As we have a good time our nation’s 250th birthday this summer season, we’re highlighting America’s first spa vacation spot with a storied historical past stretching again to the 1700s: The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa and its adjoining geothermal
heat springs in western Virginia.
America’s First Spa: Then and Now
The resort was established in 1766 and supplied structured bathing experiences just like European spa cities, which attracted high-profile guests like George Washington, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Friends got here to “take the waters” for each well being and social causes, because the mineral-rich springs had been believed (and nonetheless are to at the present time) to assist with illnesses like arthritis and pores and skin situations reminiscent of eczema. Credited for kick-starting American wellness tradition, the springs had been ultimately developed into two formal bathhouses: males’s and ladies’s, although the Women’ Bathhouse wasn’t added till the 1870s.
At the moment, you possibly can go to the stone-lined heat spring swimming pools, which underwent a cautious restoration in 2022, however very a lot keep their historic attraction. The distinctive picket construction of the Women’ Bathhouse (pictured) is open to the sky, making it a can’t-miss expertise on a sunny day. The crystal-clear water nonetheless flows continually, that means visitors are experiencing the identical mineral composition that individuals did centuries in the past. They keep a gentle temperature of 98 to 99 levels Fahrenheit (just like our core physique temperature) and are unaffected by seasonal modifications.
Each swimming pools are co-ed, open each day and reservations (and swimsuits) are required, in contrast to many European bathhouses. Friends are requested to not use telephones or cameras and to maintain noise to a minimal to make sure a calming, serene soak. Sound baths are additionally supplied, that are a deal with for anybody needing additional R&R.
The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa
Although you possibly can go to the springs with out being a visitor at The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa, it’s an beautiful property price a go to. Not solely does it supply greater than 40 seasonal actions, starting from its well-known Cascades Gorge waterfall hike to ice skating, archery, horseback using and wine tasting, but it surely additionally homes a full-service spa that has its personal mineral soaking swimming pools amidst a fantastic out of doors Serenity Backyard (pictured beneath). Should you’re a golfer, make sure to e-book a tee time on one of many championship golf programs that many presidents have performed.
