Last September right after school was back in session I joined a mom-filled minivan caravan headed to The Kerr House, a private health retreat/spa near Toledo, Ohio for a weekend of much needed rest and relaxation.  Two members of our group had been to The Kerr House before and had issued an invitation to six others to join them for a pick-me-up after the fun but labor-intensive summer.

            Our weekend commenced with a tour of the facility, which is located in a magnificent Queen Anne Victorian manor overlooking Grand Rapids, Ohio, a tiny village on the Maumee River about 25 miles southwest of Toledo.  The house, commissioned by a wealthy businessman in 1880, took three years to build. Upon arrival Laurie Hostetler, the owner spent ½ an hour showing us all of the unique features of the house such as the 34 magnificent nine-foot Christian doors inlaid with carvings of the Bible and the Ten Commandments and the fireplaces in the entryway which have diverted flues to allow for the stained glass windows above them.

            After the tour Laurie led us downstairs to the café for tea.  There were at least 100 varieties of tea available but once we’d sampled the house special we were hooked.  It’s the Stanley Burrows Cleansing Tea, brewed with lemons, maple syrup and – of all things—cayenne pepper.  It’s delicious and addictive.  The tea might have been one reason that despite eating more than I do on a regular basis, I lost two pounds.  Laurie says the tea acts as a diuretic but the real reason people lose weight while staying at The Kerr House is that her staff serves modest portions of real food:  no additives, no preservatives, no chemicals.  As nice as it is to shed a few lbs, Laurie is adamant that weight loss is not a goal of The Kerr House:

            “We prefer a holistic approach to the body,” Laurie says.  “We would like you to appreciate how beautifully your body works.  It’s a magnificent machine. We are a nation filled with people who don’t like their bodies and it’s very unhealthy.  It’s led to anorexia, bulimia, obesity.  At The Kerr House we try to inspire you to get healthy and continue to eat healthy and take care of yourself because it makes you feel good, not because of how you look.  We want to go deeper than that.”

            While we were sitting around the table with Laurie sipping tea she asked us to talk about our goals for the weekend.  The Kerr House only takes up to eight people so our group was the only one there.  Since we are all harried moms, we were all on the same page:  We wanted to rejuvenate and, as one friend put it:  “reconnect with our souls.”

            Laurie is a master yogi.  She received her certification from Indra Devi, the first lady of yoga and she’s studied with B.K.S. Iyengar, the founder of Iyengar Yoga.  With her peaceful smile and wide blue eyes she struck us as a very self-actualized, almost mystical person.  From the first minute sitting with her at the table we were inspired by both her practical advice and her joyful demeanor.      

            On Saturday morning we were awakened by a light rap on our bedroom doors which signaled the arrival of breakfast on a tray with a carnation flower and a card detailing our schedules for the day.  Breakfast consisted of homemade porridge with raisins, cinnamon, maple syrup and chopped nuts, fresh juice and coffee or tea.  One person in our group had a food allergy and The Kerr House was able to accommodate her diet as well.

            Breakfast was followed by two back to back treatments in the spa.  Each person was on a different rotation but by the end of the weekend we had all received two massages, a fingertip facial, an herbal wrap or paraffin wax, a whirlpool and sauna.

            After a delicious lunch of chicken salad and a strawberry shortbread dessert we received another treatment and went off to spend two free hours either shopping in the quaint village of Grand Rapids or resting before yoga. 

            Dinner takes place in the Oak Dining Room with Laurie.  A harpist plays in the adjoining room and the meal is always followed by some form of entertainment. We had such a terrific time after dinner that I wanted to write all about it but Laurie asked me not to.

            “I don’t like to reveal anything about the entertainment. I like for guests to have some surprises,” she said.    

            Sunday went by too fast.  We savored another breakfast in bed, followed by another spa treatment, a yoga session and lunch. During lunch we reviewed our goals for the weekend and when Laurie asked whether we’d achieved them the answer was a resounding yes!

The Kerr House offers private and semi-private rooms.  Six of us doubled up and two other stayed in private rooms.  The communal bathroom was hard to get used to at first.  It’s located in the hall outside the bedrooms and includes two toilet stalls, two sinks and a shower.  There is another bathroom downstairs in the spa area but it’s three floors away from the bedrooms.  After the weekend was over everyone agreed that although it didn’t end up being a big deal, it was the one thing we would change about The Kerr House if we could. 

            The Kerr House is more than a bed and breakfast, more than a spa, but it’s hard to put a finger on why it’s so special.  The treatments were fine but you can find good treatments anywhere.  What is the draw?  When Laurie opened The Kerr House in 1980 she said she envisioned a program that would “make people feel differently than they had ever remembered feeling.  It would be a feeling that they couldn’t put into words, but they felt deeply.” That’s exactly what happened. Laurie performs some sort of magic.  The key to it is the hands on individual attention she gives each guest and the fact that her theme:  “You can get better with age!” is an motto she makes you believe by the time you leave.    

            The Kerr House offers five-night, three-night, weekend, one day programs and individual treatments.  The weekend program is $750 for a semi-private (two person) room and $850 for a private room.  That includes all treatments and meals.  The Kerr House is located in Grand Rapids, Ohio about 16 miles from the Toledo Airport.  They can be reached at www.thekerrhouse.com or at 419-832-1733. Look on-line for current internet specials.