Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort, Lenox

Intention. Inspiration. Integrative self-improvement. The Canyon Ranch spa program is designed to enable all three, along with access to state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and an expert team of health advisors. Whether you are looking for a full weeklong diagnostic, personalized wellness experience or a long weekend reset with concentrated spa treatments and clear takeaways for improving daily habits, energy, self-care and more, you’ll find it here. On this historic estate in Lenox, 126 comfortable rooms, an art lounge, lecture halls and demonstration kitchen for cooking classes are located on one side of the property, while the spa, gymnasiums, dining areas and medical offices are on the other. Highlights include the farm-to-table cuisine, hiking, kayaking and an abundance of classes and cultural excursions.

**The Standout:**The resort’s main hub, the 19th-century Bellefontaine Mansion, adorned with artwork and sculptures: take it all in with tea and a book by the fire in the wood-paneled library

Don’t Miss: Lenox’s abundant outdoor cultural activities and arts festivals—including Tanglewood or Jacob’s Pillow—or visits to Edith Wharton’s house and gardens at The Mount, and Herman Melville’s Arrowhead

• The extensive goal-oriented fitness and wellness activities—from stretching and muscle conditioning to mental health and watercolor classes
• The bucolic Berkshires setting
• The sculptures on display throughout the 120 acres of woodland

Similarly to Wheatleigh, Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort, Lenox, in the Berkshires is set around a turn-of-the-century mansion that was a "summer cottage" for a late 19^th-/early 20^th-century robber baron. When the property was built in the 1980s, a modern wing was added in the shape of a horseshoe, connecting to the original building, so that in the harsh Massachusetts winters, visitors can navigate the property without braving the cold. The 126 rooms, art lounge, lecture halls and demonstration kitchen are located on one side while the spa, gymnasiums, dining outlets and medical offices are on the other.

A destination spa that is highly goal-oriented, Canyon Ranch's stays are available only as part of a package, which includes multiple nights (there is a two-night minimum) and a certain number of meals, treatments, activities and classes. While there are à la carte options, the sense is more of an all-inclusive resort, and guests walk around carrying CR logo bags, water bottles and folders with their schedules typed out. The Week is the published weekly newsletter that outlines all available excursions, classes and events (each day's agenda requires at least two pages). A sampling of exercise options includes hiking, kayaking, aerobics, yoga, cycling, muscle conditioning, boxing, aqua aerobics, Pilates. There are also stretching classes, cooking classes, mental health lectures, knitting circles, watercolor classes and cultural excursions to nearby spots like Shakespeare & Company.

While the focus is clearly on wellness, the property could do with some updates to make rooms more comfortable and sophisticated. Décor is non-descript and a bit tired, and bathrooms are generic in feel.

Spa junkies.

Read Indagare’s tips on where to dine and shop and what to see and do in the Berkshires.

— Amelia Osborne Scott