In recent years, spas have given new life to the resort industry, and a sudden surge of male interest has made a dramatic impact on profits and lifestyles.
The Pinehurst Resort, which has been a popular attraction for more than 100 years, opened a $12 million, state-of-the-art facility in 2002. Last year, the spa had more than 24,000 guests, and that number is expected to double this year.
Across the state, new resorts such as Ballantyne in Charlotte, Grandover in Greensboro and Rock Barn near Hickory were quick to make spas an integral part of the recreational experience. The venerable Grove Park Inn in Asheville added a large, impressive spa to its vast resort complex at a cost of about $40 million.
Folks have been enjoying baths, spas and therapeutic treatments since the days of the Roman Empire, so the advent is nothing new.
Many well-known resorts around the nation — such as the Homestead, the Greenbrier and The Cloister — have attracted spa lovers since before the turn of the 20th century. Their excellent health-related amenities have played key roles in their success.
Now that men are beginning to discover the pleasures and benefits of spas, a steady growth pattern indicates that the future appears bright for those places that have them.
With that background, I had to see for myself. After a morning on the golf course at the renowned and historic Pinehurst Resort, I treated myself to a few therapeutic treatments, and I enjoyed every relaxing, healthful minute of it.
Sure, it cost a few bucks to be pampered, but this was research, so it was worth the costs.
When I left the golf course, I wandered over to the spa, a handsome structure that was designed to replicate a music conservatory that previously occupied the spot adjoining the Carolina hotel. The building blended in beautifully with the stately hotel and the tall longleaf pines that surround it.
I was introduced to Kim Parker, a personable, longtime Pinehurst employee, who is the spa director. She heads a staff of 63 that includes 40 full-time professionals.
“We offer a wide variety of services,” she said, “and we serve the public as well as hotel guests. Our spa guests come from all over the state.”
After a tour of the building, Parker summed up the facilities for me: there is a well-stocked retail shop, a salon for men and women, a fitness center, a 60-foot lap pool, 16 massage rooms, seven facial rooms, three body treatment rooms and an exclusive couple’s massage room. In addition, there are steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools for men and women.
Spa services include a number of body therapies including scrubs, wraps, and exfoliation; skin care treatments that features several types of facials as well as eye contour treatment; hydrotherapies that offer extensive baths and soaks; numerous massage therapies; manicures and pedicures; exercise and golf conditioning, personal training sessions, yoga, pilates and body fat analysis.
“You name it,” Parker said proudly, “and we have it. Our facilities are truly outstanding, and we have been told that our service is extraordinary.”
The choice wasn’t easy but I opted for a package that included a hair cut, a manicure, a pedicure and a massage. In between services, I took full advantage of the sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, fitness center and lap pool.
At the end of the four hours I had spent in the spa, there was a feeling of euphoria. I was relaxed, soothed and cleansed. The aches of a frustrated golfer were gone, my hair and nails were done with perfection, and my toenails had received the professional treatment that they don’t get at home.
What’s more I had been educated to the wonders of a modern spa. A perfect day: golf in the morning, spa in the afternoon and a leisurely dinner that night.
In retrospect, I was puzzled why it took me so long to discover spas, having previously enjoyed a rare massage — and nothing else — at resorts I had visited.
“Men have been reluctant clients in the past because many of them thought that spas were for women only,” Parker said. “It’s amazing how fast our male guests are increasing as the word spreads. Both men and women, however, are more health conscious than ever before so the whole spa, gym, workout syndrome is considered an essential part of today’s lifestyle.”
Not only are men learning, the Pinehurst Resort Spa will soon open a full service program for teenagers ages 12 to 16 and limited services for ages 6 to 11.
“We’re constructing a lounge for teenagers, too, so they can have their own hang-out area before and after treatments,” Parker said.
At Pinehurst, the spa is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., but advance arrangements may be made for “early bird” massages. The fitness center opens each morning at 6.
“In today’s competitive market, a resort that doesn’t have a spa is at a disadvantage,” Parker said. “Ours has been a godsend and has helped us attract individual and group business we might not have gotten without it.”
Way back in 1896, a gentleman named B. A. Goodridge made an astute statement: “The aromatic breath of the pine trees is full of healing virtue.”
He was right, and it’s even better when there is a spa nestled quietly among those pines. Believe me, I know.
Bill Hensley is a Hall of Fame golf publicist and free-lance writer who lives in Charlotte.
