With six internationally renowned golf courses and home to The Honda Classic professional golf tournament since 2007, PGA National Resort (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) is a destination hotspot for golf enthusiasts and their families. Located approximately 75 miles north of Miami, the iconic property, which recently underwent a $100 million extensive transformation, now features fully updated guest rooms and meeting spaces, a redesigned lobby, new dining concepts, two new Andy Staples-designed golf courses, and renovations to The Spa at PGA National Resort.
guests to enjoy during their time at the spa. (Will Pryce)
Designed by Venus Williams’s South Florida-based design firm, V Starr, the new spa is referred to as a “resort within the resort.” The 40,000-square-foot space offers top-notch treatments and luxury amenities to help spa-goers relax and be pampered like a pro. The spa’s new design aesthetic was inspired by the resort’s Palm Beach Gardens location and lush surroundings, with a refreshed neutral color palette of subdued soft whites and light and washed wood elements, alongside gold and champagne-colored details and blush-corals with accented palm prints.
A defining design element seen throughout the spa is the many archways. The arches represent lightness and openness while lifting the spirit to a higher plane and a serene sense of wellbeing. They are designed to remind guests of the openness of life for healing, balance, and growth. The 29 wet and dry treatment rooms feature these arched doorways as well as Venetian plastered walls, and each room has an adjustable heated hydraulic table. The spa also houses a retro pink-and-white salon for hair and nail services; an outdoor pool deck with a cafe and bar offering healthy salads, wraps, bowls, cold-pressed juices, and spa-inspired cocktails; two Himalayan salt rooms; and a retail shop featuring a collection of skincare, haircare, and body products, as well as resort apparel, swimwear, and more.
One of the spa’s many highlights is its outdoor deck for guests to enjoy a therapeutic soak in the three circular mineral pools with varying temperatures and salts from around the world, including France, Israel, and Turkey. The private wet areas for men and women feature large blush stone slabs imported from Turkey. Another addition to the spa is the 1950s-inspired barbershop featuring a large collection of vintage golf photography. The barbershop offers male clients a place to receive grooming and self-care after rounds of golf, or before a wedding or meeting on property. In partnership with The Art of Shaving, the barbershop boasts an array of offerings from the brand, including mustache, beard, and goatee trims, and various haircut and hair-shaping options.
The Spa at PGA National Resort, which can handle 100 to 150 clients on typical weekdays and 200 to 250 on the weekends, features an extensive menu of traditional spa services designed to help guests achieve balance, relaxation, healing, and rejuvenation. Among the spa’s massage offerings is the Golfer’s CBD Massage ($225, 50 minutes; $275, 80 minutes), which focuses on loosening stiff hips and shoulders to improve one’s golf swing, and includes acupressure techniques, broad-spectrum CBD, and stretching to enhance flexibility and range of motion; and the PGA Signature Massage ($225, 50 minutes; $275, 80 minutes), which is a therapeutic treatment that uses a custom-blend of nourishing massage oils and also includes a facial mask to hydrate and brighten the complexion and a leg and foot scrub using an apricot sugar scrub. According to Brian David Douglas, director of spa at The Spa at PGA National Resort, because wraps and scrubs are harder to sell, the spa offers these services as add-ons to massage treatments for an extra $30. Among the add-on services is the Sea Spa Foot & Leg Scrub, a Glyco-Sea Peel, and the Papaya Enzyme Peel.
The spa’s facial options target three skin conditions: anti-aging, brightening, and clarifying. The menu features a range of facial treatments using Hydrafacial, Phytomer, and Repêchage protocols, such as the Clarifying HydraFacial Treatment ($295, 50 minutes; $450, 80 minutes), which is a deep-cleansing treatment that uses a high concentration of glycolic acid and blue-light therapy to target bacteria and improve oily, congested skin; and the Pro-Collagen Lift & Firm ($225, 50 minutes; $275, 80 minutes), designed to boost collagen and firm skin with the help of a papaya enzyme peel to gently remove dead surface skin cells and seaweed to plump, hydrate, and soften fine lines and wrinkles.
The spa’s extensive menu of services, relaxing amenities, and beautiful surroundings attract guests from near and far who want to be pampered during their visit. “We’re a destination day spa that is perfect for celebrations and milestone moments,” says Douglas. “Upon entering, there’s an immediate calming tone, with a nod to the Palm Beach aesthetic. Not only is our spa located on the grounds of a world-renowned championship golf course, but it is also located a short drive from beautiful beaches. Our expansive menu of services features the best of various wellness options curated through world travels that are perfect for golfers, as well as their spouses, family, and friends.”