Bathed in Luxury: The Nordic spa at Alyeska Resort.

• Author: Newman, Amy
• Position: TOURISM

As if mountain slopes, mystic rainforest, and magnificent restaurants weren't enough to attract visitors to Girdwood, Alyeska Resort proffered another reason this year. Alyeska Nordic Spa is the first of its kind in the United States: an adults-only wellness spa with hot and cold pools, saunas, steam rooms, relaxation and massage spaces, an exfoliation cabin, and an on-site restaurant.

Pomeroy Lodging, the Alberta, Canada-based company that purchased the resort in December 2018, had no plans to add a Nordic spa when it took over, says CEO Ryan Pomeroy. But after witnessing the success of the Kananaskis Nordic Spa at its Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge west of Calgary, the company decided the experience was a good fit for Alyeska.

"The [Canadian spa] has been very successful, and it's really helped sort of reposition the resort and stabilize it," Pomeroy says. "[The Alyeska Nordic Spa] wasn't really in our initial plans, but I would say in early 2019, it became sort of evident that it would make a lot of sense in Alyeska, and we started planning then."

Covering 50,000 square feet of indoor space and 1.5 acres outdoors, the spa is the largest addition to Alyeska Resort since 1994, when both the Alyeska Prince Hotel and the Aerial Tram opened. The spa opened in phases throughout 2022, starting with massage offerings in January and the hydrotherapy pools in the summer, with all amenities fully opened in October.

The combined effect is enthralling, according to Pomeroy. "People who've never been to a wellness spa say. 'I'll be there for an hour," he says. "It's very easy to spend many, many hours there, especially if you go for a massage and take a break to eat. Once you go and experience it, you just sort of get it."

Rooted in Wellness

Nordic spas are based on the European spa tradition, which focuses more on wellness than aesthetics and incorporates hydrotherapy elements, Pomeroy says. That's in contrast to the typical American spa, where the primary focus is on indulgent pampering and self-care, although steam rooms and saunas are sometimes part of the American experience, they're more of a secondary element.

"When you think of a spa in North America, you think of a facility where you get your nails done, a pedicure, maybe a massage," Pomeroy says. "A Nordic spa is based on the practice of hydrotherapy cycles, which are going from hot to cold to rest. The heart of this concept is centered not around treatment, but wellness."

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