Tammy Fender's Outpost in Delray Beach is Florida's New Must-Visit Spa
Tammy Fender has always been a step—or more accurately, decades—ahead of the rest. She first began to treat clients with all-natural, handcrafted skincare 25 years ago, and has been quietly defining holistic healing and luxury in her jewel-box West Palm Beach spa since 2003. Long before any of us were regularly using words like “intention” and “self-care,” Fender was converting clients to her now famous eponymous skincare brand and building a loyal clientele—so loyal, and increasingly so abundant, that her wait list could stretch for months—through word of mouth. Her progress has been measured and steady: You can trust that when a new Tammy Fender product appears on the shelf, it’s not because of a trend or market demand, but because Tammy herself has seen a need for it among her clients or has discovered a magical new ingredient or formula that she wishes to share.
And so it is with her stunning new spa, an 8,000 square foot wellness sanctuary at the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Delray Beach, Florida. It may have taken her years to open a second location, but it comes at just the right time. Not only was Fender seeing a practical need for more space—now that seemingly all of the Upper East Side has decamped to Palm Beach, demand for her services has skyrocketed—she was also in tune with the zeitgeist: We are all pandemic-weary and in need of some seriously mind/body/spirit TLC, and we’re also finally living in a time when holistic practices have real meaning and currency.
“In the past, it may have felt as though we were trying to teach people about the benefits of holistic living, but now health is at the forefront and understood to be such a luxury,” Fender says. “People are open to receive these ideas and try things, and they really feel a difference. It doesn’t have to be taught anymore—there’s a craving for it.”
The Tammy Fender Holistic Spa in Delray Beach could certainly satisfy any craving, with offerings ranging from Crystal Frequency Therapy to Thai Yoga Massage to Guided Meditation and Eco-Therapy, which fosters a connection with the natural world. Fender handpicked each of the spa’s practitioners, rigorously screening candidates from all over the world to find exactly those who could truly bring something unique and powerful to the equation. “I’ve always wanted to create a place where very special world-class practitioners who have been trained in a broad range of healing modalities could come together so that we could create this multi-layered sanctuary,” she says. “I’m so glad that guests can experience that diversity and the depth of those offerings, and that we’ve been able to bring all of these people who are so personally important to me into the community.” While there will of course be hardcore devotees who come specifically to experience Fender’s Signature Holistic Facial, which incorporates healing plant extracts, oxygen therapy, and reflexology, the new spa’s menu is so extensive that one could spend days immersing themselves in a head-to-toe, inside-outside reboot—indeed, there are specially designed Soulful Series packages, which offer a tailored combination of mindfulness, energy work, massage and skincare to achieve total transformation.
Perhaps the property’s greatest, success, though, is the way in which it captures and communicates Fender’s philosophy and aesthetic. A diminutive, soft-spoken blonde who emanates calming energy, Fender has managed to imbue the sprawling spa with serenity—with, she insists, a little help from mother nature via the Opal Grand’s beachfront location. “The ocean is one of the greatest healers, so to be able to bring in that element is really profound,” Fender says. “I think there’s an inherent sense of peacefulness about the beach. It’s a blessing to have that right at our fingertips.”
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