Woodhouse Spa

The first thing I discovered when I went to discover Franklin Tennessee was that the entire state is closed on Sunday. Except the day spas.


The first one I went to only had massage therapists working that day. However, Woodhouse Spa was open from 1pm – 6pm and could give me the 2pm slot for a facial. I went with the signature treatment – an 8o minute appointment called the Minkyti Facial. I have no idea what that means.

I walked in at about 1:20, but the staff invited me right in to use the “relaxation room”. It had a fireplace and really comfortable chairs. There was almost nothing to read. A magazine, like, “Nashville Interiors” or something. Which was fine because I had a book. As if I could read Killer Angels in the damn spa.

I changed into a robe and the nice lady brought me peppermint tea and an aromatherapy neck wrap. I filled out the standard questionnaire, put down my pen and closed my eyes.

Seriously. I was loving this place. Then, two women walked in and sat down. They started yammering and ruined the whole experience. They were finished with their appointments and were just hanging around.  I actually got up and left the room when one started telling the other about the botched Botox treatment of a mutual acquaintance. Imagine please, the words, “And she was such a pretty girl” in a Southern accent. My eyes were rolling into the back of my head as I headed back to the locker room. Luckily, that was just about when they called my name for the treatment. I told the aesthetician that I had been breaking out; I presumed because my skincare routine hadn’t caught up with the change in seasons.

That standard facial is 60 minutes. The basic steps are cleanse, steam, exfoliate, extract, masque. The extra 20 minutes, in this case, were “A combination of acupressure points and connective tissue massage techniques lift and tone the skin, allowing for maximum absorption of our nutrient-rich products.”

It was a good facial. When it was over, the aesthetician told me that my skin was fine, but that I should step up the exfoliation a bit. She did not try to sell me anything.  However. It was also..literally..the most expensive facial I have ever had in my entire life. It wasn’t that good.

The particularly good news is that this experience reinforced my theory that a good facial costs $80, give or take a few bucks. Less than that is ok, but it feels a bit more like a doctor’s appointment less like a retreat. More than that is just pampering.

Which is fine.  I was on vacation.