Florida Spa Experience: Now and Then
Don Juan Ponce de Leon, who discovered the spring that the Taino people of Puerto Rico refer to as the Fountain of Youth, has been the Fountain of Youth since St. Augustine. The explorer was convinced by the Timocuan tribe’s healthy appearance and height that he was at the right spot. Henry Flagler was an industrialist who developed The Sunshine State from St. Augustine up to Palm Beach a century back. The Lightner Museum in St. Augustine is located on the spot where Flagler’s first spa resort was. It housed the largest pool and steam rooms anywhere, as well as saunas. Tourists of every stripe still travel to Northeast Florida to reverse their biological clocks. However, their options now are much more extensive. From the white paradise of Debbie’s Day Spa & Salon on Anastasia Boulevard in St. Augustine, where the vintage furniture in the 11 treatment rooms evokes a bed and breakfast- to the spa at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, where a new 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art spa is scheduled to open in September, this is the pampering place.
Although the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club was established in 1928, guests wouldn’t know it. You can find a relaxing getaway with tennis and fitness just a few steps from your hotel room. You will be greeted by the steady beats of the tide. The beach can be seen from your deck and is just outside your front door. European-style booking is free of a waiting desk. Gov. Bruce Springsteen, Mrs. Jeb Bush, as well as Gov. The White House’s chef, Chef Herman Mueller will prepare delicious meals.
One spa with 22 treatment rooms will soon be gone. Two couples rooms are also available. Staff from the spa have traveled all over to research treatments and menus, including those in Baden Baden as well as South Pacific. Bamboo, stones and waterfalls will be the main theme of this new facility. Its exterior will also feature an orange clay tile roof, consistent with the rest of the resort. Inn and Club boasts 15 clay tennis courts. Their underground watering system makes it possible to maintain the court without interruption. It boasts 75 stations and 60 classes.
Because the Club is a walkable village, it’s easy to get around. You should make a day trip to St. Augustine to see the iconic Fountain of Youth, America’s Oldest House and Flagler College. Your St. Augustine trip will bring you back to your best.