Twin brothers Alfred and Albert Smiley founded Mohonk Mountain House in 1869 as a nature-oriented retreat for city dwellers. The rambling resort “a castle dramatically perched on New York’s Shawangunk mountains “reflects its founders’ respect for the environment. The Smiley family still view themselves as caretakers of the land, initiating rigorous recycling and water conservation measures.
A National Historic Landmark, the resort encompasses 2,200 acres surrounded by 30,000 acres of natural land. Ninety miles north of New York City, the Mountain House offers healthful, year-round getaways, with eighty-five miles of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, boating on Lake Mohonk, horseback riding, tennis, golf, and an ice-skating pavilion.
The Mountain House is going further to encourage renewal of mind, body, and spirit. This summer, the resort unveils the Mohonk Spa and Fitness Center, a 30,000-square-foot facility featuring an indoor heated pool, state-of-the-art exercise equipment, a body/mind studio, salon, and spa. The building reflects the resort’s Victorian-era design, but while its aesthetics look backward, it employs forward-thinking, ecologically sensitive design. The spa taps geothermal energy for its heating and cooling systems, and a sod roof on part of the building provides natural, green insulation. A barn-like structure with exposed wooden beams and windowed walls houses the new pool, providing natural light and expansive views.
Spa offerings also reflect environmental considerations; some treatments incorporate indigenous plants or organic herbs and flowers grown on the sod roof or throughout the grounds. The new spa reinforces Mohonk Mountain House’s aspiration to remain the same, only better.
For more information call (800) 772-6646 or visit www.mohonk.com
Bess Hochstein
May/June 2005
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