There are moments in this Savannah journey of mine that remind me why I fell in love with this city in the first place, and my recent morning at Woodhouse Spa is one I’ll be talking about for a long time.
Here’s how it happened. Earlier this year, I attended the Telfair Ball, one of Savannah’s premier annual galas, and when I saw a Woodhouse Spa VIP experience up for bid in the silent auction, I didn’t hesitate. I placed my bid, I won, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I gathered my sister Janna, my cousin Jone, and a dear friend Allyson, and we turned it into the girlfriends’ day none of us knew we needed.
If you’re planning a trip to Savannah (or you already live here and just haven’t treated yourself lately), let me tell you why this belongs on your itinerary.
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A VIP Spa Day, Just for the Four of Us
Our package was a VIP Spa Treatment built for four, and it was designed with real relaxation in mind, not the rushed, in-and-out kind. Each of us got to choose our own 50-minute spa service.
Janna and I went with the Calming Retreat, a signature, multi-step treatment that moves through a body exfoliation, a therapeutic stone massage, a neck and shoulder release, a mini foot massage, and a mini facial. Yes, all of that. My girls chose facials tailored to their own skin, from a soothing hydration treatment to a firming, collagen-boosting one.
But here’s the part that made it feel truly VIP: we had our own private spa room for the four of us the entire time. Think plush couches, ottomans, and soft blankets we could sink into between treatments. We weren’t just getting services done. We were spending time together.
Add in champagne, mimosas, a beautiful charcuterie board, and a whole menu of teas and coffee to sip on, and you can imagine how easily the morning turned into an afternoon. We were there for four hours, and every single one of them felt like a gift.
My Escape Service Took Me Around the World
My full-body experience literally took me to so many interesting places due to the sensory and tactile factors involved.
When I entered the darkened room, I could smell citrus, sage, and lavender. She began with dry brushing my arms and legs, which I’ve never experienced before.
Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like: brushing dry skin with a firm-bristled brush before the rest of your treatment begins. It’s simple, but it does a lot of work. It gently exfoliates dead skin cells, which leaves your skin smoother and much better able to soak up the oils and creams that come next. It also gets your circulation moving, so you leave with that warm, awakened feeling in your skin. Some spa-goers also love it for the way it seems to encourage lymphatic movement, since our lymphatic system relies on motion (rather than a pump like our heart) to keep fluid flowing.
Since I was a newbie to dry brushing, it made me think that this is what it feels like for a horse to be brushed. I know that’s weird, but that’s where my brain went. As I lay there, I was transported to the Kentucky Derby and became a beloved, champion mare being brushed by her owner. My massage therapist added Maya Chi oil and used hot stones to relax me. And beyond the physical benefits, there’s something almost meditative about it. Those brisk, rhythmic strokes are a lovely way to signal to your body that it’s time to slow down and relax, which is really what a spa day is all about.
Woodhouse actually incorporates dry brushing into a few of their body treatments, like the Holistic Body Detox and the Nourishing Wrap, so if you’re building your own spa day, that’s worth adding to your list.
Next, my massage therapist worked on my feet, and she began by painting on a warm foot mask honey. Here, my journey continued, and I felt like I was in Italy and my feet were a blank canvas being painted by Michelangelo. She carefully applied the honey in long strokes, and it was soothing. I later compared notes with my sister, and she thought her therapist was using a powder poof to apply the honey on her feet. No matter the tool, the heel glaze smelled like apples and spice and was divine.
As my feet were absorbing the oil, she moved to my face, neck, and shoulders. My face tends to be dry, and by the time she had finished my mini facial, it felt more supple and hydrated. My face was radiant all afternoon. Better yet, I got to “travel” again as she used warm sweet orange oil on my neck and shoulders. As my body melted into the massage table, I imagined myself in California in an orange grove that hung heavy with ripe oranges, a sweet, perfume-like scent.
The Touchless Amenities Were an Unexpected Favorite
Something I didn’t expect to love as much as I did? The touchless amenities included in our package. While some of us were in treatments, the rest of the group could enjoy the Infrared Sauna, which combines gentle heat with salt therapy to ease sore muscles and support easier breathing, or sink into the Vibroacoustic Massage Chairs, which target tension from head to toe in the most delightfully unexpected way.
There’s also a Wellness Wave massage table that uses dry water massage paired with light and sound to melt away stress. My sister and I chose the Vibroacoustic Massage Chairs in a darkened room. With zero-gravity recline, it tilts you upward about 30 degrees so it lifts your legs above your heart level. It was relaxing, and the chair “squeezed” us lightly and vigorously. Although we couldn’t see each other, we talked the whole time as we often let out “ooeys” and “ouches” when the chairs’ massage grips tightened down on us.
Step Inside Woodhouse Spa
Woodhouse Spa Savannah opened in 2024 and is a gorgeous, 7,000-square-foot spa, and you feel that scale the moment you walk in. There’s a spa boutique to browse before your services even begin, filled with self-care essentials you’ll want to bring home with you.
Between treatments, their Quiet Room is where you go to really melt into the experience, sipping a warm tea or a glass of wine while the outside world fades away.
That’s really the heart of what Woodhouse does so well. The moment you enter, you can feel the worries of everyday life start to loosen their grip. It’s calm without being cold, polished without ever feeling stuffy, and every detail feels intentional, from the robes to the lighting to the way the staff moves through the space.
And here’s a fun bonus for anyone planning a Savannah stay: Woodhouse Spa sits right next to one of my favorite hotels in the city, the Thompson Savannah. If you’re staying there (or nearby at Eastern Wharf), you could easily build a morning of pampering into your trip without adding a single extra stop to your day.
Besides the Thompson Savannah, check out my blog about some of my favorite places to stay in Savannah.
And, here are some hotels close to the Eastern Wharf that are located on River Street:
- Homewood Suites Savannah Historic District Riverfront
- River Street Inn
- The Cotton Sail Hotel Savannah
How I Felt After Our VIP Spa Experience
I walked out of there feeling like my skin had had the best drink of water it’s had in months. Genuinely, beautifully hydrated, relaxed, and recharged, in a way that lasted well beyond that afternoon. That’s the kind of result you want from a spa day. Not just a nice couple of hours, but something that actually shows up on your skin and in your mood days later.
Bring a Little of the Spa Day Home With You
I loved this experience so much that I’ve started building a few of my own spa-day habits at home between Savannah visits. A couple of things I’m loving right now:
- A firm-bristle dry brush for pre-shower exfoliation and circulation (my little at-home nod to that Woodhouse ritual)
- A soft, hotel-style spa robe to recreate that Quiet Room feeling on a Sunday morning
- A hyaluronic acid hydrating serum to keep that just-left-the-spa glow going a little longer
More Ways to Fill Your Savannah Day
A spa morning like this pairs beautifully with the rest of what Savannah has to offer. A few excursion ideas if you want to build out a full day (or weekend) around your spa visit:
- A Sunset Riverboat Cruise, perfect for viewing the historic riverfront.
- A Savannah for Morons Comedy Trolley Tour where you learn trivia about the Civil War, Forrest Gump, and Paula Deen. I’ve heard so many awesome things about this tour!
- Bonaventure Cemetery Golf Cart Guided Tour where you can see the graves of famous people like Johnny Mercer and Conrad Aiken.
And, if you’re planning a trip to Savannah, I highly recommend you check out my Savannah 3-Day Ultimate Itinerary. I’ve mapped out three days in Savannah plus a bonus day at Tybee, so your group can save time when planning your trip.
Why This Belongs on Your Savannah Itinerary
If you’re building out a trip to Savannah, whether it’s a girls’ getaway, a solo escape, or a stop on a longer Southern journey, a few hours at Woodhouse Spa is worth carving out time for. It’s the kind of experience that turns a good trip into an unforgettable one, and honestly, it’s the kind of thing we don’t do for ourselves nearly often enough.
So here’s my advice. The next time you’re in Savannah, or the next time a silent auction puts something special in front of you, say yes. Gather your people. Book the spa day. You deserve it just as much as I did.
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