Feed Your Chi
Come down from the mountains for a lunch break in Woodstock at the Garden Café, where new owner Lea Fridrich has made subtle yet sensational adjustments to the organic and vegan menu. Order a green juice or smoothie at the just-opened juice bar outside, and sample new entrées such as the Indian Red Lentil Vegetable Enchilada, served in a spiced tomato-coconut sauce with sides of curried apple salad and sautéed greens.
Enter the Vortex
Here's a wellness hot spot to bookmark for fall: Simhara Holistic Spa & Healing Sanctuary in Stone Ridge. Closed in August, the sanctuary will be relaunching this fall and is poised for refinements of its treatments and vision. Located in a bio-harmonized Dutch stone house on an idyllic property featuring what owner Dr. Simone Harari describes as "a rare natural energy vortex," Simhara has a vast menu of offerings, from standard spa fare to "divine energy frequency healing" and aromatherapy (the Raindrop Technique, for example, draws on the Lakota tradition and Tibetan reflexology). "If you just want a great massage or facial, it's here, in a beautiful, peaceful, relaxing setting," says Harari. "If you want to go deeper into the energetic and the spiritual, that's available too."
Reach for Cloud 9
In Kingston, Birch Body Care is on a mission to make great bodywork accessible and affordable, with a menu of main course and á la carte offerings from "a team of therapists that's unrivalled at most spas," says owner Ani Kaiser. The signature Birch Body Treatment starts with a full-body Indian dry-brushing, followed by customized oils and a heat wrap; Kaiser recommends capping it off with a 30- or 60-minute massage for uber bliss. (Afterwards, the boutique area is fun to comb for treasures like salt scrubs, oils, perfumes, and more.) With its unique take on drive-by wellness, Birch offers massage by the minute ($2/min. for 10–20 min.) and even a Power Nap option in one of the quiet treatment rooms, complete with a blanket, eye pillow, and cranial cradle for sweet dreams.
