5 Wellness Resorts to Visit Near Philadelphia When You Seriously Need a Break
Massage, saunas, forest baths — these calming resorts have it all.
Here’s where you can rest and rejuvenate with yoga, spa treatments, and more at Philadelphia-area wellness resorts. / Photograph courtesy of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
Look, life is stressful. And exhausting. And sometimes you just need a break. The good news is you don’t need to go far to find a little peace and quiet — or a little yoga and spa time. Here are five wellness resorts where you can find just that, all located in Pennsylvania and under a five-hour drive from Philadelphia.
Himalayan Institute
You can attended morning and evening yoga classes at the Himalayan Institute. / Photograph courtesy Himalayan Institute
Drive from Philadelphia: 2 hours, 40 minutes (952 Bethany Turnpike, Honesdale)
Wellness Amenities: Meditation, hiking trails, tea lounge, chiropractic services, massage therapy, yoga
If you’re looking for a retreat that’s more about yoga and meditation, you’ll find it at Himalayan Institute. The resort hosts daily morning and evening yoga classes, and guests have access to the on-site meditation room and tea lounge. And the on-site PureRejuv Wellness Center specializes in integrative medicine, with available services ranging from chiropractic care to therapeutic massage. The institute also hosts therapeutic retreats, which focus on relaxation, detoxification, and rejuvenation — just what we all need these days.
The Lodge at Woodloch
The hydro massage water wall at The Lodge at Woodloch. / Photograph courtesy The Lodge at Woodloch.
Drive from Philadelphia: 3 hours (109 River Birch Lane, Hawley)
Wellness Amenities: Spa, forest bathing, fitness classes, aqua classes
The Lodge at Woodloch boasts an abundance of wellness resources, including special programming for brain health. (Ever heard of Drums Alive? It’s a rhythm-based fitness class that’s supposed to have positive effects on the central nervous system.) We’re talking art classes, forest bathing (aka contemplative walks through nature), meditation, float therapy, and more. There’s also a full spa at Woodloch, where you can get a hydro massage under the water wall (pictured above), facials, deep tissue massages — even treatments to help you fall right asleep on your memory foam bed.
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
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Drive from Philadelphia: 4 hours 40 minutes (1001 Lafayette Drive, Farmington)
Wellness Amenities: Holistic healing center (with acupuncture services, cupping treatments, fitness assessments, and more), infrared sauna, spa, fitness and wellness classes
If the goal is a winning combo of lots of activity paired with lots of ways to recover, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has both in excess. Its fitness center keeps up a weekly schedule of classes, and there’s a whole host of outdoor activities — from an off-road driving academy to horseback riding to SUP yoga — to explore. Afterward, soak your worn muscles in the spa’s mineral bath and get a lomi lomi massage using traditional Hawaiian techniques.
Omni Bedford Springs Resort
Omni Bedford Springs’ bath ritual. / Photograph courtesy Omni Bedford Springs.
Drive from Philadelphia: 3 hours, 30 minutes (2138 US-220 BUS, Bedford)
Wellness Amenities: Fitness classes, yoga, meditation, heated indoor pool, outdoor pool, spa, tennis court
With the Omni Bedford Springs Resort’s 30,000-square foot Springs Eternal Spa, which uses natural spring water, you won’t be hurting for ways to relax. You can sign up for any of the spa services — from body scrubs and wraps to reiki healing — then chill out in the spa’s garden or next to the heated indoor pool. At the fitness center, try yoga, mat Pilates, or meditation classes, or take the experience outdoors for a meditative hike.
Skytop Lodge
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Drive from Philadelphia: 2 hours, 30 minutes (1 Skytop Lodge Road, Skytop)
Wellness Amenities: Fitness classes, indoor pool, outdoor pool, lakeside beach, spa
Come for the gorgeous views of the Poconos, stay for the spa treatments. You can cool off in the indoor pool in the winter — or the outdoor pool during the summer. (Winter activities include ice skating, a treetop adventure course, tubing, snowshoeing, and skiing, depending on the weather and snowfall.) At the spa, you’ll find massages, reflexology, facials and peels.
This post has been updated in February 2022 with additional reporting by Laura Brzyski.
