Farm-to-Spa Getaways in the Northeast

Vacation is a time to slow down and recharge, so indulging in a spa treatment while you’re away is the perfect combination of relaxation and rejuvenation.

Massages, body treatments and facials will show up on most spa menus, but some feature local ingredients in their treatments. You are probably familiar with thinking about farm-to-table to find the freshest local ingredients when dining, so why not embrace farm-to-spa?

There are many benefits to utilizing local ingredients in spa treatments. Not only do you get an experience unique to the place you are visiting, but you’re also supporting the local community. As an added bonus, sourcing ingredients from nearby helps to fight climate change, as it means less fuel and fewer emissions to ship.

The Spanish Renaissance-style Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, is a historic destination with a luxurious spa. It has 13 treatment rooms, including a wet room complete with a Vichy shower where the Mount Washington Signature Body Ritual takes place. In the 100-minute treatment, you’ll relax under a virtual waterfall, then embrace exfoliation with products from the resort’s custom Mountain Mist line.

The Mountain Mist products feature local medicinal plants, including Iberis, which has long been used for muscle soreness. They also use local nettles with antioxidants to help keep skin smooth and protected, and aromatic rosemary for its anti-inflammatory properties. The botanicals were chosen from a list of 2,000 local plants as the ones that, when combined, provide the best therapeutic benefits. The Mountain Mist products, so named for the mist you can frequently see on nearby Mount Washington, are also used in the Alpine Body Glo treatment.

Ocean & Harvest is the spa at AAA Five Diamond Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, therapists at the spa use the sea in a few different ways, like the smooth beach stones in their Beach Stone Massage and the sea salt foot scrub in their Sole Reviver Treatment. Local lavender is used in multiple treatments: infused in oil for the Lavender Renewal treatment and combined with Rhode Island rose, honey and calendula for the Nature Radiance Facial. Lavender is known for its anti-aging qualities, thanks to its antioxidants, and can help combat dry skin and inflammation.

THE WELL at Mayflower Inn & Spa, also a AAA Five Diamond property, in Washington, Connecticut, was designed to be a holistic wellness destination, with programs like guided sleep meditation, weekly yoga classes, in-room ritual bath soaks and health coaching. And they utilize local ingredients in their spa menu, particularly in treatments designed to help with lymphatic system health. The Milk, Honey and Lavender treatment starts with a dry brushing, followed by a massage with warm lavender infused honey, which is then rinsed away with local organic milk. The Garden Scrub incorporates local salts and herbs designed to leave your skin soft and smooth.

The award-winning spa at Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa in Lake Placid, New York, uses local, organic maple sugar in their signature Adirondack Maple Sugar Body Scrub treatment. The maple sugar helps fight inflammation, repairs damage caused by free radicals and removes bacteria and dead skin cells, leaving you with smooth, hydrated skin.

The spa at Mirror Lake Inn also offers the popular Pure Placid Cleansing Ritual, where guests can choose their own custom-blended scent made with local ingredients from the Adirondack Mountains like lavender, balsam, ginger, eucalyptus and pine. After an organic oatmeal flour exfoliation, you’ll get a full body massage with your chosen aromatherapy body lotion, made by using water from the nearby Lake Placid. Bonus: You can purchase the locally made products in the gift shop to relive your Lake Placid vacation at home.

Even though Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resort Collection, in the Hudson Valley is only 90 minutes away from New York City, it feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle. Set on 140 acres of forests and meadows, the Thistle spa embraces the nature surrounding it and has a seasonal treatment menu.

Thistle’s Body Botany treatment uses steamed herbal poultices made from local herbs that help with pain relief and inflammation, and the Cultivate Facial uses Cultivate Apothecary products. Cultivate Apothecary operates at the Stonegate Farm in the Hudson Valley, where they grow their own medicinal herbs and botanicals. They’ve made a custom Thistle Oil for the resort, which uses comfrey, calendula, milk thistle, lovage, chamomile and lemon balm, that can be used in the massage treatments. Guests can even arrange a special visit to Stonegate Farm to get a tour of the gardens and apothecary lab and get a personalized hydrosol mist.

AAA’s sustainable travel series is written in partnership with Kind Traveler, a women-and-veteran-owned sustainable travel platform empowering travelers to make a positive impact in local communities, and contributing writer, Kristin Conard.