It occurs to me, as I lapse into a semi-trance while watching the sun fall beyond a tree-cloaked bluff over the serene lake, it’s time to stop thinking of self-indulgence as a bad thing. At the moment, in fact, it’s about being really good to myself – or, at least, letting the resident experts here at Lake Austin Spa Resort remind me how that’s done.
At this much-lauded retreat, recently named among the ten best in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine, the point is to establish a number of ways that people like me can learn how to de-stress and feel revived, inside and out. And not just for the duration of the stay here, but for life. If I do my part as a willing student, I can go home and put into practice simple, smart things like taking time for a massage, getting to that early yoga class and eat nourishing things on something resembling a regular basis.
My day at Lake Austin begins with a Pi-Yo class, which includes a nice tai ch’i warm-up and a combination of yoga balance work and stretching, followed by Pilates-based core work. Properly warmed up it’s time to move on to the resort’s new power pump class, a fast-moving hour of high-intensity work with hand-held weights – made infinitely more pleasant by staring through a wall of windows at the glittering lake a few yards away.
A selection of classes spans the course of a day, ranging from spinning and kickboxing to meditation and stability ball training. Out on the dock, an instructor helps willing participants with the aquabikes, kayaking and a new addition, sculling. There’s such a full and varied schedule each day that it would take me a week to get through all the options.
But for day one, it seems wise to balance all that working out by letting others work on me. Donning the house spa sandals and the ecru-colored robes the guests wear morning and night, I mosey along the fine-gravel path, bordered by banks of native plants and past a view of hammocks suspended in trees along the lakeside, that connects the main lodge with the exquisitely appointed guest suites and the magnificent new, 25,000-square-foot LakeHouse Spa.
A goddess named Melissa chooses products from the B. Kamins line for my “personal best facial,” which is customized for each guest’s particular skin type and needs. She makes my face tingle and glow and feel alive for the first time in ages, while pampering me with combinations of aromatherapies emanating lavender and mints.
For time out between treatments, I lounge in the Blue Living Room, a lovely space that doesn’t zen you to death like so many spas are bent on doing. Pine walls are swept with a wash the color of faded denim, and comfy couches bearing afghan throws make me think of somebody’s country home. There are magazines and books and big containers of herbal tea and lemon water for us to help ourselves to.
Then soft-spoken Mary claims me, leading me to a ritual I’ll dream of for years – the River Rock Massage. For an hour she sweeps me with faintly scented oils and runs very warm, smooth stones along every muscle to encourage complete relaxation. Mary promises I’ll sleep like a baby, and I nearly achieve that state afterward as I laze outside on the rock patio.
When it’s nearly dark, I wander back toward my suite by the LakeHouse swimming pool, framed on one side by cabanas, and on the other by the pretty pool barn, where guests swim laps. After a shower, I give myself over to the miracles of incomparable chef Terry Conlan, who makes celebratory feasts on a daily basis. I tuck into a cup of slightly spicy butternut squash-apple soup, followed by a sumptuous mixed grill of venison chop, wild boar sausage and grilled quail over red chile-spiked posole, all for a grand total of about 400 calories.
Tables around me are filled with a few couples – from places like Germany and New York – and several groups of women, some of whom have brought their own wine. I’m content with my solitude and my memories of the first day of feeling really good that I can remember in a while.
At the end of my first day, sitting on my little porch and watching the stars appear against the night sky seems like such a treat. I realize it’s because I’ve actually relaxed enough to smell the lush rosemary bushes a few feet away. Moreover, the calm that sweeps over this place seems to have crept inside me on a cellular level; I can hear things that never get my attention anymore, like the wind rustling leaves in the magnolia and pecan trees and, of all wonders, the sound of my own breathing.
If I allowed Lake Austin Spa to do this in a day, what might several days bring? And better yet, when can I return for a self-indulgent tune-up?
DETAILS
Lake Austin Spa Resort is about 25 minutes from downtown Austin.
>> Lodging: Forty guest rooms are furnished with 300-count Egyptian cotton bedding, Kohler steeping/soaking tubs, custom lavender spa products and wireless Internet connections; 3-night ultimate spa packages start at $1,880 for double and go to $2,400 for private premier rooms. Packages of four, five, six and seven nights are available as well.
>> Dining: Included with guest stays. Lunch available in main dining room, as is breakfast and dinner, as well as at the spa’s new Aster Café, which offers a separate spa menu.
>> Spa treatments: Day spa packages vary widely and are available in such outdoor garden suites and private cabanas. Dozens of body, skin, and massage therapies are offered, including such signature treatments as the Pomegranate Rejuvenation, a110-minute combination of scrub, wrap and massage, for $280; the 100-minute Thai massage, $245; and the 70-minute River Rock Massage, $170.
For reservations, 800.847.5637; www.lakeaustin.com.
