Cocoa baths and cocoa bean polishes are some of the chocolate-theme treatments offered at the Hotel Hershey.
Photo courtesy Hotel Hershey
Hotel Hershey
Hershey, Pa.
Imagine being painted from neck to toes with warm, chocolaty moor mud, wrapped in shiny silver, swaddled in brown wool and left in the dark to cure, becoming, for a few heavenly moments, the Great American Chocolate Bar.
Not surprising, a favorite at the Hotel Hershey’s Chocolate Spa is the chocolate fondue wrap. Modeling a spa treatment on the popular Hershey bar is a natural at the three-story, 40,000-square-foot spa. A whipped cocoa bath, a chocolate bean polish and other chocolate-inspired treatments have been so popular that the spa doubled in size in the two years after it opened in 2001.
Spa attendants support meeting groups by serving healthful snacks and filling breaks with stretches, breathing exercises or chair massages.
The 276-room AAA Four Diamond hotel, with 23,000 square feet of meeting space, was built in the 1930s on a hill overlooking the town that chocolate made famous.
Its four golf courses, year-round skating rink and a ropes course are among its amenities.
Groups can also take Segway tours, go geocaching or try the Chocolate Challenge.
“The group divides into small teams that compete to build something out of candy and icing,” said Reilly Fies, the hotel’s public relations coordinator. “I’ve never seen any group eat their creations, but I have seen a peanut butter cup or two disappear during construction.”
717-533-2171
www.thehotelhershey.com
Lake Austin Spa Resort
Austin, Texas
A 35-person meeting room at Lake Austin Spa Resort is an easygoing space, furnished with oversize couches and chairs, windows full of lake views.
Equally relaxing is the spa at this 40-room hotel on 19 acres in the Texas Hill Country.
The 25,000-square-foot Lakeside Spa, a 10-minute walk down a path from the hotel, is the resort’s star attraction. Massages given while guests are swinging in a hammock and treatments with clever names like Olive Our Love are among more than 100 “experiences” offered.
The spa is an active place where guests can take Zumba and yoga classes, participate in group meditation and sign up for cooking classes and guided hikes.
Beautiful nooks and crannies throughout the resort, both indoors and outdoors, are good for breakout sessions, said Christina Paul, a spa reservation specialist. In springtime, 100 different species of native wildflowers bloom.
“It’s serene, with gardens all around and waterfalls,” she said. “Because we are on the lake, there are lots of water activities. We do water aerobics, team building with kayaks, have a pontoon boat for 18 people and a tour boat.”
512-372-7300
www.lakeaustin.com
