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Hiking boots are among the necessary items to pack for the spa, that is if you’re attending the New Life Hiking Spa.
By Polly Lynn
MENDON — Travel + Leisure Magazine announced July 6 that New Life Hiking Spa has won the coveted spot as the No. 1 domestic destination spa. The announcement was made on the Today Show earlier this month and will be featured in the August issue of Travel + Leisure that hit the newsstands on July 15.
The second place finisher was Westglow Resort and Spa in Blowing Rock, N.C. and third place was The Ranch in Malibu, Calif.
This is the first time in the history of the award that a Vermont hotel or spa has won as the number one spa.
Travel + Leisure has put together its World’s Best award winners, based on the votes of over 200,000 readers on everything from airlines to spas.
Jacqui Gifford, from Travel + Leisure, was a guest on the Today Show to reveal the choices.
“It’s all about getting back to nature in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont,” said Gifford as she revealed New Life Hiking Spa as this year’s winner. New Life costs participants $229-$269 per person per night and is all-inclusive. Additionally, it has a 46 percent repeat rate, Gifford explained as additional proof of its popularity.
Founded in 1978 by Jimmy LeSage, M.S., New Life Hiking Spa is the spa-world’s truly authentic, low-key wellness getaway. It is offered just 20 weeks a year, when hiking is at its peak in Vermont.
Then, on the heels of getting the Travel + Leisure award and being featured on the Today Show for that distinction, New Life was also picked as a Top 20 finalist for USA Today’s “Best Health & Wellness Resorts” in America Readers Choice Awards. Votes will be collected over the next month.
“We are thrilled to be getting noticed with the ‘big boys’ of spas!” wrote owners Jimmy and Kathleen LeSage after the recent news. “We have a loyal following of friends who have come over the past 39 years to thank.”
