I have admired this building most of my life. Located on on a hill at a sharp curve in the road connecting Pennington and Hopewell, New Jersey, it is hard to miss. While it has undergone many functions and owners over the  years, it has been the home of Vallerie European Spa and Holistic Health Center for the last two.  The spa's owner, Vallerie, could not resist when this property came on the market and decided to move her spa from its former location on Nassau Street in Princeton.  

I don't know what finally made me stop and visit the spa, but the timing was great - just in time to get a preview of Vallerie's new and expanded menu of services. 

The spa occupies most of the first floor.  Original wood floors glow from the sun streaming in through the many large windows making the large, open rooms bright and cheery. There are four sections to the spa:

• a reception/ waiting area, 

• a manicure/pedicure/hair area, 

• a treatment area with a balneotherapy tub room and two treatment rooms, and 

• a classroom where yoga, meditation, and Qi Gong are taught. 

There is a patio and garden area outside. Finally, there is a bedroom upstairs for those staying for retreats.

Vallerie uses the Phytobiodermie line of products, a modern beauty and health care system based on the tradition of Chinese herbal medicine, natural skincare products from Switzerland, and the science of monochromatic light (chromatherapy). The spa offers Massage Therapy,  Spa Facials, Body Treatments, Yoga, Alternative Medicine, Day Packages and Retreats, Specialty Treatments, and healthy seasonal vegetarian lunches.

Vallerie offers a number of services that focus on seasons, something I haven't seen emphasized in other day spas I have visited. When your body doesn't keep pace with every seasonal transition, you can become stressed, lethargic, and susceptible to disease. Vallerie also offers seasonal body treatments that depend on the date and the season.

Vallerie is a small, personal spa - a place where you are the focus. You will definitely not get lost in the crowd, become just another face, or feel like you are on a conveyor belt at this spa as can so easily happen at larger spas. 

Vallerie European Spa and Holistic Health Center

Entrance

Reception Desk

Waiting Area

Manicure Stations

Pedicure Stations

Balneotherapy Bath

Treatment Room

Classroom (Yoga, Meditation, Qi Gong)

photos by Julie Register

Vallerie European Spa and Holistic Health Center
235 Hopewell-Pennington Road
Hopewell, New Jersey 08525

609-466-8886