Stone Creek Club & Spa in Covington
A Passion for Healthy Lifestyles
One of The Northshore’s earliest and most profitable industries was health and wellness, due in part to its clean air and an artesian aquifer that lies beneath St. Tammany Parish. Local health resorts enticed visitors from all around to breathe The Northshore’s special ‘ozone air’ and the cleansing scent of abundant pines, to imbibe from the area’s pristine springs and bathe in the healing, mineral-rich waters. In 1891, the US government even declared Covington, Louisiana “the healthiest place in the United States.”
Fast forward one hundred-plus years and you’ll find healthy lifestyles and a passion for our rich, natural heritage still at the center of Northshore life. The old health resorts may be long gone, but new healing and rejuvenating spa adventures await you and your partner on your next romantic getaway to The Northshore.
From a cozy couple’s massage while sipping champagne to basking together in the healing energy of a rustic salt room or reconnecting lightheartedly in a charming, secluded garden over mimosas and a delicious lunch, you’ll find all the traditional and most up-to-date spa luxuries and treatments you could wish for here on The Northshore.
In fact, the problem won’t be finding a place to book your romantic spa getaway but deciding which spa to choose!
Each spa featured here offers a tantalizing variety of massage and bodywork therapies, luxe body treatments, manicures, pedicures, facials and specialty packages. Some also offer tanning, make-up application, salt therapy, infrared saunas and more. The possibilities, it seems, are endless.
Which is why I’m going to do my best to help you narrow your search with a short dive into five Northshore spa favorites.
Hot stone massage at Woodhouse Spa, Slidell
Five Spas to Know
If your philosophy of romance subscribes to the adage “the couple that plays together, stays together” and your ideal spa day includes a yoga class, an invigorating swim and a cold plunge, you might prefer to book your services at Stone Creek Club & Spa in Covington or O Spa at Franco’s Athletic Club in Mandeville. Guests of these spas enjoy access to all club classes and amenities for the day.
At both Stone Creek and Franco’s, the spa is a lush, full-service experience. Although these spas are in spacious, state-of-the-art health clubs, they maintain their own identity and are set off from the main club. When you enter the spa doors, outside sounds and distractions disappear, along with your worries and cares.
Stone Creek is tucked away among dense-canopied trees and bordered by a peaceful creek where you’ll often spot basking turtles and the occasional white egret hunting patiently along the shore. Request the Couple’s Massage in their beautiful double suite and bliss out together on cozy side-by-side tables. Afterwards, you can connect with nature and each other over a glass of wine and a refreshing spa lunch in their tranquil private garden.
O Spa’s romantic couple's massage service is accompanied by complimentary champagne and aromatherapy. Customize your experience together by adding one of their nourishing head-to-toe rejuvenating body wraps or other signature treatments.
Nail treatments at The Oasis Day Spa, Mandeville
Our next stop is the popular, locally owned business, The Oasis Day Spa in Mandeville, a relaxation and wellness pioneer in the Northshore community since 2003. The Oasis combines ancient and modern total body care techniques and practices to serve the wellness needs of their guests. Every Oasis wellness experience is customizable. The Oasis pre-service questionnaire and consultation help their friendly, knowledgeable staff ensure that your needs and wishes for your spa experience are expertly fulfilled.
Since our current need involves romance, you’ll want to request The Oasis’ dreamy, stress-melting, side-by-side massage for couples. You can also choose from a host of enticing therapeutic and aesthetic services to enjoy separately, such as the rejuvenating and exotic Moroccan Rassoul body treatment and the aptly named ‘Destination Relaxation’ spa package. Regroup together afterwards in The Oasis’ posh lounge, feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Shower burst tablets from EarthSavers Spa + Store, Mandeville
Earthsavers Spa & Store is also a long-time local staple. For over 30 years, Earthsavers has advocated the idea of beauty from the inside out. They opened the first Earthsavers in New Orleans and later expanded to The Northshore, now with locations in Uptown, Metairie and Mandeville. They offer their own line of wellness products, specialty healing massages, as well as traditional massage therapy, reflexology and spa day packages. They do not offer couple’s massages but are happy to book you and your partner at the same time for your treatments.
Last, but not least on our list of Northshore spa getaway destinations, are The Woodhouse Spas, a luxury spa franchise focused on providing an immersive, holistic spa wellness experience. Woodhouse Spas offer a Couple’s Retreat massage package among their many unique services, which also include sensory-rich spa rituals, salt therapy and an infrared sauna. St. Tammany has two locations, The Woodhouse Day Spa in Mandeville and The Woodhouse Day Spa in Slidell.
Body contour treatment at EarthSavers Spa + Store, Mandeville
An Easy Escape to Extend a Romantic Getaway
The Northshore, despite its sprawling size, remains a small community at heart. There is no one better to pose the question “What should we do next?” than to your friendly, local spa staff. The romance doesn’t have to end when you step out of the spa doors.
The Northshore is overflowing with beautiful parks and rivers where you can glamp, kayak, canoe, fish or just walk holding hands and enjoying nature’s beauty and peace. The Mandeville lakefront is the perfect place for a sunset or sunrise stroll alongside Lake Pontchartrain. There are cozy cafes, award-winning restaurants, hundreds of unique shops and a lively music and arts scene to explore. Whatever romance means to you and your partner, don’t hesitate to ask your hosts to suggest the next leg of your adventure together.
Professional self-care therapies in a beautiful, relaxing setting can help you reconnect with yourself, which opens the door to reconnecting more fully, creatively and lovingly with each other. And isn’t that the point? Your romantic spa getaway is what you make of it—invigorating, fun and luxurious or quiet, restorative and nourishing. It can be a pause for peace and renewal in the day’s plans or an entire day of rejuvenation and relaxation. All these wonderful possibilities and more are waiting for you here on The Northshore.
O Spa at Franco's Health Club, Mandeville
Liz Bragdon is a Movement Educator, Aerial Instructor and Storyteller in historic downtown Covington. You can find her year-round at Our Place Studio, and in the summers at local libraries throughout southeast Louisiana performing her "Tales With a Twist: Stories That Move!" program for kids. www.astoryinmotion.com