Committed to the Individual

We are dedicated to offering our guests the resources for an individualized wellness experience that addresses who they are and where they want to be. Whether for a rejuvenating weekend getaway or as part of a long-term restorative practice, we are committed to supporting each guest on their wellness journey. Holistic wellness is a potent supplement to contemporary medicine.

Holistic wellness considers the whole person in a broader context that extends beyond biology. In addition to a person’s physical body, we also observe their emotional wellbeing, time of life, and spiritual health. This opens wider possibilities for not just preventing dis-ease, but also for living a full, inspired, and balanced life. We strive for our vision of holistic wellness to be accessible to all guests, regardless of cultural background or level of practice.

Inspired by Ayurveda

We are deeply inspired by the ancient science of Ayurveda, which gives us a methodology for nurturing wellness by working with the elemental forces that inspire our lives, the seasons, and the landscape.

Originating in India and developing over thousands of years, the Ayurvedic understanding of wellness begins with a recognition of different embodied tendencies within every person. This includes different body types, temperaments, lifestyles, and life stages; taken together, these factors contribute to a person’s overall being. Combined with the cycle of seasons, these characteristics will affect the experience of wellness or illness, and methods for treatment.

The science of Ayurveda continues to be an invaluable resource for developing holistic wellness. Rather than treating all people and all therapies as universal and interchangeable, the different temperaments (or doshas) within Ayurveda help us articulate the ways each person is unique.

Our climate is impactful on people’s lives, and understanding the circumstances of each life stage can help us find ways to thrive. Rather than treating aging bodies as deteriorating from an imagined ideal, Ayurveda frames aging as new experiences within different stages of life, coequal with the others and each with its own wellness opportunities.

Grounded by our Sense of Place

Our wellness philosophy is deeply rooted in the landscape that surrounds us.

The land around Aurora was carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age, leaving behind steep gorges, plunging waterfalls, deep lakes, and hidden pools. Our spa campus sits on the crest of a hill overlooking Cayuga Lake; forests and fields stretch in all directions, offering spectacular views of natural beauty in every season. This dynamic landscape—full of water and wind and life—has a powerful restorative energy throughout it.

Our spa was designed to sit harmoniously within this landscape—to channel the area’s special energy into the wellness experiences that we offer. This is also a reflection of our wellness philosophy: holistic healing that is not only inspired by, but inextricably linked with, the land we are privileged to steward.

The climate of the Finger Lakes provides a dynamic background for wellness. Each season brings forth a different kind of beauty—new opportunities for us to explore the changing weather inside ourselves, as well as the seasons of our own lives. Finding the harmony between our internal landscape and the beautiful wildness of the outer world is powerfully healing; Aurora’s surroundings provide an exceptional place for this kind of engagement with the more-than-human world.

Our spa campus is uniquely equipped to support every temperament, within one setting, in every season. Heating elements include warm and hot spa pools, and indoor and outdoor fireplaces to sit by, luxurious steams and saunas, and warming teas to enjoy. Cooling elements are offered in the refreshing waters of our indoor and outdoor plunges, scenic vantages to enjoy views of the lake, and serene places for meditation. Grounding elements are found in comfortable nooks in which to curl up with a good book or a restful nap, yoga classes, nature trails to hike on and feel the earth under your feet. Each guest can enjoy the diversity of spaces for rejuvenation within and around this beautiful landscape, inside and outside our state-of-the-art spa facility.