The Ultimate Après-Ski Guide
Whether you want to party it up or rest and refresh, we’ve got the restaurants, bars, and post-ski spas for you.
Scribner’s Catskills Lodge / Photograph by Read McKendree
The best ski days don’t end when the lifts stop spinning. In the Northeast, après-ski can mean a restorative spa ritual, a full-blown party, or — ideally — a little of both. Whether your idea of unwinding is a sauna and a salt room or a beer and a band, here’s where to go hard and recover well this winter.
The Après Party
Revelers at the Foggy Goggle / Photograph by Heidi Lewis
When the last run’s done in Killington, Vermont, few places embody East Coast après like the Wobbly Barn, a decades-old steakhouse turned nightclub with live music on the weekends. Down the road, the Lookout Tavern serves wings, chili, and local craft brews with a backdrop of the mountains.
Pennsylvania has a bit of everything: The Foggy Goggle at Seven Springs has been named one of the top après bars in the country, while Slopeside Pub & Grill at Blue Mountain pairs hearty fare with panoramic Lehigh Valley views. Find the best scene for the small set at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos, with water slides, snow globes, and character dance parties (plus hot tubs and festive cocktails for parents). Nearby in Scranton, Slocum Hollow Bar & Restaurant sets a lively tone with 22 rotating drafts and comfort food right off Montage Mountain’s trails. And the Wicked Googly in Ligonier turns a small-town bowling alley into a late-night party hub with live bands, karaoke, and trivia.
The scene skews rustic-chic in the Catskills: Scribner’s Prospect and the Whiskey Lounge buzz with mountain views and boozy cocktails, while Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room, near Belleayre, blends farmhouse cooking, serious drinks, and a roaring fire. And for something more pastoral, Swover Creek Farm & Brewery, near Bryce Resort in the Shenandoah Valley, offers wood-fired pizzas, small-batch beer, and the kind of convivial vibe that inspires you to linger long after sunset.
The Après Recovery
The spa at Miraval Berkshires / Photograph courtesy of Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa
Prefer to relax and refresh? The Killington Grand Hotel Spa in Vermont entices with alpine-themed treatments like the Black Diamond Massage and arnica oil add-ons to soothe sore muscles. Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa in Lenox, Massachusetts, welcomes day guests to its vast spa — complete with saunas, steam rooms, and holistic bodywork — just a short 30-minute drive from Jiminy Peak.
The Poconos are rich in restorative retreats: The Lodge at Woodloch is a high-end haven for custom massages and salt-sauna sessions (book the Deep Relief Massage — warming camphor and anti-inflammatory CBD help melt away muscle stiffness), while the Spa at Kalahari extends the pampering to kids and teens with its own family-friendly wellness menu.
In the Catskills, unwind at Scribner’s Lodge in Hunter with a barrel sauna and cozy library, or go deeper at Menla’s Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, where Finnish and infrared saunas, steam rooms, and soaking tubs can be booked à la carte with day passes. A grander reset awaits at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz: It delivers Gilded Age splendor and a 30,000-square-foot spa (open only to overnight guests). Back in PA: Near Montage Mountain, Eleventh Element Relaxation Spa is home to float tanks, infrared saunas, and halotherapy salt rooms — a perfect antidote to too many moguls.
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Published as “Champagne Powder” in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
