Spa Feast kicks off Festival of the Waters
Berkeley Springs, a centuries-old resort town and today's "Spa Capital of West Virginia," will host a free sampling of its more than 50 bodywork and health-enhancing treatments at the 17th annual Spa Feast on Saturday morning, January 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Country Inn. Spa Feast is the first major weekend of Berkeley Springs' three-month Winter Festival of the Waters.
The three-hour fair showcases an array of health-giving therapies ranging from Shiatsu and LaStone massage to acupuncture, foot reflexology, facials and pedicures. Information booths provide samples of homeopathic remedies, locally made herbal oils and treats. Shop owners and professional staff are on hand to talk about special diets and holistic treatment for pets. There will be demonstrations as well as diagnostic tests from War Memorial Hospital. Door prizes, including massages and other treatments, and health and beauty products will be given every half hour.
Two new treatments are scheduled to be introduced at the 2007 Spa Feast by the Atasia Spa. The first is the new wash and scrub using pomegranate butter which launches a series of seasonal flavored scrubs. Atasia staff also plan a half-hour demonstration of Lomi Lomi Hawaiian massage at 12:30 p.m. With the massage therapist using long strokes of the underside of the forearm, Lomi Lomi is as fluid as the Hawaiian background music that times the treatment.
Spa Feast expands beyond the Saturday morning fair to a weekend of related activities, including spa treatment packages, healthy specials at local restaurants and sale prices on spa and health items at several downtown shops. Seekers of health and stress relief may experience in-depth versions of the samples at the fair, picking and choosing among the town's four full-service spas and collection of individual practitioners.
"With more than 50 treatments offered in town, going to the Spa Feast and sampling a few makes it easier to choose what you might want to do the rest of the weekend," said Laura Smith of Travel Berkeley Springs.
For information on the Saturday morning fair, Spa Feast specials and great lodging/spa packages call Travel Berkeley Springs at 1-800-447-8797, and ask for a Winter Festival of the Waters calendar covering events in January through March, or check the Berkeley Springs website at www.berkeley springs.com.
