There was a time when fitness on the East End was centered on tennis courts, golf courses and stables, but the Sweaty Betty set has been edging out those in whites or jodhpurs. Even hotels, which might have once had a pool and a couple of bikes, are now offering pop-up classes from boutique fitness studios. Spa services, too, have gone beyond generic massages and facials to more high-tech therapies and rare treatments.
The summer’s most ambitious entry onto the wellness scene is Shou Sugi Ban House, a three-acre, Japanese-inspired, all-inclusive spa and retreat that opened last month in Water Mill. Apart from hiking and swimming, the destination offers a variety of fitness classes in studios equipped with ballet barres and TRX suspension trainers. Wind down with yoga, guided meditation, energy and breath workshops, or neuroacoustic baths said to channel the healing power of sound. Spa treatments include deep-tissue massage and facials that use a microcurrent to lift muscles. The resort offers half-day packages, while stays in one of the 13 suites require a three-day minimum visit.
The East End’s original spa refuge, Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, has always offered in-house workout sessions along with its array of seawater-inspired therapies, but this year, it’s leading the fitness pack. Expanding beyond its original oceanfront property to take over the former Montauk Yacht Club — now known as Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina — the haven offers weekend exercise classes from NYC hot spots including Gotham Gym, Flywheel, Dogpound, Tone House and Exhale.
Meanwhile, the perennially buzzy Surf Lodge has opened a separate wellness facility this summer called the Sanctuary. In addition to selling cruelty-free beauty products and activewear, it will present Y7 Yoga, as well as pilates workouts by Melissa Wood.
Also in Montauk, the hotel Solé East has added a choreographed workout from Dumbo studio Punch Pedal (known for its boxing/cycling hybrid classes), while the Maidstone in East Hampton (TheMaidstone.com) has introduced select weekend classes in its Zen gardens via a partnership with the fitness app JetSweat.
For those seeking peace rather than perspiration, Sag Harbor-based Tao Geomancy expert Stephen Quong will now offer lessons in the ancient practice, said to neutralize negative energy from the earth. The aim is to bring harmony to business, health and relationships. And halotherapy — the inhaling of saline-laced air, said to improve breath and skin — is the lure at Montauk Salt Cave. This season, nail services and facials are also on the menu.
For other glam needs, Sag Harbor beauty mecca Salon Xavier has brought in aesthetician Erica Leopold to premiere a triple whammy “dermal infusion.” (A machine shoots serums into your skin to smooth the surface and increase hydration.) Another cutting-edge facial has been unveiled at Skin by Veronica (631-259-2343) in Southampton. It combines radio frequency, which tightens the skin with intense pulsed light, to target fine lines and even skin tone.
Meanwhile, East Hampton’s skincare emporium Naturopathica has added a hydrofacial (imagine a power wash for your pores). Finally, the Baker House 1650 hotel is offering new facials from luxe Swiss brand Luzern, as well as complimentary yoga and passes to the East Hampton Gym — for the perfect balance of beauty and brawn.
