In her Spa Spotlight for January, Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler’s Health, Fitness and Spa Editor, tells us about the pampering and holistically-focused The Lodge at Woodloch. 

Save this January Spa Spotlight article on the Lodge at Woodloch to Pinterest to help you plan your visit. Photos courtesy of the Lodge at Woodloch. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

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January Spa Spotlight: The Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley, Pennsylvania

Sometimes, it can take more than Zumba or a hot stone massage to knock you out of the dead-of-winter doldrums. The Lodge at Woodlock is a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.

Tucked on 150 acres of secluded woodlands in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, this adults-only destination spa resort is holistic from the ground on up, weaving organic ingredients from its on-site Blackmore Farm and Orchards into the farm-to-table cuisine, cooking demos and classes, High tea, gardening lessons with staff farmers, nature-oriented arts and crafts classes, and even some of its spa and mind-body treatments.

There’s a staggering array of fitness and wellness classes in the 40,000 square-foot- spa and state-of-the-art CardioWeight Studio, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in forest views, waterfall-fed heated hydromassage pools, and a Himalayan salt sauna. Add in whimsical nature-oriented arts and crafts classes designed to clear out the cobwebs and ignite your creativity, and Woodloch will send you home with a spring in your step long before the first buttercups push from the ground.

One of the pools at the Lodge at Woodloch. Photo courtesy of The Lodge at Woodloch.

The location: Woodloch is located 100 miles from Manhattan, and 150 miles from Philadelphia in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. The region encompasses 2,400 square miles of wilderness bordering the Delaware River, with lakes, streams, waterfalls, resorts, spas, and quaint, historic villages with Victorian homes, inns, lodges, wineries, boutiques, and restaurants.

The lodge: Everything at Woodloch takes its cue from nature. Fires crackle in the lobby, and guests rooms are furnished with  moss-hued carpeting, grass-cloth wallpaper, stone-based lamps, organic tree-trunk mirrors, bent twig rockers, drapes imprinted with budding trees, granite bathrooms with marble walk-in rain showers, and private verandas where you can watch the sun rise over the lake or listen to water tinkling in the rock garden waterfall. Although rooms include modern conveniences like Smart TVs and high-speed internet, the rooms were designed to help you unwind — and unplug.

Indoor fitness: While the resort focuses more on a holistic approach to health, with less emphasis on weight loss specifically, guests can blast calories, burn fat, and build lean muscle with every imaginable type of fitness class: spin, core, circuit, Pilates, several types of yoga, rowing,  barre,  TRX, country fusion, belly dancing, boogie-woogie, hard core hula, plus cutting-edge fitness classes you’re not likely to find elsewhere, including Charged 100s, which targets slow-twitch muscles and enhances blood for firmer and stronger muscles; Nanchakau, a self-defense course teaching realistic techniques; Kenpo Cario, which fuses cardio and Kenpo karate to build stamina and balance; and the Engine Room Crew, which captures the elements of competitive, on-water rowing with skills, drills, waves, recovery, and a race to the finish.

Outdoor fitness: If you love hiking, you’re home! Woodloch offers scores of memorable hikes through miles of pristine forests, past lakes, and streams, and through hushed nature sanctuaries. You’ll learn the art of walking meditation on the Labyrinth Hike; follow animal tracks in the snow; hike along rivers and estuaries to see where bald eagles take up winter residence; and absorb the still of winter nights on full moon snowshoe hikes and nocturnal hikes. Some hikes conclude with High Tea in the lodge while others end around a roaring campfire with s’mores. And a few hikes offer experiences you won’t find anywhere else:

• During the Forest Bathing hike, you’ll join one of the resort’s Certified Forest Bathing experts for a contemplative walk focused on keeping you in the present, with deep breathing and mind-body awareness that decrease stress hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate.
• On the Tunnel Hike, you’ll join Woodloch’s resident farmers for a hike to the resort’s heated high tunnels at Blackmore Farm, where tender salad greens and fresh herbs are grown in the “dead” of winter.
• During the Gnome Roam, the resort’s playful take on geocaching, you’ll use a handheld GPS unit to search for the resort’s resident “forest gnomes.”

The food: Forget about deprivation. As you might expect from a spa resort with a working farm, the emphasis here is on celebrating the health-affirming powers of homegrown organic fare. You can enjoy the resort’s gourmet fare at TREE Restaurant, where picture windows overlook the lake and forests, or in the privacy of your room. During warmer months, meals are served al fresco in the resort’s gardens.

• Holistic gardening classes: Learn organic gardening from the ground up with the resort’s team of professional holistic gardeners, including a “Farmacist” and a “Dirt Doctor.” Classes discuss topics that include food as medicine, the link between soil health and human health, environmental sustainability, how to use plants for fine art, wild crafting and making herbal teas and traditional medicines; and using healing herbs and flowers in farm-to-massage treatments.
• Chef’s Table Tasting menu: Chef Kate holds 6-8 course tasting menu dinners revolving around locally sourced everything, with wine pairing, in her Chef’s Kitchen.
• Cooking and baking demos and classes: Chef Kate and the resort’s Sommelier host cooking classes that focus on everything from healthy desserts, smoothies, and breads to pre- and post-dinner drinks from around the world, mocktails and mimosas, and sparkling wines.
• Harvest Lunches and Garden Dinners: In warmer months, the resort brings the table to the farm for chef-led tasting dinners and Sunday farmer-led harvest lunches.
• High Tea Journey: Steep and enjoy several teas, including the resort’s homegrown blend, and enjoy homemade tea breads, petite pastries, and savory bites.
• Nutrition classes: From the Power of Keto to the Mediterranean diet, learn how to eat to promote health and vitality, maintain a healthy weight, and more.

Enjoy meals in the beautiful garden at the Lodge. Photo by Andrea Killam.

Hungry for more? Get the Lodge’s recipe for Hasselback Celeriac.

Spa pampering: The sprawling spa has saunas, steam rooms, whirlpools, and relaxation rooms, a beautiful indoor pool with a hot tub and heated waterfall with hydro massage features, a Himalayan salt sauna, and a year-round outdoor hot tub. Choose from a wide range of massages, wraps, masks, and polishes incorporating the farm’s plants and herbals; globally inspired energy bodywork; Shamanic energy healing; ayurvedic treatments; Vibrational sound therapy; Reiki; couples’ massages and treatments; and the resort’s revolutionary new cold therapy treatment.

• Chill out in the nation’s first Snow Room: Cold therapy has been a wellness staple for centuries. The compact dry snow and crisp, cold air in Woodloch’s Snow Room promote rapid, efficient cooling that is believed to relieve inflammation, improve circulation, promote fat burning and detoxification, increase regeneration after workouts, reduce stress, and promote relaxation.

Experience the Lodge at Woodloch’s unique Snowroom.

Mind-body health: Woodloch offers a wide range of classes designed to help you connect mind, body, and spirit, from Crystal bowl sound healing meditations to Dream Shifting, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, and more. Here’s a few you’re not likely to find at home:

• Humming Meditation: The most powerful instrument for healing is your own voice, which produces a vibro-acoustic effect like an internal massage. Learn an easy, effective humming technique that can reduce stress, improve sleep, and more.
• Decompress the Stress: This class uses sandbags, bolsters, blocks, blanket, and other props to help you get into postures that nourish your endocrine glands, promote circulation, and balance metabolic function.
• Mantra Meditation with Harmonium: The harmonium is a hand pump organ that has been used in India for more than a century for chanting. Using it frees your mind from anxieties and worries so you can better focus on your personal mantra.
• Candlelight Sound Immersion: In this guided meditation and immersive sound experience, healing waves of sound wash over you in candlelight.
• Shruiti Spirit Sound Bath: The beautiful musical instrument opens the heart, quiets the mind, and elevates the spirit as you listen to its hypnotic sound along with soft vocal toning, chimes, and crystal bowls.
• Valentine’s Weekend Feb 14-16: Bring your significant other to the resort for a weekend of classes on how to make love last with Michael Silverstein & Certified Gottman Couples Therapist Laura Silverstein. With 22 years of marriage under their belts, Michael and Laura know what it takes to make love last –and also know first-hand that marriage isn’t always easy!
• The country’s’ first onsite cancer respite center: Woodloch has partnered with For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation to provide a safe and restorative space for more than 4,000 cancer patients and their loved ones each year. Scheduled to open in 2026, the Cancer Respite Center was inspired by Woodloch owner Bob Kiesendahl, a cancer survivor who understands the value of reconnecting with family and self during challenging times. Set on 32 acres at Woodloch, the 34,000-square-foot campus will feature amenities designed with input from oncology professionals and include a dining room serving 60,000 meals annually, an art room, chapel, yoga space, a swimming pool for water therapy, and nature trails.

Enjoy a massage and many other spa treatments. Photo courtesy of The Lodge at Woodloch.

For more info: Visit the Lodge at Woodloch’s website, here, for details on the resort’s rates, services, facilities, and special packages that include Mother-Daughter, Couples,  Girlfriend, Gourmand, Romance, Golf & Spa, and Babymoon getaways; One-Night, Midweek, Extended Stay, and Holiday specials; Loyalty credits for returning guests; and special rates for the Military, First Responders, and their spouses.

-By Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler’s Health, Fitness and Spa Editor

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