Construction has begun on a new wellness destination in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, US, called The Shenandoah Nature Resort, which is due to open in January 2028. 

The US$200 million (€184 million, £156 million) property has been designed to reimagine the traditional spa experience by blending ancient and modern wisdom in what is described as a “spiritually expansive and scientifically grounded approach”. 

The resort has been created to address what the founding partners see as a “meta crisis” in the degradation of health, economic and environmental systems. The resort’s mission is to provide transformational experiences that serve the greater good.

The guest programming will be based on four pillars: relax, release, connect and love. 

Mike Marburg, founder of The Shenandoah Nature Resort, told Spa Business: “The Shenandoah Nature Resort was envisioned as a place where exceptional hospitality and meaningful impact coexist. 

“Beyond offering transformative stays for leisure and group guests, we’ve embedded purpose into the core of the business through an innovative endowment programme,” added Marburg. “Approximately 30 per cent of the project’s equity is dedicated to this, funded by next-generation change-makers to redirect traditional profit models toward the regeneration of both society and the natural world. Through this, we aim to provide thousands of impact awards benefiting veterans, abuse survivors, first responders and others – all within a fossil-fuel-free, 100 per cent geothermal, nature-first development.”

Design partners for the site include Olson Kundig Architects, Marlon Blackwell Architects, interior designer Clodagh and landscape architect Coen + Partners. The resort’s regenerative design has been informed by a partnership with The Regenesis Group, whose leaders co-authored the original sustainability LEED standards.

Facilities

The 640-acre property will have 120 rooms for accommodation with a spa and aquatics centre. 

There will be an indoor-outdoor pool and 20 treatment rooms. Fitness and yoga facilities will also be on offer.

Guests will have the option to take part in more than 40 daily group activities as well as access to a retail space and a flexible space to host holistic experiences for groups. 

There will be more than one restaurant serving locally-sourced cuisine.

Twenty rooms of accommodation will open in January 2027, a year early, to offer guests an opportunity to experience and provide feedback ahead of the final offering that will debut in 2028.