Mirbeau Inn & Spa is a 34-room inn and spa in the Finger Lakes, legendary for its beauty. But how can an inn in chilly New York pretend it’s somewhere in Provence, right down to the replica of Monet’s bridge and a pond with water lilies? Could Mirbeau really pull it off?
I got a chance to find out when Mirbeau Inn & Spa launched a special Fresh Start cleaning retreat. I was a little concerned while driving, the parking lot surrounds the inn. There was cheesy French coffee music as I walked through the doors. And was the receptionist really wearing a beret?
But then I sat in the lobby (something that is rarely done in the walk-in areas of large resorts) and took a deep breath. The room was human-sized, with comfortable sofas and a fireplace. The windows looked out onto a pond, Monet’s green bridge, and the nice warm yellow buildings. He could really believe he was in a European inn. So far so good!
However, my “detox” got off to a rocky start, as it was Sunday, and a big delicious carrot cake from Sunday brunch was still outside, calling me. Fortified with sugar, I went to my room, one of the cabins that has a larger guest room and living room. I loved my room. It had a gas fireplace, trees outside the window, and a large claw foot tub.
There was an arrival gift of a box of herbal teas from Tea Forte, known for its high-quality individual silk bags, special for Fresh Start program participants. Pleasant!
Mirbeau Inn & Spa is just outside Skaneateles (pronounced skinny atlas) is a rich and perfect town located on the north end of Skaneateles Lake, the highest of the Finger Lakes. There are nearby wineries (Anyelas Vineyard overlooks the lake), shopping in the picturesque town, and day trips to nearby Seneca and Aurora Falls.
Setting our intentions
But my group was very focused on ourselves! This special program only lasted two days, with several speakers to help us help ourselves. The first night, we gathered as a group for a “Tea Ceremony and Purification Ritual,” led by yoga teacher and raw food advocate Judiann Cesta. She talked about the benefits of raw food and how to purify and detoxify our lives in general, getting rid of toxic people, for example, and taking purifying breaths throughout the day.
Judiann talked about setting intentions and how having an altar at home can help with that. We wrote down five things we were thankful for, something we need more of, and something we want to get rid of. Each piece of paper went into a group basket that went on the altar.
Then we received another welcome gift: a beautiful loose ‘Kati’ teacup with a lid to keep warm. (Buy Now) We drank a cup of special detox tea together.
Then he went to dinner, where there were more detox hurdles! We were in the beautiful and romantic main dining room, famous for its steaks. It’s no wonder the chef hasn’t nailed the detox menu. It’s just not his thing.
Mirbeau is also known for its wine list. The tables were set with glasses of wine. And the Wine Bar keeps 16 excellent bottles in special condition so you can order a glass and make sure it’s in perfect condition. We succumbed and ordered organic wine. The next night, I totally went out of reserve and had a steak. And it was everything a good steak should be: tasty, juicy, tender, and perfectly cooked. Just not detoxifying.
A spa with fireplaces in the rooms
Judiann is taking a firmer hand in future Fresh Start retreats. The menus will be 80% raw and free of dairy, meat, wheat, gluten, refined sugars, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol. And the group will dine in a separate space, away from temptations! (If you want the romance and the steak and the good wine, you can go anytime!)
When we returned to our rooms, the bath had been prepped with two heaps of herbs (chamomile and rosemary) and a miniature bottle of Aromatherapy Associates essential oil blend (buy now). I got into the bathtub. Candy.
The next morning we had a great yoga class with Judiann, one of several instructors in the mind and body studio. (You can also get personal training and nutritional counseling.) Then she went to the spa for the first of our two 50-minute spa treatments, included in the package price.
This beautiful spa was designed by Sylvia Sepielli, with fireplaces in most of the 18 treatment rooms. After you take off your robe, you enter the rest area, a round, dark room, almost womb-like with paintings of classical figures on the walls, a large stone in the middle surrounded by a stream of warm water in the you can put your feet and a fireplace It also has the most comfortable chairs to relax before or after your treatments.
I chose an aromatherapy ritual, using those great Aromatherapy Associates oils, but when it turned out that the lymphatic drainage protocol was too gentle for my sore shoulders, the therapist adapted. Nice job! He also gave me stretching and posture tips to address my issues at home, which most therapists don’t.
Make our own essential oil blends
In the afternoon we had a wonderful essential oil workshop with Amy Jane Stewart from Organica Jane, a certified massage therapist and aromatherapist who appeared on the Dr. Oz show with her natural hand remedy. She showed us how to make our own essential oil blends based on what we wanted them to do and the scents that appealed to us.
That night we had a guided meditation with Wil Alaura in the rest area, but the loungers were so comfortable that I slept most of the time. Then, by the fire, he showed us how to use a pendulum to help answer questions.
There was another yoga class the next morning, and another amazing spa treatment, this time a deep tissue massage from an incredibly skilled, powerful, and well-trained Russian therapist. (She studied three years in Russia.) Sometimes it was even a little more than she could bear, but I let her go for it, and it came out knots that she didn’t even know were there.
The final talk was a “Balanced Living” workshop with Jessica Charbonneau, a social worker who guided us through a mindful eating exercise, where we focused on the smell, taste and texture of food as we ate it. She told us how to distinguish between stomach hunger, ocular hunger (carrot cake), and nasal hunger, and how to work with old patterns like overeating.
I can’t say that I detoxed, but I learned a lot. And Mirbeau beat me. I even liked the music from the French cafe when I left!
Mirbeau Inn & Spa at a glance:
Spa type: Inn Spa
851 West Genesee Street, Skaneateles, New York. 13152
Phone: 877-647-2328 or 315-685-1927 (spa)
Website: www.mirbeau.com
