From left to right: Spa cuisine 101: a kitchen demo at Pennsylvania’s
Lodge at Woodloch; chef Charlie Trotter; healthy fare from Tuscany’s
L’Andana hotel and spa; chef Alain Ducasse, spiced pear and fig in
phyllo from the recipe book Canyon Ranch Cooks.

Pennsylvania’s Lodge at Woodloch does several things very
well. Treatments, for one—a must for any spa expecting to
lure nearby New Yorkers to a wooded outpost. Privacy, for
another—from the locker rooms to the sauna and outdoor
trails, you feel as if you’re the only one there. That sense of
being alone disappears, however, at Tree, the spa’s dining room, where guests gather in plush robes and yogawear to glean healthy-cooking tips from chef Mark Timms and sample his offerings—the real draw these guests are gushing over. The savory scent of tender seared duck breast blends with the sweetness of cherries in a Port wine sauce, while cinnamon
and cardamom awaken a sweet-potato purée on the tongue.

The overall spa-going experience has shifted from fluff-and-buff to a focus on healthy lifestyle, inside and out, as more and more people are planning vacations around gastro-travel. The standard mind-body and massage spa menus have been expanded and refined to focus on another body part: the tummy. And under this new philosophy, spa cuisine has evolved from deprivation to delicious moderation. Close to one in five US spas now offer some type of culinary experience, from week-long cooking schools (Rancho La Puerta in Baja California pioneered the spa cooking school) to trendy cookbooks (Canyon Ranch).

And who better to offer something delicious than celebrity chefs? Lending star wattage to the menu, Michelin three-star chef Alain Ducasse opened his trattoria at the L’Andana hotel and spa in Tuscany, and Charlie Trotter is collaborating on a new luxury spa program with a focus on cuisine at Chicago’s Elysian Hotel and Private Residences. Having already designed menus for One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico, Trotter says he enjoyed the challenge there of creating food rich in texture and flavor, not butter and cream. He even pairs dishes with non-alcoholic beverages that feature good-for-you ingredients such as rosemary and wheatgrass. “People want to eat healthier in all areas of life,” he says.

At Woodloch, the lunch and breakfast buffets have food portioned out into proper servings—it’s up to diners to curb their impulses and stick to one helping, which is tough because the food is appetizing. “Health food,” explains Chef Timms, “doesn’t have to be boring.” There’s even dessert. A petite blueberry crème, made with silken tofu and rice milk, tastes satisfyingly rich. I’m not the only one: I hear a distinct “ooooh” and then an “ahhhh” from nearby tables when the rich, low-calorie chocolate cheesecake and Earl Grey crème brûlée arrive.

Timms, who previously owned and ran restaurants where butter was a typical flavor staple, is the perfect example of the kind of lifestyle change that spas hope to promote with the emphasis on good food: He lost 16 pounds in his first two months at Woodloch. Now, his chef’s coat hangs loosely from his broad shoulders, and he swears by his morning superfood smoothie made from blueberries, spinach and apple juice.

People go to spas to recharge and change—physically, mentally, spiritually. Cuisine plays a big part in accelerating that change.

Chefs everywhere are starting to retool their menus to reflect these healthier yet creative, flavor-forward choices. The chefs at Canyon Ranch replace dairy with puréed nuts when making their thick roasted parsnip soup, and Trotter uses yogurt to build richness in sauces, adding fresh herbs and spices for depth. Alex Schnoop, the chef at the famed Golden Door Spa in Carefree, Arizona, recommends substituting olive oil for butter and adds skim milk curds for flavor.

Meanwhile, it’s standing-room-only at Timms’ Woodloch culinary class, where the edges of his five ounce cubes of salmon are turning white in an olive oil bath. He skins another fillet by sliding the edge of his hand like a knife between the skin and the meat, a technique that works only on fresh salmon, he adds. Acolytes wanting low-cal wisdom scribble down recipe and technique notes. He freely gives away his secrets: cream cheese instead of butter and cream in baked goods like his snickerdoodle cookies, wild mushrooms such as shiitake and chanterelles instead of button.

Timms describes how he hopes diners feel after eating his dishes: “clean, more alert and more alive.” He researches the food he plates—where it comes from but also what it does to the body. For instance, the blueberries he uses in his morning smoothie and in desserts have brain-protecting phytochemicals that work to increase clear-headedness and brain power. As in other spas with a food focus, nutritionists vet the menus to ensure each dish has the perfect proportion of healthy fats, protein, whole grains and vitamins.

Amping up the cuisine at spas is a natural evolution. People go to spas to recharge and change—physically, mentally, spiritually. Cuisine plays a big part in accelerating that change. Eating consciously, guests make a deep connection between the body, the natural world and
the food on the table. Now, the ingredients in your meals are starting to provide the same healthy glow as the lavender oils in your massage.