YOU CAN approach the deep freeze of winter in one of two ways: Embrace the season totally or suspend reality and pretend you're somewhere warm. An alternative? Venture to Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and do both.
From sultry Roman baths to a hot stone massage, you can bask in the toasty temperatures of this mountainside destination before gliding headlong down a snowy slope or tramping through snow-glazed trails in this winter wonderland just 90 minutes from the Beltway.
It's all downhill after visitors at Berkeley Springs' Coolfont Resort reach the top of the inner tube runs.
(Michael Temchine For The Washington Post)
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The baths at Berkeley Springs State Park are the core of Berkeley Springs' hot side. The nation's smallest state park covers just one square block at the center of town. Warm mineral water (always 74.3 degrees) has flowed to this area for countless years, with Native Americans "taking the waters" long before George Washington and other dignitaries came to soak in one of the nation's first spas. Today, the state manages the springs and offers various ways for visitors to enjoy them in two main bath buildings. The recently remodeled Old Roman Bathhouse, in nearly continuous use since 1815, features nine private walk-in bathing rooms for relaxing soaks. The Main Bathhouse (circa 1930) sports Victorian-styled bathtubs and individual massage stations for combination treatments. The sexes are separated in each building. All baths, drained and cleaned after each use, are heated to a maximum temperature of 102 degrees.
A $20 Roman Bath mentally transports you to warm Caribbean waters or a summery day at Rehoboth Beach. As soon as you enter your light-filled private chamber, warm and humid air fills your lungs, and the clear water in the 750-gallon tile-lined tub (eight feet long, four feet wide and nearly four feet deep) beckons. Hang your clothes on a couple of hooks and step into the slightly buoyant waters that feel a world away from winter. A pitcher of spring water and a paper cup help you stay hydrated during the 20-minute soaking session. By the time someone knocks on your door, signaling time's up, your fingertips have turned to raisins, and the rest of you feels like a doughy cinnamon bun fresh from the oven.
For something other than the basic Swedish rubdowns administered at the state park, try one of the town's four privately owned spas. The Bath House, at 21 Fairfax St. adjacent to the park, has six treatment rooms and a shop, and specializes in therapeutic techniques from deep-tissue massage to reflexology. For ultimate warmth, opt for 90 minutes of LaStone Therapy, the original "hot rock" massage. It incorporates smooth heated lava stones and occasional cold marble stones with traditional massage techniques for deep relaxation and rejuvenation -- not to mention a lingering, warm-from-the-inside-out feeling. Another hot, hot, hot option is AromaSpa, a private steam bath combined with aromatherapy. While the acrylic, space-agey cabinet fills with 115- to 120-degree steam scented with your favorite essential oil, a therapist lightly rubs down your body with a dry brush to stimulate the pores, exfoliating your skin and encouraging your body to sweat and release toxins during the 20-minute session.
Two other spas in downtown Berkeley Springs offer warming treatments: Atasia Spa provides bubbling spa pedicures, various massages (some with steaming towels) and herbal wraps with thermal blankets; Origin Spa boasts a range of hydrotherapy treatments in whirlpool baths overlooking Berkeley Springs, as well as body wraps and hot-stone massage. The area's fourth spa sits a few miles uphill within Coolfont Resort's Spa & Wellness Center and features a 60-foot heated indoor pool.
If spa treatments aren't your thing, warm up with freshly baked sweets from Inspirations bakery or your favorite caffeinated concoction at Fairfax Coffee House. On weekends, see what's playing at the Star Theatre, where the interior dates to the 1940s and the movie prices conjure a bygone era. You also can retreat from the elements by poking around shops and antique centers dotting the several-block heart of Berkeley Springs.
Of course, it is winter, and for several more weeks you can frolic through Berkeley Springs' cold side. Coolfont's snow tubing hill brings out the winter-loving kid in everyone. After piling on plenty of clothes (and signing a waiver), you snag a tractor-size inner tube covered in bright-colored material and rigged with a tethered rubber ring. Then you plunk your behind into the tube, an attendant attaches the ring to a rope tow and you enjoy an effortless uphill ride. At the top, you get your pick of a handful of groomed snow-tubing lanes to career down the 850-foot hill -- belly-laughing or screaming all the way. An incline helps slow the tail end of your ride, with any residual motion stopped by stacked bales of hay (not as soft to hit as you might imagine). You can easily slide a half-dozen runs into an hour, which costs $10.
For a more strenuous (and free) winter workout, hit the trails surrounding Berkeley Springs. More than 15 miles of hiking trails lace 6,000-acre Cacapon Resort State Park, 10 miles south of town. The snow-covered Central Trail ascends steadily to an overlook revealing the valley between Cacapon and Sleepy Creek mountains. Climb even higher (to 2,200 feet) on the Ziler Trail, where you may catch a glimpse of deer or the bobbing red crest of a pileated woodpecker. For an easier outing, try the short Cabin Loop Trail, winding through family-friendly cabins that welcome visitors year-round. The mile-long Ridge Trail weaves past sandstone outcroppings and begins and ends at Cacapon Lake, a popular ice-fishing spot during deep freezes. A park naturalist typically leads a couple of outdoor activities each weekend.
About five miles north of Berkeley Springs, the towpath of the C&O Canal snakes along the Maryland side of the Potomac River, offering miles of flat hiking. For the closest parking and trail access, head to Main and Church streets in downtown Hancock, where you also can connect to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail. For a truly memorable hike, drive 25 miles from Berkeley Springs to the tiny town of Paw Paw. It's the namesake of the most elaborate structure on the 185-mile C&O Canal: the 3,118-foot Paw Paw Tunnel. Once promoted as a wonder of the world, the Paw Paw Tunnel remains an engineering marvel lined with nearly 6 million bricks. Bring a flashlight if you plan to walk end to end, because even in broad daylight, each of the massive arched entrances only casts a speck of light in the tunnel's center. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are other winter trail options, but you need your own equipment.
Back in Berkeley Springs, round out the visit in a place that unites the town's hot and cold sides: the Ice House Co-op Gallery, where local artists display and sell their works in a former cold-storage building.
AROUND TOWN
To get to Berkeley Springs, take Interstate 270 north to I-70 west to Hancock, Md. Exit at U.S. 522 and follow it six miles into town. The addresses below are in Berkeley Springs unless otherwise noted.
BERKELEY SPRINGS STATE PARK -- 2 S. Washington St. 800-225-5982 or 304-258-2711. www.berkeleyspringssp.com. Open daily, except major holidays, 10 to 6, and Fridays until 9 from April 1 through Oct. 31.
THE BATH HOUSE -- 21 Fairfax St. 800-431-4698 or 304-258-9071. www.bathhouse.com. Open daily, except major holidays, 10 to 5 (5:30 on Fridays) and Saturdays until 7.
ATASIA SPA -- 41 Congress St. 877-258-7888 or 304-258-7888. www.atasiaspa.com. Open daily 9 to 5.
ORIGIN SPA -- The Inn & Spa at Berkeley Springs, 1 Market St. 800-822-6630. www.originspa.com. Open daily 9 to 5.
COOLFONT RESORT -- 3621 Cold Run Valley Rd. 800-888-8768 or 304-258-4500. www.coolfont.com. Spa open 8 to 8:30 Sunday through Thursday and 8 to 9 Friday and Saturday. Snow tubing Fridays 5 to 9 , Saturdays 10 to 9 and Sundays 10 to 6.
INSPIRATIONS -- 312 N. Washington St. 304-258-2292. www.inspirationscafenbnb.com. Call for hours, which vary by season.
STAR THEATRE -- Congress and North Washington streets. 304-258-1404. www.starwv.com. Open weekends year-round with shows at 8 and occasional matinees.
CACAPON RESORT STATE PARK -- 818 Cacapon Lodge Dr. 800-225-5982 or 304-258-1022. www.cacaponresort.com.
C&O CANAL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK HEADQUARTERS -- 1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100, Hagerstown, Md., 21740. 301-739-4200. www.nps.gov/choh.
ICE HOUSE CO-OP GALLERY -- Independence and Mercer streets. 258-2300. www.macicehouse.org and www.icehouseartistsco-op.com. Open Friday through Sunday 11 to 5.
