Southern comforts in Texas Hill Country

I’ve always considered myself a sturdy swimmer (I’m the one who will jump in almost any body of clear water given the chance), but I wanted to fine-tune my technique. Little did I know how much work I really needed. My swimming instructor, Paul Smith, meant business, and for the entire hour I swam and swam up and down the length of one of the most appealing pools in the world — 75 feet long and set within a glass-walled barn. The massive ceiling seemed miles overhead as I tried out new strokes, attempting to breathe and kick with some level of coordination.

Smith, like many of the fitness staffers at Lake Austin, doubles as a meditation instructor and personal trainer when not in the pool. Katherine Coffee, who led an exceptional stretching class, took me through one-on-one posture analysis and stability ball–based core-strength training. Chef Terry Conlan stepped out of the kitchen to give a cooking demonstration, and Trisha Shirey, the spa’s director of flora and fauna, walked us through rows of organic herbs, vegetables and flowers that were ultimately destined for dinner and decor.

Though all are flawlessly patient, cheerful and professional, Dr. Deborah Kern, the spa’s executive director of lifestyle enrichment, offers that and something else. Known to guests, friends and colleagues as Dr. Deb, her role is to bridge the divide between health and happiness by implementing therapies that nurture both.

One of these is Phoenix Rising, a cathartic combination of body-mind psychology and yoga that bypasses analytical thought in favor of the innate wisdom of the body. “It helps release stress and tension that is held in the body and clears the mind,” Kern says, adding that the technique often reveals steps needed to achieve “your highest good.” While I laid on a soft mat on the floor, she pressed me gently into various yoga-like positions, holding me there as she asked just the right questions to get to the root cause of my spiritual unease. Tears trickled out as did a few giggles, and 80 minutes later I was a lighter, more directed human being.

In my experience, it is offerings like this that distinguish a destination spa visit from those of most day or resort spas. Destination spas present the possibility of transformation, more than just relaxation or pampered grooming. Mind and body are engaged and renewed. Spirit and flesh are challenged. Having arrived at this privileged state, I wanted nothing more on my final night at Lake Austin than to savor its peaceful energy in the magical confines of the pool barn. En route to my swim, I listened to the vibration of the land’s true denizens, the sand-colored amphibians that were filling the night with their call. Stepping into the softly lit pool barn, its windowed walls glistening in the darkness, the sound of nature gave way to soft Indian ragas. And I slipped into a self-prescribed nirvana.

Address Book: Texas
Lake Austin Spa Resort, LakeHouse Spa, Austin, (800) 847-5637, lakeaustin.com.

Spa Magazine  portrays the full-depth of the spa experience and ways to live it every day. Dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to pursue health of body and mind, Spa Magazine  presents a contemporary view of spas worldwide.

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