It’s not easy taking the time away that you need. As mothers, we are often told to cherish our children. These days will only last so long. Before you know it your kids will be off to college. The truth of the matter is that no matter how much we love our children, and we really do, there are moments when we think: “Dear god. When are they going to college already?!” We are tired, we are pushed past our limits and we need to give ourselves a break and step back from our lives, if even just overnight. To get your own girls getaway started, follow this simple itinerary from my stay at Salish Lodge and Spa.
There are plenty of local spots in your town that you can adjust this itinerary to, but if you have the chance to get to Salish Lodge and Spa just outside of Seattle, you need to make it a priority.
One night sample itinerary
Friday
- 4 p.m. Check in
- 5 p.m. Spa appointment
- 6 p.m. Relax in the spa pools, sauna and steam room
- 8 p.m. Cocktails and small plates in The Attic
- 11 p.m. Crawl into bed with a food coma
Saturday
- Sleep in a bit
- 9:30 a.m. Yoga with Jess
- 11:30 a.m. Brunch in The Dining Room
- Drive back home to your loving family
The Room
One-bedroom River View Suite (Room 423/424)
Our one-bedroom, two-bath suite on the Spa level was decadent, to be sure. It sported two fireplaces, one in the bedroom and the other in the parlor. The parlor had a view of the falls and a balcony you could step onto. This is prime photo op territory.
Each bathroom seemed bigger than my house and held a Jacuzzi tub that could fit two people. You didn’t have to tell us twice to each claim a bathroom and soak for a bit. My tub even looked out over the falls. Once I started to fall asleep in the tub I dragged myself out to curl up by the fireplace with the balcony door open so I could hear the roar of the water pour over the rocks. To say I could have slept on that couch all night is an understatement. Nothing but that gigantic bed in the bedroom could have wooed me away.
Our king-size bed had more than enough room for Gen and I to slumber the night away. We could have fit a third person between us, but why bother when there were so many pillows we could cuddle. The pillow menu at the lodge includes hypoallergenic, pregnancy pillows and even body pillows. When I called to request two body pillows at around 10 p.m. the staff was more than happy to accommodate.
In case you are worried you won’t have a similar experience in a standard room, have no fear. Each room has its own fireplace and giant tub. A large list of amenities, including those pillows, are available to every guest with just a touch of a button on your room phone.
Amenities:
- Bath butler (have a luxurious bath drawn for you in your own room. Several scents and options to choose from. Additional charge.)
- Turndown service
- Wood-burning fireplaces in every room (you can call the front desk to have someone light it if you are afraid you will smoke out the place)
- Pillow menu
- Dog-friendly rooms (subject to availability)
The Spa
The most important place in any lodging, when it comes to a mom’s getaway, is the spa. The Spa does not mess around. Spa Manager Melissa Brown takes meticulous care to make sure you get the service you need and relaxation you deserve. Her team is ready to pamper with a variety of standard and seasonal options, from which we were happy to sample.
Iced Apple Body Treatment: When I first signed up for this seasonal body scrub, I had no idea what I was getting into. Ice and apples? Sounded a bit cold. It was anything but. The room was heated to the perfect temperature. My pink scrub (the apple part of the title) was infused with apple extract. The “iced” part wasn’t ice at all. It was more of a frosting. The body butter, also apple infused, was white, like a whipped butter cream to go on top of a cake. Needless to say I smelled rather scrumptious after Kathleen, my fabulous treatment expert, was through with me.
DermaLife Spa-Jet: The newest addition to the spa is the DermaLife; it’s like a futuristic time machine beckoning you to enclose yourself within its chamber. With its six types of relaxation therapies, most going on concurrently, you may emerge after the 40-minute session feeling and looking as if time really did reverse, even if just a bit.
If you are concern about claustrophobia, no need to worry. Your head is resting outside of the chamber pod the entire time.
As Gen described it: “Once tucked into the pod, the treatment began with the chamber filling with gentle steam. As soft music played through the room, the warmth and ambiance started to melt away my mommy stress. Chromotherapy, the soft glow of the changing internal lights, began to coordinate with the various pressures of the hydrotherapy jets that cascaded above and under the length of my body. Even with the chamber fully closed, I had access to adjust the water temperature using a dial located inside the chamber. I found it very easy- and necessary- to do as the first bursts of water were much cooler than I would have liked.”
Honey-infused treatments: The Spa also features honey harvested on the grounds (yes, they have their own bee farm) that is mixed into guest treatments. In the summer months, guests are encouraged to go out to the garden to pick their own herbs to develop the scent they prefer in their scrubs. Once the scrub is mixed you can begin to relax. As a take-home present, you will get the recipe for your scrub and a bit more of the mixed scrub to take with you so you can continue to enjoy your stay even when you aren’t there.
Spa pools, sauna and steam room: I’ve been in many hot tubs. My husband is a big fan. I’m used to the usual at a spa— one tub, some fruit-infused water and some chairs. The Spa blows all of that away. They have the fruity water and some hot tea, but they have not one, but two pools. The top pool is what I like to call the quiet pool; rocks, wood and candles surround it. The jets quietly churn the water without making too many bubbles. It’s a fun place to hang out with friends.
The second pool is a bit more active. It has a waterfall cascading from the wall into the pool. Stand under it and you will get a mini-massage. It is louder, but just as warm and inviting as the quieter pool.
Several cushioned lounge chairs surround the “active” pool with magazines and tables. Oh, and did I mention that you can bring wine into the spa with you? They do ask that you put it in a plastic cup so there is no chance of glass breaking, but if you want to have a little bubbly in your tub you are more than welcome to indulge.
Dining
The Attic
- Dinner Hours: Friday – Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (full list of daily hours are available on the site)
- Favorite bite: Shaved Prosciutto, House-smoked Pork Ribs and Classic Pepperoni Pizza
- Favorite sip: Teixeiro, Vinho Verde, Portugal and Belle Pente, Pinot Gris, Oregon
Walk upstairs and get cozy on a couch, lounge chair or table as you sip wine or a specialty cocktail from the bar. Treat your taste buds to several flavors from the small-bites menu and settle in for an hour or two of diner’s delight. The atmosphere is unrushed. No one will be hovering over you hoping you will hurry up and leave so they can give your table to someone else.
We started our meal off with the Shaved Prosciutto, a combo of arugula with whole mustard seed mixed in with slices, not slivers, or prosciutto on top. The Smoked Parmesan plate was tasty, but next time I’ll save more room for a double order of the House-smoked Pork Ribs. These tangy bites of goodness heated up the tip of your tongue, but didn’t overwhelm your taste buds. With only a little room left we managed to sample a slice of the Classic Pepperoni Pizza. The Attic’s wood oven pizza baked the crust up nice and crisp, but squishy in the middle, just how this east coast native likes it.
Dessert was a hard decision. We went with the Salish Honey Strawberry Parfait and the Chocolate Pot de Crème. They looked so good that our neighboring table threatened to steal our desserts. We dove in to taste them separately and by the end we were mixing the two. I would have been happy with the honey-infused caramel-like sauce in the parfait, but together they created happiness on a spoon with each bite.
The Dining Room
- Brunch Hours: Friday – Sunday from 7va.m. to 2 p.m. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner hours are also available via their website)
- Favorite bite: Omelet with smoked salmon, goat cheese and spinach (also great with bacon) and season fruit and mint with Devonshire cream.
- Favorite sip: Cappuccino and Salish Signature Hot Chocolate Pot
Start or end your day in the formal Dining Room at Salish and you will have a happy meal. The atmosphere is a bit more sophisticated than The Attic, but it still feels like home … if you live in a gorgeous mansion, that is. Reservations are a must if you want to enjoy any meal here without a long wait.
If you stop in for brunch know that The Dining Room does not mess around. Their menu won’t fill pages, but it does have the perfect mix of simple and delicious plates that will have you wondering how you’ll ever walk to your car and drive home.
Our omelets were cooked to perfection, while the fruit plate let us pretend we were being healthy. The Lavender Brioche French toast was a bit too floral for my taste, but still a novel bite that my 4-year-old later devoured when I brought home the leftovers. Make sure you get a slab of honey butter to go along with your biscuits. Accept an invitation from your server to enjoy the honey fall as well. This 1916 tradition involves the server drizzling honey onto your biscuit from a few feet above your plate. The honey is more evenly distributed and it is entertaining to watch. Don’t worry, as far as I know they haven’t drizzled honey on anyone yet.
Know Before You Go
- Salish Lodge and Spa, 6501 Railroad Ave. SE, Snoqualmie, WA 98065
- Drive time: 30-45 minutes from Seattle
- What to pack: Cute, casual outfit for The Attic or something a bit nicer for dinner in The Dining Room (brunch is pretty relaxed), swimsuit for the spa pools and cash for tips.
- What to leave at home: your slippers and bathrobe (both are provided), stress, cares and worries.
Grab the best rates and availability on the Salish Lodge and Spa now!
Spa Specials
Sometimes you just need a quick escape for the day and Salish Lodge and Spa makes it easy with a couple of their specials.
Yoga: For $35, day visitors get a morning yoga class and unlimited access to the spa pools, sauna and steam room. Reservations must be made in advance
Rise and Relax: If you are an early bird, you won’t want to miss out on discounted spa treatments. Book a spa treatment Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m to 10 a.m. and you will receive $40 off the price of any 50-minute or 80-minute treatment, excludes manicures and pedicures. Not valid on holidays.
Smell the seasons: Each season brings a new fragrance to the spa. While I enjoyed apple in October, you can also dive into Pumpkin and Chai. The holidays will bring peppermint and pomegranate-spice scrubs, along with a mistletoe massage for two.
For more on our stay at Salish Lodge and Spa check out
Salish Lodge and Spa (Part 1) – Autumn rejuvenation
Many thanks to the Salish Lodge and Spa for providing lodging, activities and meals for the purposes of review and a bit of kid-free/mama bliss. As always, my opinions are my own; when they aren’t you will be the first to know.
Looks positively decadent. I would love to try that dermaLife spa jet….