Tha "Appalachian Lodge" at St. Joseph Institute.
From “THE SHOESTRING FILES” by JADA FLETCHER
Since late winter, I’d been determined to take a vacation this summer and firmly committed to doing it with cash-in-hand, rather than on credit. My search began with the idea of going for a weekend to a spa, an ambitious goal given that the typical services alone can be pricey, though deals on cleansing treatments and bodywork are available to the resourceful.
I had a modest budget ($500 max, with no fuzzy math for “extras”) but I’m a big believer in hidden gems. So, armed with an Internet connection and a powerful need to get the heck out of town for a weekend, I went prospecting.
I signed up for Spaweek.com and Spafinder.com , two popular sites, designed to keep users abreast of last-minute and promotional deals. I also paid careful attention to every online review I could find. Of course, not all reviews are equally credible, so I concentrated on sussing out consistent themes, like staff attentiveness, service quality, accommodations, etc. I set my parameters-one night, three services and meals, quiet surroundings-and searched. The prep work paid off in my discovery of St. Joseph Institute in Pennsylvania.
Nestled 30 minutes in either direction between State College and Altoona, St. Joseph Institute celebrated its fourth anniversary in May and is owned and operated by a married couple with backgrounds in business management and healing therapies. It’s a scenic, 3-1/2 hour drive from Baltimore (less if you’re more comfortable navigating narrow roads than I am), and remarkably, it was welcoming visitors on July 4th weekend. I studied Spafinder’s reviews and the facility’s website, enlisted my best friend as a travel companion, and booked two “Friends Get-aways“ .
A bedroom at St. Joseph Institute in Pennsylvania.
The centerpieces of this package were a facial and a Swedish massage, each 60 minutes and administered by thorough, licensed professionals. We both emerged supremely relaxed, and found the smaller services included to be just as refreshing. I did approach the ionizing footbath with some skepticism as to its efficacy, but my friend, a scientist, found the theory behind it—that drawing charged molecules out of the body through the feet by creating an opposite charge reduces toxins in the blood and promotes overall health—to be in keeping with scientific principle.
We were also divided on the quality and preparation of the food, a gluten-free assortment that relied heavily on tossed salad and casseroles. I liked the food, finding it fresh and in keeping with the pared-down aesthetic. My friend, and two other guests among the ten or so we encountered during our stay, were displeased that their dietary strictures were not consistently taken into account. This was perplexing, given that staff specifically asked about food preferences and allergies during the reservation process.
Consensus was reached that the spacious apartment, idyllic walking trails and generous spa services, not to mention the attentiveness of the staff, made this trip worth the drive and the price. Plus, my determination to use only my debit card to fund this adventure meant that I could return to my apartment in a state of extended bliss, rather than knotted with anxiety about the credit card bills to come.
Readers who wish to give St. Joseph a closer look are encouraged to make haste: the Port Matilda location is phasing out its services to the general public this coming fall and according to a June 8 press release “will focus exclusively on adult addiction recovery beginning in 2010.”
The Nitty Gritty
Friends Getaway package: $426.89 per person, including taxes and gratuity
Gas: ~$40 roundtrip, or $20 per person
Supplemental food, including pit stops: ~$10 per person
Bathing suit bought specifically for the trip: ~$29.00
Grand total (for me): $485.89
(All estimates are +/- $1.00 or less.)
St. Joseph Institute, 2844 Mountain Rd., Port Matilda, PA 16870, (814) 692-4954.
