For many, ‘tis the season to be SAD. Believed to be a physiological manifestation of deprivation of full-spectrum light during the time of year when daylight hours are shortest and outdoor activity restricted by wintry weather, Seasonal Affective Disorder may be easy to ignore when we’re dashing from task to task in preparation for Yuletide festivities. But when the pace suddenly slows down, many of us find ourselves getting depressed. And women in particular who have burned themselves out trying to make Christmas or Hanukkah perfect for their families are more susceptible than most to this seasonal emotional free-fall.
That’s why it’s especially important in January to look for ways to treat ourselves with a little extra kindliness. Maybe someone near and dear to you had the foresight to know that you would really need a gift certificate to a spa when the holiday furor was all over. Then again, if you’re like most of us, this is the sort of present that you have to give to yourself. Well, now’s the time; and there’s no better place to indulge yourself in a day of rejuvenation than the Travel & Leisure poll-topping Day Spa at Mohonk Mountain House, a full-service spa and salon featuring massage, body treatments, hair, skin and nail care. Private wellness instruction, water cures and special treatments for couples, men and teens are also available.
There are lots of different options amongst which you can select at Mohonk, ranging in price from $35 for a 25-minute “express” manicure to $240 for a full-day “Getaway” package including full-length massage and facial. But the best deal is the $175 Day Spa and Meal Package, which includes your choice of a massage, facial or manicure/pedicure combo plus lunch and all-day use of the facility’s heated indoor pool, sauna, mineral bath, fitness center and fitness classes. Visit www.mohonk.com/Spa-Fitness/Day-Spa for the full menu of healthy, stress-busting self-indulgences, or call (877) 877-2664.
Then again, maybe you need more than a day’s worth of healing right now. If workshops with titles like “People-Pleasing Does Not Please People” and “How to Let Go without Leaving Claw Marks” sound like they were meant just for you, you might want to invest in the special retreat for women only that is being offered for overnight guests at Mohonk Mountain House next weekend, January 6 through 8. Titled “Self in the Balance: Let Go and Let the Magic Happen,” the seminar is led by the popular holistic health practitioner Anne Elizabeth Quinn, MS, CASAC. The schedule includes afternoon tea and a welcome event on Friday evening, workshops on Saturday and Sunday mornings and late Saturday afternoon and a film presentation on Saturday evening. There will be free time in the middle of the day for spa visits (by appointment) or outdoor recreation.
For the “Self in the Balance” weekend, a 25 percent discount off regular Mountain House rates is being offered. Special rates begin at $199 per person per night double occupancy, $298 per night single occupancy, plus taxes and gratuities, with a two-night minimum stay required. Inclusive rates feature breakfast and lunch buffets, dinner with table service and afternoon tea and cookies; most activities, including yoga, meditation and fitness classes, ice-skating in the pavilion, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing (weather permitting); and use of the indoor heated pool and fitness center in the Spa wing.
For reservations, call (800) 772-6646 or visit www.mohonk.com. For details about the “Self in the Balance” program, download the brochure at www.mohonk.com/content/download/932/8710/version/1/file/brochurethselfinbalance.pdf.
Join the family! 
