We recently stayed at The Lake House in Canandaigua, NY (you can read the hotel review here). One of the main reasons we wanted to stay there, besides it being absolutely gorgeous, was the saunas at the Willowbrook Spa. In addition to the usual spa services, they have two outdoor saunas facing Canandaigua Lake. They are so freaking cute and I knew I absolutely needed to try them the moment I saw them.
The Willowbrook Spa has the same gorgeous simple but elegant feel, with an extra touch of relaxation. Just like the hotel, the spa is so thoughtfully appointed, with no detail missed.
You are taken to the locker room after checking in and given a spa robe and slippers, pretty standard to spas. But that’s where standard ends. Each locker had every amenity you would need to freshen up after your spa treatment, including a wooden-handled toothbrush and razor, toothpaste tabs, comb, and vanity kit. The main area of the locker room also had showers, hair ties, brushes, hair products, and feminine products, and everything was environmentally friendly. I was super impressed. They even had a Dyson hair dryer, which is the holy grail of hair dryers, in my opinion.
After changing into our swimsuits and robes, The Husband and I met in the common relaxation area. When I tell you I would live there, I mean it. It was so carefully designed to fit in perfectly with the landscape while also being a super cozy relaxing area. The chairs, couches, fireplace, and expansive windows were literally perfect. They also had water, tea, and snacks, including chocolate-covered blueberries that we could not get enough of.
After relaxing for a bit, we were taken outside to the saunas. Since it was late October it was a bit chilly but the walk was short. Our sauna was set up with pitchers of water, ice cold washcloths, aromatherapy to spray on the washcloths, and honey face masks to wear in the sauna.
The sauna was nice and warm, around 120 degrees F to start. The idea is to sit inside the sauna for around 15 minutes or until your body says to take a break, then go outside and shower off in the outdoor shower. Since it was only around 50 degrees outside, we opted for just standing outside for a minute when we needed to cool down. I did try to attempt the shower once but it was way too damn cold to get in.
Our appointment was early so we essentially caught the sunrise over the lake in our sauna. It was so gorgeous. The pictures honestly don’t do it justice.
We sat in the sauna with our ice cold washcloths around our necks and truly just relaxed. I used the honey facial multiple times it was really enjoyable, and tasty when it melted into my mouth.
The sauna got up to about 160 degrees with around 75 percent humidity. It was such a delightful contrast with the cool weather outside. I could definitely see how the shower would be so pleasant in the summer.
There was a gong when our sixty minutes were up to let us know it was time to get out. There were little cups of something that was supposed to be good for brain health waiting outside for us. While it looked super cute, it was a little too earthy or something for us to drink all of it.
We sat by the fire table for a bit before heading inside. We wanted to relax in the common area but I needed to get ready for meetings. Our room was right above the spa so they were nice enough to let us wear the robes over our bathing suits to go back to the room to shower, instead of having to either shower in the spa or change out of our sweaty suits into our clothes.
Just like staying at The Lake House, I absolutely highly recommend a visit to the Willowbrook Spa. I’ve been to a lot of spas and this was one of the most unique and relaxing ones I’ve ever been to.
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