yoga classes on weekends only, but there is a small gym next to the spa with a treadmill, elliptical trainer, exercise bike, yoga mats, free weights and medicine balls. Each weekend there is one free yoga class.
The 5,000-square-foot facility has large glass rooms and vaulted ceilings and evokes the feeling of an old New England farm, except that the aromas inside go more toward cucumber and lavender than manure. Like Buttermilk Falls, it uses an all-natural skin care line, in its case, Ren, a very expensive British brand in addition to Eve Lom, which is not all natural. A 75-minute Ren facial is $265; a 60 minute Swedish massage is $150. The spa restricted to guests of the hotel.
As much as the outlandish accommodations appear to be Winvian’s main marketing tool, Heather Smith, who owns the property with her mother, Maggie Smith (they also own the Pitcher Inn in Vermont), said, “You need a spa.”
She said 80 percent of the guests, most from New York City, are using the spa.
“I saw the trend,” she said. “And it was spa, spa, spa.”
PICKING A SPA
Mayflower Inn & Spa 118 Woodbury Road, Washington, Conn.; (860) 868-9466; www.mayflowerinn.com.
Winvian 155 Alain White Road, Morris, Conn.; (860) 567-9600; www. Winvian.com.
Canyon Ranch 165 Kemble Street, Lenox, Mass.; (413) 637-4100; www.canyonranch .com.
Deerfield Spa 650 Resica Road, East Stroudsburg, Pa.; (800) 852-4494; www.deerfieldspa.com.
Lodge at Woodloch 109 River Birch Lane, Hawley, Pa.; (866) 953-8500 www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com.
Mohonk Mountain House 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, N.Y.; (845) 255-1000; www .mohonk .com.
Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa 220 North Road, Milton, N.Y.; (845) 795-1310; www.buttermilkfallsinn.com.
Emerson Resort & Spa
5349 Route 28, Mount Tremper, N.Y.; (877) 688-2828;
www.emersonplace.com
.
Posted at 08:44 PM in Spa"s | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)