Maryville native and Director of Sales and Marketing for RT Lodge, Katie Stinnett, has the warmest memories of the historic lodge and its surrounding wooded acres, even as a girl. “I can talk all day about the lodge. I got married here before I worked here, I was a flower girl in my aunt’s wedding with the rehearsal dinner at Morningside Inn, and I played in Maryville College Woods as a child. It seems I have been in the orbit of the property my entire life. I just love it!”
Renowned for its hospitality, elegantly rustic lodge accommodations and gourmet dining (notably its recent Michelin Guide American South “Recommended” designation), RT Lodge has expanded its offering to both hotel guests and local clientele with a renovated high-touch, luxurious day spa. The Carriage House spa, named after the updated 1930s building, part of the original private residence that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is open seven days a week.
“The beautiful thing about The Carriage House is that it was an original building on property,” Stinnett explains, “where Mrs. John Walker [widow of Andrew Carnegie’s associate] kept her vehicles. The architects renovated it, mindful of how things were positioned in order to fit into the landscape (including azaleas and rose bushes Mrs. Walker, who was an avid gardener, planted decades ago) while also keeping old growth trees on the property. It looks like it’s always been there.”
Principals Beth McCabe Holman and David and Annie Haslam Colquitt of Morningside Lodge, LLC, assumed operations of the seven-acre property, which includes the nearly century-old home and two guest houses situated in the Maryville College Woods, in 2021. Their mission for RT Lodge, to continue serving the community by providing a place of rest and retreat, was further realized with the completion of The Carriage House spa and the new event space, The Meeting House.
Winter is the perfect time for rejuvenation and restoration, and every element of the pampering services at The Carriage House spa supports those wellness, beauty and comfort goals. The spa features seven treatment rooms offering a blend of spa classics and recent advances in skin, body and wellness care in an elevated menu of signature treatments. Lunch is served for hotel and day spa guests in the downstairs bar area in the Morningside Room, so spa guests can check in and then leisurely enjoy lunch and beverages before or after treatments.
Spa guests are encouraged to linger and enjoy the warmth and well-being benefits of a spacious infrared sauna, or unwind in front of a fireplace in lounge spaces. “In the relaxation room upstairs, guests can relax in luxurious robes before and after their spa service and sip herbal-infused waters, a glass of wine, or curated teas with light bites, all while enjoying peaceful views of the wooded property,” Stinnett adds. “Our spa director has been in the spa industry for a long time and has developed the expertise to create a beautifully beneficial line of spa products, including our signature fragrance,” Stinnett says.
The Carriage House spa offers a range of warming touches to make winter visits especially relaxing, including heated beds and massages with warm salt stones. Among their treatments, the Crown to Ground features an Argan oil scalp massage, steamed towels infused with Epsom salt and arnica wrapped around the lower legs, a magnesium-rich scrub, and a finishing body butter massage for the lower legs and feet. Guests can also enjoy a radiant hands treatment where organic oils and butters are massaged into the forearms and hands, which are then placed in heated mitts. Each service is carefully crafted to provide warmth, restoration and renewal for the body, mind and spirit—even during the coldest times of year.
Stinnett explains she still has conversations with people who are surprised that you don’t have to attend a lodge event to enjoy the property’s amenities. “We want everyone to know the hotel, restaurant, bar and now our day spa are all very much open to the public. We love to use the word restorative, to invite people to come unwind here. Even though the lodge is not up in the mountains, you are tucked away in the woods, so it feels like you are worlds away. Drive the tree-lined winding road to our lodge and spa, and you do feel like you are going off into the woods far away, but it’s close to town, remarkably convenient to fit into your day or a weekend getaway.”
Stinnett extends a personal invitation to everyone from a Maryville native in the know. “You are warmly invited to discover this hidden gem in the Maryville College Woods and pamper yourself or someone you love this winter.”
Visit RTLodge.com.