The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, North Carolina
Julie Register visited this subterranean resort spa in North Carolina in July 2002

Read about Julie's 2009 experience at The Spa at Grove Park Inn Resort HERE

The last time I was in Asheville, my family was taking a road trip to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. We returned to Delaware via Chattanooga, TN, and Asheville, NC. We saw Rock City. We saw Ruby Falls. We saw the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. We saw Biltmore Estate. We drove through the absolutely lovely Blue Ridge Mountains. My son was seven.

Fast forward 11 years. My son is 18. We are on another road trip. We are on our way to Atlanta so my husband, son and his friend can run in the 10K Peachtree Road Race on July 4. My husband and I are in the lead car. My son and his friend follow in another. They will leave us in Atlanta to continue on to New Orleans. On our way to Atlanta, we drive through the absolutely lovely Blue Ridge Mountains. It's just as nice as I remembered. We stop for a few nights at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.

The boys are in one room and my husband and I in another, both located in the historic part of the Arts-And-Crafts-style inn which was renovated just last year. We get a kick out of the enormous fireplaces in the Great Hall and the motivational quotes from the early 1900s painted here and there on the rock walls throughout the inn. Perhaps the most unusual feature is the elevator to our fourth-floor rooms. It's located in the chimney of one of the massive fireplaces, placed there to conceal the noise of the machinery, and has an attendant to run it.

The boys are essentially on their own with instructions to not get carried away with spending, and we don't see much of them during our visit. Looking forward to having some "quality time" with my husband, I have arranged for us to have a Couples Retreat at the Spa. The Spa, new in 2001, is underground. I suspect the location, between the two newer wings of the inn, dictated the subterranean choice. Anything higher would have ruined the view of the golf course, Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains for the rest of the inn. Unfortunately, during our stay, the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the inn is diminished by a haze from a huge fire in Quebec (which, sadly, is also there days later on our return trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive).

Our appointment for the Couples Retreat is for 8:30 a.m. We start our day in the well-equipped gym at the Sports Complex at 6:30. The Spa has a workout room, but the spa doesn't open until 8. We spend a half hour in the cardio room. I use the elliptical machines, and my husband uses the treadmill so he can run (he's preparing for a 10K run, remember). Then we spend a half hour or so on the weight machines, take showers and head over to the Spa.

We go back through the main inn and take the outside stairway from the Sunset Terrace to The Spa. It's the scenic route and has lots of steps but goes past lovely gardens and along the waterfall that cascades in front of the spa's entrance.

We check in at 8, are invited to sit in the waiting area behind the reception desk, are given health forms to complete and are told an attendant will be with us shortly. Jeff is called almost immediately and disappears into the Men's Changing area. I wait. And wait. Getting antsy, I am finally called by an attendant at 8:20. The receptionist asks the attendant to wait while she checks two more guests in. I ask if I will be able to make my 8:30 treatment. The attendant agrees that we can't wait and takes me into the locker room. Normally, a tour of the facilities would precede a locker assignment and robe/slipper distribution but, because of the time, we go right to the changing room. I change quickly and am escorted past the vanity, showers and inviting women's lounge, down the stairs, into the treatment area to the co-ed lounge where my husband and my therapist, Andriette, are waiting for me.

Andriette warmly greets me with a two-handed handshake and explains the treatment we are about to have. "A lavish treat for just the two of you. Start with a candle-lit couples massage, and add an aromatic bath sprinkled with fresh rose petals, surrounded by more candles. Sip champagne, while feeding each other chocolate-covered strawberries." She then escorts us to the couples treatment room where we find two end-to-end massage tables with rose petals sprinkled on top, a whirlpool tub for two, a table with a bottle of champagne chilling and snacks like chocolate-covered strawberries and Pepperidge Farm cookies, soft candlelight, and Jeff's therapist, Kari.

Our individual therapists consult each of us, asking about our state of being at the moment and what needs particular attention during the massage. We then are asked to choose an aromatherapy scent. I choose the energizing oil which contains peppermint and jojoba oil. Jeff chooses the detox oil which contains lemongrass and rosemary. The third choice is a relaxing oil.

The therapists leave while we get onto our individual tables. They re-enter and softly ask about the amount of light and heat in the room. The light can be controlled with a dimmer switch, and each table is under heat lamps which can be turned on if we are cold. The light is good. The temperature is good. The music is soft and soothing. The room is hushed. I can just hear the waterfall outside the door.

Andriette's massage is wonderful. She pays special attention to my neck, shoulders and back, always needing relief from hours in front of a computer. The massage ends with hot towels on my back - a nice touch.

We are instructed on how to use the whirlpool and left to enjoy the bath, sip champagne and feed each other chocolate-covered strawberries for 50 minutes. Ten minutes before our time is up, the lights are brightened and dimmed to signal the end of the bath.

After we dry off and slip back into our robes, Andriette leads us to the spa lounge where she gives us heated, clove-scented pillows to put around our necks and a Gan Bei "Virtual Buddha" tonic (which we eventually buy in the Spa Retail Shop to take home). We sit and talk some more. It is so nice not to feel like we have to rush to do something or get somewhere.

Finally, we decide to go enjoy the pools. We go back to the changing rooms, put on our bathing suits and meet at the lap pool. This part of the spa is extraordinary. Leading to the common pool area are separate women's and men's thermal areas with hot/cold plunge pools, steam room, inhalation room and sauna. Showers are located right before you enter the main pool area, and everyone is asked to take a shower before going in the pools. Stacks of towels are there if you need them. The main pool area is simply amazing and delightful. A red waterfall cascades from high above, splitting the area into two contrasting areas - a dark cave-like atmosphere surrounds the lap pool where most of the light comes from torchieres on stone columns, and a bright, light-filled area surrounds the mineral pool which is under skylights high in the "cave's" roof. Both pools feature underwater music. Perhaps our favorite pool is the therapeutic waterfall pool where we can stand under the cascading water and "massage" our necks and shoulders. On second thought, we really enjoy the outdoors whirlpool. We stake a claim in one of the two covered porches and alternately use the pools and order food and drinks from the Spa Café waitress who periodically comes by. By the way, there is no spa food in the Spa Café. My son and friend stop by to join us for lunch and then head off on their own. We spend the entire day there. It is fabulous! It is relaxing! It is, well, romantic!

And how do the 18-year-olds fare at The Grove Park Inn? Very well. Very well, indeed! They have room service twice - ordering pizza each time, play Nintendo, watch six movies, work out in the gym at the Sports Complex, have day passes to the Spa where they use the thermal area and the pools (and join us for lunch - a highlight of their day, I'm sure!), and generally enjoy themselves.

My son on a road trip at age 7

My son on a road trip at age 18

I would love to return to the Grove Park Inn some day. The Fire, Rock, Water, and Light Treatment at The Spa beckons. Jeff would like to come back to play on the Donald Ross golf course. My son wants to try a massage. There's something for everyone! This time, I'll try not to let 11 years pass before I get back to Asheville!