Spoil yourself with a sweat, a spa treatment and seriously delicious eats with a stay on The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead’s wellness floor.

A suite outfitted with a spin bike. The luxury of shuffling down the hall in your slippers and robe to the spa. Fresh, cold-pressed juices delivered to your door. Behold the health-minded staycation destination that is The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead’s wellness floor.

I have to admit that I love anything focused on fitness and wellness. So when I heard about the hotel’s recently-revamped spa suites and ninth floor of wellness, I was eager to venture out of my Midtown neighborhood for an overnight visit.

Equipped with yoga props and a stationary spin bike, the suite is a fitness buff’s dream.

From the moment I walked into the White Lotus Suite, I was in heaven. My eyes immediately went to the spin bike in the living room, where I also found yoga gear, cycling DVDs and an electronic standing desk. Then there was the bedroom and master bath, featuring books on meditation and yoga, a sound machine, a hanging chair (you have to see it to believe it) and a deep soaking tub.

After slipping into my “uniform” (robe and slippers), I headed to the spa where I was greeted with a glass of Champagne. Since I had some time before my service, I cozied up on one of the chaise lounges and ordered a salad with grilled chicken to complement my bubbly. As for my treatment, I opted to go with the 50-minute Southern Sweet Tea Body Buff, which starts with a full-body exfoliation and ends with an application of delicious smelling moisturizer. But if you’d prefer a mani/pedi, massage or the popular Hydrafacial treatment, those are all options, too.

Post-spa, I couldn’t pass up a soak in my suite’s beautiful bathtub. With a glass of wine in hand (that the spa receptionist had so sweetly offered for me to take back to the room), that’s where I headed. Next up was dinner. I love my workouts and wellness, but I also love my food. Dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, The Café, kicked off with a glass of Sancerre and the tuna crudo with compressed melon and avocado cream. When it came time to order my entrée, I was tempted by the thought of fresh fish, as well as one of Executive Chef Franck Steigerwalds’s house-made pastas. Thanks to the option to get a small or large portion of the pasta, I could have both, and I did. I dug in to the agnolotti with short rib and mushrooms and the organic Scottish salmon, both paired with beautiful wines.

Then there was dessert: strawberries three ways—a scoop of strawberry basil ice cream, roasted strawberry shortcake and a fried strawberry with chocolate-hazelnut filling. By the time I got around to enjoying the live music in the lobby lounge for a bit, I was full and happy—and ready to tuck myself into that comfy Tempur-Pedic bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I knew that my first stop should be the spin bike in my living room. After knocking out a good 30-minute workout courtesy of one of the DVDs in the fitness goodie basket, I was ready to eat again.

After the previous night’s decadent dinner, I opted for a lighter room service breakfast of an omelet and a house-made, cold-pressed Boost juice made of lemon, apple and ginger.

Before I knew it, my 2 p.m. late check out (one of the perks of staying in the wellness suites) had arrived, and it was time to return to reality. But I headed home knowing that the next time I need a little respite from hectic city life, The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead’s wellness floor is a healthful escape I’m eager to return to.

THE RITZ-CARLTON, BUCKHEAD

3434 Peachtree Road, N.E., 30326
404.237.2700
ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/georgia/buckhead

STORY: Amelia Pavlik