The Grove Park Inn Spa

This week I finally had some time to use the Grove Park Inn Spa gift certificate burning a hole in my purse.  Many people have told me a Grove Park Inn visit is a necessary Asheville experience, but my mid-March drive-by revealed a lot of tourists and construction. My decision to wait till mid-April was prudent. The property was at its best, in preparation for the Obamas' visit three days later.  After a week of rolling paint on raised garage ceilings and participating in Swannanoa’s Spring Cleanup, I was overdue for some massage therapy and decided to check out the resort.  What followed was a surprising day lost in the fabulous caverns of The Spa. (I saw absolutely nothing else of the entire resort!)

The entry to the lobby is palatial. There is a sense of the American extravagance of an earlier time, now open to the masses for public viewing and appreciation. Avoiding the milling tourists, I speed-walked through the meandering halls to the Vanderbilt wing, took an elevator down the mountainside and entered a hallway of guest rooms. Signs guided me to the spa hallway, a rock lined, declining ramp tunnel that gave me flashbacks of waiting in line for Indiana Jones the Ride at Disneyland.
The entry to the spa is flanked by a café and spa boutique. Both are quite large for a resort that already provides a number of dining options and shops, but made me quite glad I didn’t have to hike back out for a decent lunch! The front desk was friendly and efficient. The locker room concierge was very attentive, even though there were four ladies checking in at the same time. The locker room was very small and a bit cramped. My fellow spa-goers were average people, of varying experience levels. No resemblance to the Las Vegas spa divas. On the other hand, I feared I’d have to avoid some, like those casual travelers you strategically bypass in airport security lines. Armed with my comfy robe, I was prepared for a average experience.

HELLO!  The facilities of the spa and the service from attendants knocked me right out of my mindset.  My day was filled with many hours of one glorious surprise after another.  I had to take notes at lunch just to remember every impressive detail, and I’m sure I’ll still miss some! It turns out that the clientele helps make this resort spa's experience better than average. People were extremely courteous. They actually obeyed the spa restrictions for noise! Really shocking.  There was an odd aspect of modesty, but then there were no crazy exhibitionists to distract, either. There were lone ladies, like myself, getting away from our obligations; girlfriend groups; and romantic couples. Choosing a spring shower day was perfect, resulting in less than a dozen visible patrons, at any one time.

The spa is two-story, with the gym, café, shop, front desk, lockers, showers, and relaxation rooms taking up the top floor. Downstairs are four indoor pools, an outdoor pool, a mixed relaxation room and two gender segregated areas; the women’s side containing a steam room, showers, sauna, aromatherapy inhalation room and contrast pool, split into hot and cold. There are more than 40,000 square feet total, much of it lined with local Carolina rock. And more fireplaces than I could count; even by the pools! The pools contain salt/mineral water, rather than chlorine, and the tranquil music continues to them, providing underwater nirvana! Really... it was pretty fabulous.

My appointment was for a 50 minute deep tissue massage and my masseur’s name was Jeff S. Loved him! He was so nice, so informative, so attentive and I felt totally comfortable and relaxed the entire session. I was given a choice of the three GPI brand aromatherapy scents: detoxify (citrus), relax (lavender) or rejuvenate (mint). Difficult to choose, but I went with the mint & rosemary; divine! Little niceties included: the digital dimming light & temperature panel, the three way adjustable massage table and the patron tailored music. The massage was, without a doubt, the most effective I’ve ever had. Jeff is a miracle worker and the setting helped to relax me before he started, so I felt like I got the most for my 50 minute dollar. And to top it off, Jeff brought me a flute of champagne and a yellow rose, since I was there as a valentine’s day/anniversary present from my wonderful husband.

Making my way through the two relaxation rooms, one with an indoor, cozy feel, which allows low talking levels centered to a large stone fireplace. Since I was by myself, I decided to venture to the silent relaxation room, which feels more like a conservatory, with open windows and another stone fireplace. Spring showers tinkled outside. Blooming trees, with colors of white, pink, fuchsia and spring green peeked into the window’s view. Chirping birds were calling to each other. A subtle breeze periodically stirred the air. If that room doesn’t relax you, then you are just hopeless.

Though I could have stayed in my vegetative state all day, I figured I better get out there and enjoy the rest of the facilities. Try the cold tub, even if you only get your legs in, like me. Surprisingly energizing and prepped me for the steam room. I love steam rooms, and this was a winner. It had a perfect eucalyptus balance: not overwhelming, but enough to make my Carolina pollen bombarded sinuses revel!!! The temperature was perfect and no steam flow extremes. The inhalation room is a dry ambient temperature room with clean, pleasant air. Didn’t try the sauna.

Once you leave the gender specific area, you enter a mixed relaxation area with couples meeting and heading to the indoor pool area. Waterfalls fall from the central ceiling and fall into a lighted pond, creating white noise to cover the murmur of conversation. The cave-like entry opens to vaulted ceilings of rock and stone archways, housing the pools. The main pool borders windows with a view of downtown Asheville and the outdoor pool. To each side are grotto’s with small pools collecting falling water. Jeff suggested using the force of the waterfalls to work out neck muscle pain. But my absolute favorite was the lap pool.

At the very back of the cavern is a high ceiling grotto, rimmed by inset, dark enclaves where reclining spa chairs are paired near very low set lights. The whole feel was one of a European catacomb transformed for decadent rejuvenation. The pool itself could accommodate two swimmers comfortably, but no one was interested exercising while I was there, so I had the whole thing to myself! The underwater music was especially peaceful in this pool, as there were no jets or waterfalls. Swimming on your back, you can enjoy the notes while gazing at the three skylights cut into the high ceiling rock. True, the rock on the ceiling is necessarily fake, but they do a good job of making it look as real as possible. The composite material even allowed them to add tiny twinkle lights, which look like flecks of mica. The experience was like combining a deprivation chamber with virtual reality.

I pulled myself out of the pool, once again forcing myself to experience more, and headed to lunch at the café. Another Jeff was my server and, so pleasant to talk to about local foods and such. I chose the Chilled Seared Tuna wrap, paired with the suggested Soba Noodle Soy Salad. Yum! Everything was very fresh. I chose a local Highland Gaelic Ale. They did have a GPI Abbey Style Ale, and I wish I asked about that. The desserts sounded wonderful, but I had some swimming to do and passed. If you don’t wish to change from your robe, they welcome spa clients to remain comfortable. I decided to wear clothes while dining, though.
Did a little more swimming and headed back to the relaxation room, where I proceeded to fall asleep. Turns out I stayed for just over 5 hours and could have easily found more to try. I regret not visiting the steam room again.

If I had one disappointment with the whole experience, it was that there was absolutely NO evidence of local products in the spa shop. High quality, local chocolate, skincare and wellbeing products are readily available and would give the shop an edge with spa tourists who also visit the competition.

This is NOT an exclusive spa. GPI has, however, created a comfortable, down-to-earth, yet luxurious experience that can accommodate a number of guests, making it accessible to anyone with the $80 entry fee (Monday-Thursday only). Reasonable for the experience. Go for the experience. Go for how it can’t help but make you a more pleasant person to be around. Stay for as long as you can! They are open from 8am to 9pm, that’s $6/hour to exorcizes our inner witch!