Full service luxury spas are a dime a dozen on the South Shore, but there is none quite like The Beach Plum Spa in Plymouth. It is located in a quaint inn near the city center complete with on-site restaurant and indoor swimming pool with a replica of the Mayflower II. Located about 40 minutes south of Boston, the spa offers everything from massages and facials to body and nail treatments.
All of the body products offered here are 100 percent natural and certified organic, many of which are made from locally grown plants such as cranberry and beach plum that also have antioxidant properties as well as Vitamins A, C and E. The full service day spa opened five years ago and seems to be on the path to success creating a unique niche with travelers, tourists, locals and families.
My husband and I headed to the spa recently for a nice relaxing afternoon. Upon check in, there is a steam shower available in the locker rooms, which is a great way to unwind. I opted for an herbal tranquility soak bath before my treatment, a 20-minute heavenly way to unwind before a treatment while sipping on a cup of herbal tea. I then received the spa’s signature 50-minute hot lava shell massage, a soothing Swedish-style massage combined with the heat of warm lava applied with smooth sea shells. My therapist, Sofia Caradimos, applied just the right amount of heat and applied pressure for me de-stress.
My husband received a full body massage from Reiki master, Tara Gustafson. He said his massage, which was one of the best he has received, soothed the discomfort in his shoulder muscles and relieved the chronic tension in his back and neck.
The spa has recently become a med-spa, offering laser hair removal, skin tightening and resurfacing as well as injectables like Botox, Dysport and dermal fillers under the direction of medical director Garry Brake, M.D.
After a day at the spa, be sure to head over to the Pilgrim Cove indoor theme pool that features a fun 80-foot slide that winds through a replica of the Mayflower II. There is even a waterfall, lap pool and whirlpool set in another fun historic replica of Plymouth Rock.
We had dinner at the casual on-site restaurant, Hearth ‘n Kettle, which also has a few other locations on the South Shore, including Weymouth and South Attleboro as well as several on the Cape. The restaurant focuses on home cooked comfort food dishes like the appetizer sampler of chicken tenders, mozzarella stix, onion rings and veggie risotto cakes.
A visit here would be remiss in not ordering some fresh seafood like the delicious seafood medley combination of haddock, sea scallops and shrimp topped with a seafood stuffing. For land lovers, if you come here on a Friday or Saturday night, the prime rib is worth the indulgence — tender, juicy and cooked to perfection.
The John Carver Inn is part of the Catania Hospitality Group, which also owns The Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis, The Dan’l Webster Inn and Spa of Sandwich (Each property has its own Beach Plum Spa on-site). The Plymouth property is located at the John Carver Inn, 25 Summer Street. For more information, call (508) 746-1000 or visit BeachPlumSpa.com.
