Architects bring the outside into luxury mountain spa.

One of the most striking features of the new 30,000 s/f multi-level spa wing, which just opened at historic Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, is its outside feel from within.

It's all due to the two, gracious 80-feet long, glass-enclosed verandas, and connecting solarium with stone fireplace, which wrap 'U'--shaped around the 16 treatment rooms. The 15-foot wide veranda offers visitors breathtaking year-round views of the cliffs surrounding Lake Mohonk and magnificent vistas of the Catskill Mountains.

Architects, Saratoga Associates, wanted to ensure that spa guests could enjoy the awe-inspiring beauty of this lofty crag of the Shawangunk Ridge paradise and the definitively porch-like veranda was designed to maximize that opportunity.

The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House capitalizes on its extraordinary natural setting as a way to enhance and heighten the relaxation and renewal of its guests. The challenge for Saratoga Associates, led by Senior Principal Michael Rudden AIA, and Andy Allison, Project Architect, was to create a spa wing as an extension to the turn of the century historic Mountain House that would "make improvements without appearing to make any changes," by seamlessly aligning with Mohonk's distinctive architecture, emulating neither high Victorian style nor Adirondack rustic lodge.

No stranger to Mohonk, Saratoga faced the same challenge in designing the resort's beloved native stone and wood truss award-winning Victorian Skating Pavilion, which opened in 2003, a structure so authentic that many find it hard to believe it's not part of the original resort.

Saratoga's aim was to use as many natural products and finishes as possible, for both the exterior and interior of the spa. Stone excavated from the mountain site, timber trusses, cedar shingles, and artifacts from local artisans were specified to complement the Mountain House's existing architectural character.

There is an outdoor stone terrace, with a six-person all-season mineral pool, and a "green roof" terrace to accommodate outdoor fitness and meditation activities. Indoors, a salon, expansive fitness center, motion room, and 60-foot-long pool, set within a wood truss and glass enclosure invite guests to be active

Inside, three fireplaces accent reception and sitting areas, and a fourth is the focal point in the largest massage room. Stained ash wainscoting, moldings and pine floors set the naturalistic theme throughout, while the walls provide a gallery for images of Mohonk.

"As architects for this 136-year old, historic 2,200-acre resort, our mandate was to ensure that the spa's ambiance was consistent with the physically and emotionally comfortable style of the original buildings, and at the same time that it embraced the natural landscape of the setting so as to make it both esthetically appealing and therapeutically restorative," said Mr. Rudden.

"We shared the 4th generation of the Smiley family's conviction and commitment to 'keeping Mohonk the same, only better' and worked collaboratively with the family leadership to create healing spaces that are spiritually uplifting--the best integration of timeless past and luxurious present, exactly what a 21st century spa in a historic setting should be."

Special features of the spa at Mohonk include an environmentally advanced geothermal system comprised of forty-eight 480 feet deep wells which uses the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool the building.

Of the 1,176 tons of the Shawangunk Ridge quartz conglomerate stone that was excavated from the building site, over 600 tons were used for the stone veneer, stone fireplaces, chimney and retaining walls. The remaining stone has been carefully stockpiled for future use.