Topnotch Resort and Spa has the best of Stowe, Vermont, at its feet. Set on 120 wooded acres, the resort offers easy access to the Stowe Recreation Path for biking, walking, and cross-country skiing. Mount Mansfield, the ski capital of the East, and the Green Mountain National Forest are also nearby. The Spa at Topnotch invites guests to its fitness center to get in shape for all the local sports, then helps them stretch, unwind, and relax afterwards with treatments designed for the active.

The newly expanded Spa at Topnotch gleams with light wood, windows and skylights. The sleek, streamlined setting features thirty treatment rooms, a hair and nail salon, cardio fitness center, and a gym offering yoga and Pilates.

The Spa Experience

The Spa at Topnotch is designed to feel like a world away. Calming colors and minimalist furnishings in the indoor pool solarium foster a calm mood, and its wooden floors, ceilings, and exposed rafters echo the woods beyond the windows. From the two outdoor pools, views of the lush Green Mountains are stunning.

Men visiting the Spa at Topnotch enjoy a full spa menu that includes facials, massages, sports stretching, and sports-specific personal training. They can sink into soft leather chairs in their own lounge to enjoy a comfortable club atmosphere with cricket bats on the walls, a fireplace, and a plasma TV.

Pampering Treatments

After a workout at the Spa at Topnotch’s fitness center, I checked in at the sleek spa desk and enjoyed some fresh fruit, sipped some mineral water, and cooled off with a chilled towel. The fireplace in the waiting area crackled, and I looked forward to a classic Swedish massage to coax out all the knots and stress in my muscles.

I loved the touch of luxe from the beaded silk throw on the massage table — it made me feel spoiled as I snuggled under the sheet. I asked my therapist to spend some extra time on my trouble spots – my neck and upper back – and she expertly smoothed out the kinks.

My pedicure began over a cup of herbal tea while the therapist guided my feet into a mixture of lactic acid and pomegranate – a strange-sounding combo that softened every inch of my feet. I sank back into the chair as my therapist scuffed things up a bit with a lemon-sugar scrub, then smoothed them out with a papaya enzyme mask – a potent dose of anti-oxidants for my feet.

As I was leaving, my therapist pointed out the couple’s treatment room. A private room made complete by a fireplace, it looks like just the spot for a treatment – times two – and the specialty for couples at Topnotch is the Vermont herbal fusion wrap featuring Vermont sage, cedar, and lavender.

Indulgences and Added Amenities

The Spa at Topnotch offers a number of specialty services, and when I visit again, I’m considering acupuncture for weight-loss, lifestyle coaching, or a consultation on Chinese herbal medicine. A Medi-Spa on the campus offers Botox or Restylane treatments. I can also bring my little best friend along – she’ll appreciate the Spa at Topnotch’s pampering pooch treatment, with, if you can believe it, a rover reiki treatment just for dogs.