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Relâche Spa AT GALYLORD OPRYLAND
Nashville’s Definitive Place to Spa and Restore
By Terry Herman
 Home of the “Grand Ole Opry”, the “Country Music Hall of Fame”, and “Goo-Goo” candies, Nashville, Tennessee is hardly one of those areas where the term “spa” might be considered a non sequitur. In the summer of 2005, when this mega biosphere-esque resort added to its crown its premiere spa, Relâche Spa (French, to relax), decidedly became the crowning touch to this must-experience resort. Gaylord Opryland’s Relâche Spa also has bragging rights as being Tennessee’s largest and most comprehensive full-service spa.
For the resort guest, everything at Gaylord Opryland is on an enormous-scale. There are over 2,880 guest rooms, many with Atrium views, compartmentalized into tower wings with names reminiscent of by-gone days of gentility and mental images of sweetness and lace (Magnolia, Cascades, Garden Conservatory, and Delta). The resort has a universal appeal to singles, families, conference attendees, and bridal parties. For kids of all ages, exploring the vastness of the resort is entertaining and reminiscent of going on a treasure hunt; there’s even a meandering Delta waterway, complete with guided boat tours.
For fans of horticulture, there’s thousands of lush indigenous and exotic tropical plant species throughout the Atrium areas, all tended by a dedicated staff of twenty horticulturalists; the greenery thrives on an indoor temperature controlled climate of 71˚F; even the massive one-acre-plus glass ceiling resort enclosure is retractable (with a series of horizontal retractable steps for shading on those blazingly torrid sun-shiny days).
And, when it comes to entertainment, Gaylord Opryland seasonally offers guests extravaganzas; while there, I enjoyed a mega-show that included musicians and dancers, aerialists, and a program that culminated with a water and light show, musically synchronized by the same folks that did the Bellagio water spectacular; the resort’s Christmas and holiday entertainment is another must-see.
Depending on when your stay is, other special event delights may include a glimpse at performing human statues, vine-festooned stilt-walkers and water-sprouting human fountains. A shopper’s delight awaits the resort guest with an assortment of shops and boutiques priced from the reasonable to the honey-you’re-spending-too much-again type of experience; there’s also a huge outdoor mall, Opry Mills, within-walking-distance. And for the gourmand, the resort offers an impressive array of eateries for all palates and coinage. One of the resort’s fine dining establishments is the Old Hickory Steakhouse, which has been awarded the coveted DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants in North America) award; with its exceptional wine and cheese pairings, along with fine aged meats, this is fine dining at its best. Other upscale dining experiences include Cascades Seafood, Ristoranté Volaré (Italian), and Wasabi’s Sushi Bar (traditional Japanese).
Guests wanting healthy or spa cuisine can select from a wide variety of menu offerings at most of the restaurants, although Cascades offers a special spa menu where guests can dine-in, or if they’re having treatments at the spa, they can order selections ahead of time and have their orders delivered to the spa’s relaxation area or poolside to enjoy.
Groups can work with the resort’s outstanding chefs to use their culinary wizardry and concoct unique spa cuisine that’s not only delicious, but also healthy and beautifully presented. Not to be missed is the resort’s trademark Christie’s Cookies, which features this mouth-watering Tennessee delight, and authentic Italian Gelato; the gelato is made fresh throughout the day and in scrumptious flavors sure to please all.
© SPA MANAGEMENT JOURNAL - JULY/AUGUST 2008
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