By Michele McIntyre –
I’ve just arrived at Mirbeau Inn & Spa again after a several year hiatus. As soon as I drive through the gates onto the 12-acre property, I ask myself, “Why don’t I come here more often?” I live only 30 minutes from this award winning world-class spa and I need to make a point to come here more often. Mirbeau Inn & Spa, located in Skaneateles, NY is an intimate, year-round French country-style retreat for rejuvenation and romance, offering gracious hospitality, award-winning cuisine, and world-class spa treatments in the heart of Central New York’s Finger Lakes wine region.
Mirbeau Inn & Spa is the only Forbes Four-Star Award winner for hotel, spa and restaurant in New York, and a AAA Four-Diamond winner. It is also distinguished by the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, Top Ten Spas in the World in the categories of romance and cuisine in Spa Finder’s Annual Readers’ Choice Awards, and Top Five Spas for Couples in the World in back-to-back years of Spa Magazine’s Silver Sage Readers’ Choice Favorites. Mirbeau was recently named one of the Top Twenty Small Resorts in the US by Condé Nast Magazine.
A popular vinotherapy service, The Press’d for Time facial (50 minutes, $140-$150), was performed by my talented and nurturing esthetician, Jennifer. I slipped into the heated treatment bed and fell under the spell of the perfectly choreographed but never perfunctory European cleansing ritual. Picking up on Jennifer’s knowledge of skincare, I felt like chatting during the treatment and Jennifer was excellent at taking my conversation cues. When I asked her the impact of about diet and lifestyle on the skin, we had an excellent discussion on the topic. When I was ready to relax, Jennifer offered me the opportunity. The treatment itself uses wine essences containing antioxidants, grape seed oils and extracts and finishes with hydration for the eyes and lips – two areas often forgotten in traditional facials.
Mirbeau’s Executive Chef Stephen Landon prepared a healthful vegetable-infused menu for just for guests of the retreat: lentil cakes with pepper salsa, poached salmon with ginger infused braised greens and arugula and radish salad with vegetable fajita’s were just some of the menu offerings we sampled. But Mirbeau’s regular menu was very difficult to resist, especially in the evening when the dining room takes the form of a French Steakhouse. If I told you how good the Hummingbird Cake was, a cross between carrot cake and banana bread with pecans, cream cheese icing, and served with crème anglaise, then you’d know exactly how tempted I was.
The retreat opened with a purification ritual and tea ceremony led by Judiann Cesta, who became our informal “detox coach” for the retreat, offering morning yoga classes and schooling us in the basics of the raw food movement/lifestyle. A custom herbal detoxifying tea had been blended for us to combat free radical and purify the body. During the purification ritual, we selected from a pile of cards that would signify our intention for the retreat. My intention was mindfulness, something I struggle with in daily life and have longed to practice. We learned from Judiann that a diet consisting of 80% raw foods has been proven to improve digestive health, lighten dispositions, heal ailments, promote weight loss and awaken the senses.
When we return to our rooms after the evening activities, our claw-foot bathtubs have been prepared with all the ingredients needed for a relaxing in-room aromatherapy bath. All that is left for us to do is to add water, pour in the Revive Evening Bath & Shower Oil (Aromatherapy Associates) when the tub is almost full, and sprinkle in the dried chamomile flowers and whole rosemary. At the advice of our detox coach, I resist turning on the TV. It’s an excellent way to cap off the evening.
The morning began with detoxifying yoga with Judiann. In the afternoon, Amy Jane (Organicajane.com) led a hands-on essential oils workshop where we got to make our own customized oil or lotion-based blend. Essential oils are cold pressed or steam distilled from plants, known to detoxify and help digestive and circulatory systems.
While the retreat went on for two nights, I had planned to return home after only one night. That evening, I missed out on a spirit cleansing meditation experience led by internationally recognized energy and medical intuitive healer, Wil Alaura. The next morning, Judiann again led the group in detoxifying yoga. To wrap-up the retreat, health and wellness teacher Jessica Charbonneau, concluded with a balanced living workshop on mindfulness. The irony that I missed out on the very workshop that corresponded with my intention for the retreat is not lost on me. I have no doubt that I need to return to Mirbeau again very soon.
To bring the Mirbeau Fresh Start Cleansing Retreat into your kitchen each morning, try the very simple recipe for a Blackberry Banana Detox Smoothie, which was served to us the first morning of our retreat.
Ingredients:
• 1 ripe banana (high in natural fiber)
• 1 ½ c. (8 oz.) frozen blackberries (high in natural fiber)
• 1 c. fresh orange juice (citrus)
• 2 tbl. toasted wheat germ (to provide additional fiber)
Directions:
• Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth (1 – 1 ½ min.)
Servings:
• About 2
Nutritional Information (per serving):
• 208 Calories
• 0 g. Saturate Fat
• 1 g. Unsaturated Fat
• 0 mg. Cholesterol
• 48 g. Carbohydrates
• 3 mg. Sodium
• 5 g. Protein
• 9 g. Fiber
851 West Genesee Street
Skaneateles, NY 13152
1-877-MIRBEAU (647-2328)
http://www.mirbeau.com/
Michele McIntyre is a freelance spa, travel & wellness writer who is happiest when lying face up on a treatment table or writing about her spa and travel experiences. She lives near Syracuse, NY with her husband and son. She is a regular contributor to Today’s Central New York Woman Magazine and is a National Spa Examiner for Examiner.com. Michele’s adventures have been featured on a variety of websites including a stint as a guest spa blogger on Tripology and as a storyteller on TripAtlas.