The Oxford Hotel, a gem in the mountains.
By Roni Weiss - A Luxury Lifestyle writer for Jetsetter Lifestyle
When visiting Denver, you can have a historic experience with all the benefits of modernity by staying at the Oxford Hotel in LoDo. Built in 1891, the Oxford was the first grand hotel in Denver. It is a nice change of pace staying somewhere with time-tested luxury. Using keys instead of a keycard is already a time portal in and of itself. You’ll feel the breadth of the West in the paintings and prints that adorn the hotel, as well as the antique furniture in your room and throughout the property.
The hotel balances its 19th century appeal with 21st century amenities to satisfy a modern clientele, such as the Pillow Menu. While I slept comfortably on the feather pillows, they also offer: buckwheat, water-filled, memory, body pillow and leg spacer. The Oxford has a host of other amenities to help you both in and out of the hotel. A Bose stereo system, plasma TV and iPod docking station will keep you entertained in your room. The following are all complimentary: WiFi, morning coffee and tea, shoe-shine and fitness access.
Within the hotel, you’ll find McCormick’s Fish House and Bar and The Cruise Room Martini Bar. If you wish to explore, you’re central to downtown Denver, with complimentary Lincoln Town Car service to get you where you’d like to go within a two-mile radius in downtown. To either side of the hotel, you’ll find art galleries. Colorado and native American artists are presented at the David Cook Galleries, with Russian artists at the Sloane Gallery. It’s a quick walk to Coors Field to cheer on the Colorado Rockies or to the Pepsi Center to root for the Denver Nuggets or Colorado Avalanche.
Don’t miss out on the Oxford Club Spa & Salon. The fitness center is state-of-the-art, with Spinning machines, exercise classes, a steam room and complimentary toiletries to freshen up after your workout.
The spa offers a range of treatments and products, all of which are 10% off for hotel guests. To complement the hotel, the spa features authentic antique furniture in every room, from tables to an exquisite bathtub with brass feet used during mud treatments. The skin, hair, nail and body treatments are all performed by the extensively trained, multi-disciplined staff. The smells of delicious foods fill the menu, including their Almond Joy Experience, Pumpkin Yam Enzyme Facial and Ice Cream Pedicure.
I received the Almond Joy Experience, which fits the title. You start off in a spacious treatment room which is colored with deference to the feng shui color wheel. The masseuse then rubs you down with a coconut sugar scrub, your first step in becoming a human candy bar. A chocolate mousse masque follows. The first touch of the chocolate on my back was a vigorous sensation. The warmth of the chocolate gives way to heat as you are wrapped in plastic, then hot towels and finally, a special wrap. After you are ensconced, you are given a neck and face massage for the duration of the wrap.
The next step is putting on a brown robe to go downstairs and wash off the masque, returning for your almond oil massage. After the massage, I stayed on the table a bit feeling like my muscles had been worked where they needed to be. Back in my room, I felt invigorated. I ran my hands on my newer, smoother skin, remembering the first time I felt like I could have been dispensed from a vending machine. An experience you would be hard-pressed to replicate elsewhere.
For more information and to book at the Oxford Hotel, visit http://theoxfordhotel.com
[cincopa AwBAPs6uKBA1]
