Watery indulgence.
By Hope S. Philbrick
From hot steam rooms to cold showers, steaming spring-fed pools to ice chips dispensed in sync with flashing psychedelic lights, The Spa at The Omni Homestead serves up a wet menu of indulgences to enjoy pre- and/or post-treatment.
You can—and should—spend a whole day here.
Treatments like a classic European facial and hot stone massage—or any of the nearly two dozen service options—are performed by skilled therapists and estheticians in private, darkened rooms. Recline on the warm, cozy table as instructed and let skilled hands work their magic. You’ll leave feeling more relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated than when you arrived.
What most sets this Spa apart is its Aqua Thermal Suite, an oasis that surpasses any other spa’s ‘relaxation room’ that I’ve seen (so far). You can extend or kick-start your Spa experience with a watery range of ways to raise and lower your core temperature. Step into one of the multi-sensory showers, click a button and you’re blasted with Artic mist or immersed in an Atlantic or Caribbean storm as sounds, shower jets and lights dance in a pre-programmed choreography. Or slip into an herbal cocoon to relax all warm and cozy under a starlit ceiling. Or slide into a heated recliner to savor a waterfall lullaby. Or step into a cold chamber to inhale crisp vapor and slather your skin with flaked ice. Or sit in a steam room with lavender-scented air.
Transitioning between and among all these enjoyable experiences feels like recess for grownups.
With so many options, it’s easy to feel like you don’t have enough time in the Spa. Even after a facial and a massage plus a couple hours of lounging around, I still wasn’t able to try everything: Only after both treatments, after I’d tested every amenity in the Aqua Thermal oasis, showered up and toweled off, did I spot the steaming pools outdoors. And while it was only 9 degrees out there on the day of my visit, the steam rising from the pool and the smile on the face of the woman sitting in it indicates that it’s perfectly enjoyable even during harsh winter cold.
I missed out on these additional Spa spaces, but you don’t have to: The Jefferson Pools are comprised of two historic structures: The Men’s pool house completed in 1761 and the Ladies’ pool house built in 1836; visit to relax in a naturally heated spring flowing at a rate of 1.7 million gallons a day. There’s also an indoor pool built in 1904 that is naturally heated by the area’s warm springs. And there’s a Spa Garden where you can take the “River Reflexology Walk” to stimulate reflex points in your feet and then soak in historic hot springs or unwind in the Finnish sauna.
The Spa at The Omni Homestead Resort is the most pleasant way to give your swimming suit a workout.
More Information…
The Spa at The Omni Homestead Resort
The Omni Homestead Resort
7696 Sam Snead Highway
Hot Springs, Virginia 24445
800.838.1766
- Aqua Thermal Suite and Spa Garden access are free with any 50-minute or longer Spa service. (Limited to day of service.) Without a service, access is available for $40 every Sunday through Thursday or $55 on Fridays and Saturdays.
- An 18% service charge will be added to any Spa charges. Any additional tipping of Spa attendants is up to you.
- Odds of Encountering Children: Low. Aqua Thermal Suite guests must be age 14 or older. Spa Garden guests must be age 18 or older.
Read more about The Omni Homestead Resort
Read about Jefferson’s Restaurant & Bar
Read about Chef Jason Brumfiel
– Spa and pool photos courtesy Omni Homestead Resort; entrance hallway © HSP Media LLC
Featured products, services and/or travel arrangements may have been complimentary in part or in full; this affords the research opportunity but does not sway opinion.
Hope S. Philbrick is founder and editor-in-chief of Getaways for Grownups. She became a freelance writer and editor because she believes that work and fun should not be mutually exclusive—researching a spa may be her ideal work day. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications nationwide. When not writing, she can usually be found on the road or savoring something tasty.
