The city lights faded behind me as I headed west, bound for the hardwood forests, wide skies and rolling hills of West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains. I drove rather than traveled by carriage, stagecoach or train, but like the early visitors I was drawn here for the resort’s famed therapeutic waters.
Known by many as “America’s Resort,” The Greenbrier first opened in 1778, nine years before the U.S. Constitution. In those early years the sulfur springs were the main attraction, praised for easing rheumatism and other common ailments thanks to their high mineral content and naturally warm temperatures. The practice of “taking the waters” became a ritual and a symbol of status, with visitors bathing and socializing amid some of the nation’s most prominent travelers.
Today the ritual lives on as The Greenbrier Treatment. I chose it to connect with the resort’s long legacy. Though the spa has modern comforts — plush bathrobes, a complimentary snack station and the resort’s signature peach tea — the core of the experience remains rooted in tradition. On paper it might sound like a bath, a shower and a massage, but at The Greenbrier, each step reveals a deeper intent.
© Greenbrier Spa
My treatment began in a private room. The bathroom was dimly lit with candles beside a preheated tub where spring water bubbled quietly. My therapist framed the 20-minute soak as a guided meditation, explaining that the calcium-, magnesium- and sulfate-rich water acts like a natural supplement while the buoyant environment eases tension and pain. Left alone with iced peach tea and a quiet moment, I let myself disconnect.
When she returned, she helped me into a robe and slippers and led me to an older-looking chamber that housed a Swiss Shower outfitted with 17 shower heads from head to toe. From a control panel at the other end of the room she operated two powerful nozzles, the same kind of system early guests used to stimulate circulation. The single-stream sprays were guided with purpose and skill, transforming pressure into a precise water massage that targeted sore muscles and reawakened tired joints.
In more than 88 countries I’ve visited numerous spas, but this shower was unique. Warm water cascaded from multiple angles until the tension in my shoulders eased and my feet relaxed. Though I stood upright, the sensation was one of buoyant support that allowed me to fully surrender to the moment.
When the water stopped, I reflected on how forward-thinking those first wellness seekers had been to adapt such a simple system for circulation therapy. It was remarkable that a concept developed centuries ago still delivered powerful, tangible results.
© Greenbrier Spa
I changed into a fresh robe and slippers and moved to the final stage of the Greenbrier Treatment: the massage room. My skin already glowed and my muscles felt loose as I lay face-down on a warmed, pillow-top table. The warm oil massage that followed didn’t just finish the session — it deepened the release, ensuring a balanced restoration of both body and mind.
I rose from the table refreshed, physically renewed yet gently softened by the process. I’ve heard water described many ways — a healer, a purifier, a path to joy — and each description resonated as I settled into the relaxation room with a glass of water. At The Greenbrier, “taking the waters” revealed itself less as a single treatment and more as a journey: a deliberate slowing, a reconnection to oneself and a shared tradition that eases the burdens of daily life.
THE GREENBRIER SPA
The Greenbrier Resort
101 Main St. W.
White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986
tel 844 837 2466