Nothing beats a relaxing spa day after a long and stressful work week. If you’re looking to get away from Northern Virginia and enjoy a day of pampering, these spas and bathhouses have just what you need.
The Omni Homestead
Hot Springs, VA
The Omni Homestead, a four-season resort, has a long, illustrious history of famous visitors, many traveling here to “take the waters.” George Washington, the Robert E. Lee family, and Thomas Jefferson have all visited numerous times.
Today’s guests come to the Homestead for the scenic beauty and variety of activities. They also come for the excellent food and sumptuous accommodations. But the original draw has always been the natural mineral baths found in this region.
You need to reserve a spot, you can either book a spay treatment or get a day pass, which also requires a reservation. Day passes to the Serenity Garden and The Homestead’s legendary Octagon Pool — beloved for its health-inducing minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium — cost $75, plus $25 for the bathhouses. The bathhouses are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
Capon Springs & Farms
Capon Springs, WV
Capon Springs is an all-inclusive family-friendly resort with dozens of activities including golf, hiking, fishing, tennis, and, most memorable of all, swimming in its invigorating spring-fed pool.
This vintage property is made up of cottages, historic lodges, and guest rooms that retain heritage and traditions like a beloved birthright, keeping guests returning year-after-year. Generations of families have come here, many to take the healing spring waters, but also for the home cooked meals, including daily fresh baked goodies and farm collected eggs.
Capon’s Hygeia Bath House & Spa has individualized Roman-style soaking baths heated to 102 degrees, but that same healing water comes out of the tap, and is found throughout the entire resort, including the kitchens and in the pool.
The spa offers soaking baths, where you can add aromatherapy mineral salts, a swimspa for exercising and floating, and water therapy that involves stretches, massages, and acupressure in warm water. Appointments are required.
Berkeley Springs
Berkeley Springs, WV
West Virginia opened Berkeley Springs State Park to allow visitors to benefit from its renowned mineral springs. The bathhouse offers separate accommodations for men and women with therapeutic whirlpools, steam rooms, and showers. The historic Roman Bath House, also in the park, has nine individual walk-in tubs inside private chambers. Everyone has access to Berkeley Springs’ water through the town’s public tap and outdoor pool. Individual services include use of the sauna, bath, and shower, as well as spa services, such as hot stone and couples massages.
Another option is the Renaissance Spa at The Country Inn with multiple spa treatments incorporating the historic town’s spa water, said to be George Washington’s favorite.
The Greenbrier Resort
White Sulphur Springs, WV
Since its founding in 1778, guests of the Greenbrier came for many attractions, both natural and man-made, but what put this resort on the map for most royalty, celebrities, and presidents, was the hotel’s healing waters.
Today, guests can soak in private rooms bathing in sulphur-rich water; take an invigorating Swiss Shower and Scotch Spray; detox with a purifying bath; and luxuriate in the rejuvenating mineral waters from Alvon Springs.
West Virginia’s hot springs source is rich in minerals and salts, and is known to heal sore muscles and increase circulation. The resort also offers a number of signature services for pampering yourself.
This story, published November 29, 2021, has been updated.
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