The Spa at Stein Eriksen Lodge reopens

(Park Record) The Stein Eriksen Lodge reopened its four-star spa Dec. 5 after a massive renovation that converted the 500-square-feet area to a 20,000-square-foot facility that the lodge hopes will rival any in the city including the Golden Door at Dakota Mountain Lodge or those at St. Regis and to be at The Montage.

Spa director Jill VanAusdal said the new spa will have 16 treatment rooms (compared to nine previously), an expanded pool deck (by 2,000 square feet) with an outdoor fireplace and a food cabana.

"We have been turning people away because we're too busy in the winter," she said. "Our owners saw a need to remain competitive and meet guests' needs."

Some businesses are holding off on needed expansions because of the recession, but VanAusdal said the timing couldn't be better.

"I've been here three years, and we've needed this then," she said. "We saved by doing it now versus in two years."

Originally, hotels began adding spas because reviewers wanted them. Today, VanAusdal said, spas have become integral parts of a hotel's mission. At Stein Eriksen Lodge, the spa is designed to help sore and weary skiers have a good night sleep and feel ready to hit the slopes again in the morning.

They still get guests who want a nail treatment or a massage as an alternative to skiing, but each winter, the après ski timeframe is consistently their busiest, she said.

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