SECRETS OF A SPA INSIDER

An interview with Penny Kriel from Salamander Resort & Spa

by MARY BEMIS

All Photos Courtesy of Salamander Resort and SpaMUSIC Few experiences have the ability to transform and renew than an authentic spa experience, which is why savvy travelers know that a luxurious resort without a stellar spa is like a pool without water. Salamander Resort & Spa, the mothership of the luxury brand that now totals five properties, is located on 340 acres in the historic town of Middleburg, Virginia. A sought-after destination, Salamander features integrative and regionalized spa treatments and focuses on holistic, results-driven therapies. To find out how it continues to deliver a superior experience, we spoke with Penny Kriel, Director of Spa.

You’ve been with Salamander for six years now, and started out as the pre-opening Spa Director, what did that entail?

I assisted in creating all Spa Standard Operating Procedures, Spa Service Standards, and helped develop signature treatments for the Salamander Spa brand. We wanted to do our best to work with as many local vendors as we could to grow our community relationships, and we partnered with Laboratory of Flowers and came up with a wonderful series of body treatments using natural and organic ingredients. We also spent a lot of time working on the guest journey.

What was the most challenging aspect of opening and creating the spa?

The biggest challenges I’ve faced are the many times that the architecture and design are done without having a spa operator involved. When that happens, the focus becomes more about aesthetics and not that much on functionality and flow that’s required to provide a relaxing and seamless spa journey.

POINT OF VIEW I SALAMANDER RESORT & SPA

How did the community respond to the spa— and how do you continue to create a community with the locals?

There was some hesitation from the local community at first, due to the uncertainty of how many people the resort was going to bring to this quaint and quiet historic town. But it was only a couple of months until we saw the locals start to come in more and more. Today, many of them are our repeat guests. We host a quarterly Beauty Night Out event and annual Spa Soirees for our local guests to show our appreciation for their loyalty and to share some of our new launches and treatments.

How have you reimagined your spa menu over the past year?

Who is your typical guest?

Our leisure guests have increased, and we still have a lot of those who want the social element of reconnecting with each other. Those are our happy guests, they are the ones who really spa. Girlfriend getaways are popular, and about 40 percent of our business comes from locals. As is typical with a resort spa, most guests want that relaxing massage more than therapeutic or healing treatments. Pre-Covid, we didn’t have a specific massage modality listed. We classified it as a “wellbeing” massage. You’d book your 50- or 90-minute customized wellbeing massage.

When Covid hit, we were not one of the spas that decided to bring in no-touch treatments. Guests still wanted that relaxing massage, and I believe the healing is in the hands! So, we stayed focused on that.

We’ve also decided to specifically state the different modalities on the menu. We brought on a CBD massage, and we wanted to add that differentiation so people could see the difference between a deep tissue and CBD or Swedish. So, we went back to that old-school style listing. People want to choose what they want versus guess what they’re going to get.

More people are now seeking out spas to work on their mental health and wellbeing. How do

you address this?

Coming here is like a euphoric experience. The outdoor activities—hiking, horseback riding, fishing, ziplining, tennis, archery, axe-throwing—produce those endorphins that make you feel good. The combination of being able to be outside and enjoy all that and then be in the spa for relaxation time has been a great appeal for people. Guests are transported; it’s a true escape. We also offer meditation sessions—we do a beautiful walking meditation—and yoga has really taken off. We offer everything from family yoga to water yoga.

What new experience are you most excited about? Is spa more or less important today?

Spa has shifted from being special occasion to being a necessity. People have learned valuable lessons from Covid: Life is too short, let’s do the things we’ve always wanted to do. The confinement of quarantine made people want to reconnect more both physically and mentally. People want to come here to escape; we’re in this luxurious country environment where you can enjoy that glass of wine and not feel bad, or have that butter on your bread—in moderation, of course.

I just started offering sound bath concerts, using singing bowls and sound-wave percussion, at the pool area. We’re creating a space and focusing on being grateful. We’re slowly introducing our guests to ways of doing that, and they love it. I brought it in because I wanted to be able to give people a touch of wellness at every aspect of the spa journey. As soon as we started the sound bowls, people began closing their eyes, stopped chatting and embraced the vibrations. The concerts are complementary for now, and then we’ll be developing treatments and classes around them. VIDEO VIDÉO

Any words of wellbeing for living your best life?

Have fun. Try and do the things that you don’t make INTERVIEW time for. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that time ENTREVUE is too short. When you have the opportunity, do the things you want to do. Don’t keep putting them off. We’re so serious for most of our lives, and that’s causing all the other stresses. Look at the things MUSIC that bring you joy and do more of them. MUSIQUE

All Photos Courtesy of Salamander Resort and Spa

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