We interviewed Chris Pulito, corporate director of spas for Woodbine Hospitality (includes Skaneateles Fields Resort & Spa), to learn more about the 10,600-square-foot spa, which opened in December 2025 in the heart of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York.
Tell us a little bit about the spa’s design.
The spa's design and aesthetic is modern and clean with warm touches that create a comforting, serene, and welcoming environment. Our property overall feels timeless with rustic touches and finishes from local craftsman and artisans integrated throughout to give a true sense of place. Skaneateles Fields was designed as a destination for relaxation and play with an intentional focus on culinary and wellness experiences. It’s at the spa where our guests can unwind with luxurious treatments, which we call rituals, along with a healing Himalayan Salt Chamber, rejuvenating cold plunge, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, Finnish indoor saunas, and outdoor barrel saunas—not to mention yoga and other classes for optimizing body and mind.
Please describe the treatment rooms.
We offer seven treatment rooms. Two treatment rooms are equipped with private in-room showers, specifically designed to enhance our body rituals. One treatment room is complete with a large soaking tub for our Tranquil Waters Ritual. Finally, two adjoining treatment rooms are designed with the flexibility to transform into a connected space—perfect for a couples' massage. All treatment rooms are distinguished by their structural framework of genuine cedar wood, offering a natural and aromatic experience.
What makes the spa unique and sets it apart from other spas in the area?
We provide custom rituals to restore balance, awaken the senses, and create space for reflection. Our treatments deliver unparallel results that are not commonly found in other local spas. Our partnership with G.M Collin and VOYA elevates our rituals with high-quality products, and we are the only spa to feature them in our area. Another exclusive aspect is our partnership with neighboring Tap Root Fields farm, where we source the CBD in our massage oil and Fields Pantry products.
How would you describe your typical clientele?
Many of our clients follow the Finger Lakes wine region seasonality. When the resort becomes a winter wonderland, we see clients coming from primarily the New York area and its bordering states—in addition to Canada. Once the snow melts and flowers bloom, we will see guests from the entire Northeast and East Coast, plus southern states fleeing humidity to enjoy our dry, cooler summers—right though the spectacular foliage season. Of course, given the Finger Lakes region gaining popularity, we anticipate international travelers, as well.
How are you marketing the spa to your hotel guests?
We offer a daily calendar to our guests that highlights special wellness programming and opportunities to enjoy our facilities in new ways. Recently, we launched two value-add overnight packages that provide nightly spa and dining credits, welcome amenities, discounts and more. Overall, we aim to invite guests of all kinds—those looking for a quiet solo spa day, groups in need of a weekend getaway with friends, parents who want to slip away for a few hours to recenter, and beyond.
Examples of Current Specials
Weekend Wellness Spa Retreat
Enjoy a two-night wellness journey designed for deeper relaxation, featuring generous spa and dining credits, daily spa access, and time to fully unwind.
- Two-night stay
- Daily spa facility access
- $300 spa credit per night
- $100 food & beverage credit per night
- Welcome amenity
- 15% off spa retail
- Resort activities
Midweek Spa Escape
Step away for a restorative overnight stay that pairs spa access and indulgent credits with plenty of time to relax, recharge, and reset.
- One-night stay
- Daily spa facility access
- $200 spa credit per night
- $50 breakfast credit per morning
- 15% off spa retail
- Resort activities
How are you marketing the spa to local guests or those not staying at the hotel?
We are marketing to local guests through our very active social media channels, newsletters, partnerships, and local and regional media relationships. For locals, we are offering several differentiated wellness classes and access to our facilities. In addition, we are planning a rollout of membership offerings after we fully understand the guest flow and have been open for a full year. Our community and our local partnerships are a very important part of our identity and how we deliver experiences that are authentic to the Finger Lakes and Skaneateles itself.
Can you tell me a little bit about the creation of the menu?
Our menu has been specifically designed to highlight our exclusive rituals that showcase the superior products offered by our esteemed skincare partners and what aligns with our spa’s overall tone. Our Whispering Fields Massage will have you drifting into serenity with gentle flowing strokes that calm and restore you; our Herbal Fields Cocoon Body Ritual was designed to encourage deep, restorative relaxation for both body and mind; and our Herbal Recovery CBD Massage a therapeutic treatment enhanced with local CBD that soothes sore muscles, reduces joint stiffness, and supports recovery.
Did you take any green initiatives when creating the spa/creating the menu/selecting the spa products?
Guests access our digital spa menu via QR code for a seamless, paperless experience and to support our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. Both of our skincare lines use renewably sourced ingredients and local production and are animal-cruelty free.
What are most spa-goers looking for when they visit your spa?
Our guests visit the spa for many reasons—everything from stress relief and self-care to simply needing to unplug or to experience a specialized treatment. Our most-requested treatment is our Botanical Essence Massage, which is a great option for anyone.
What treatments are a harder sell? How do you promote them?
The Organic Warm Spiced Mud Wrap and the Herbal Recovery CBD Massage are some of our more distinctive treatments that we are putting emphasis on. They contain incredibly powerful natural active ingredients, and the wrap features fresh ocean seaweed and mineral-rich spiced mud. The key to selling these is educating the guests on the benefits of these incredible natural resources featured in the treatments.
What product lines do you carry at the spa and why did you select them?
We offer G.M Collin and VOYA. Ultimately, we choose partners that share our values and help us deliver a transformative experience for our guests and empower our guests to maintain their skin health long-term.
What sort of retail offerings do you offer?
We offer professional-grade products from our skincare brands that we partner with (G.M. Collin and VOYA), designed to enhance and extend the results of your treatments at home. We also highlight local vendors that offer curated, handcrafted items for wellness and lifestyle—from accessories and resort apparel to beautiful convenience items while traveling.
Are you offering any sort of spa cuisine or healthy dining options?
The juices in the common area and the food and beverage offerings all come from our Fields restaurant where everything is seasonal and extremely fresh thanks to our local partnerships. We offer complimentary wellness snacks and beverages and a menu of sharable snacks, healthy lunches, and refreshing drinks. They are served right in the spa so you can remain in your robes and relax.
What do you find your biggest challenge to be, and how do you meet that challenge?
Because of the vision and standard of service we aim for, finding genuine healers and therapists who are both experienced and committed to wellness is our biggest ongoing pursuit.
What plans do you have for the future?
Our spa will be introducing partnerships to co-host multi-day wellness retreats with various themes and programming, incorporating the sprawling lands—100+ acres—that our resort sits on that features waterfalls, hiking trails, mountain biking, regenerative farm experiences and much more. In addition, we plan to introduce local memberships in year two.
SIDEBAR
Owner: Woodbine Hospitality
Opened: December 2025
Client Base:
70% female
30% male
Space:
10,600 square feet (7,300 square feet of interior space, and an additional 3,300 square feet of private outdoor heated terrace open year-round space with hot tub, cold plunge, and barrel saunas.
7 treatment rooms
Product Lines: G.M. Collin, Voya
Architect: Lake Architecture
Interior Designer: Teaselwood Design
Spa Consultant: Amber Gilbo