Luxury Spa Treatment: Sticks & Stones Massage at Barnsley Resort
By Laura Janelle Downey
I just wanted to relax for my 41st birthday. No bells and whistles—just a quick weekend away with my super awesome friend, Ericka. So she flew in from New York City and then we drove about an hour north to Barnsley Resort. We had arranged to have treatments on Saturday morning and after looking at the online spa menu, I just knew I wanted to have the 80-minute Sticks & Stones Massage. So we walked on over from the Inn at Barnsley Resort to the 5,500-square-foot spa. It was a quick five-minute stroll and then we arrived in a calming sanctuary. The resort’s signature scent, lavender mint, filled the air and I was so ready to check in and put on my cozy robe.
As soon as I put on my robe, my therapist, Joanna Earley, walked into the locker area, called my name and let me know she was ready for me. After we got to the treatment room, she explained what she would be doing for my 
Sticks & Stones Massage ($210 Relaxing/$265 Deep Tissue) and then I asked her to turn up the temperature on the massage bed. After she upped the temp, she stepped outside of the room so I could get undressed. I got comfortable under the sheets and waited for her to come back into the room.
When Joanna knocked on the door and walked into the room, I was more than ready for a relaxing rubdown. She applied the resort’s signature lavender mint oil to parts of my body before rubbing it in. Body part by body part, from the front of my arms and legs to the back of my thighs and calves, Joanna lathered me in oil and then placed the hot stones in corresponding areas. I hadn’t felt this relaxed in a really long time. After she moved the hot stones up and down my arm, she would then take the heated bamboo sticks and rub them over my arm. Can you say, “Heaven!?” This delicate movement happened for every body part. When the treatment was over, I didn’t want to get off the massage table. I was in a Zen-like state.
Afterward, I went to the lounge to chat with Ericka. When I saw her, she was reading a magazine while resting on a chaise. I snagged some yummy cinnamon yogurt-covered pretzels and Ericka enjoyed a fruity cup of 
Chamomile Citron Tea from Tea Forté. After enjoying the lounge, we then perused products near the spa’s entryway. Everything from Éminence Organic Skin Care to Jane Iredale makeup lined the shelves. On my next visit, I’ll have to pencil in more time to use the steam room and sauna amenities.
Now that I am back in Atlanta, I’m thinking about when my next massage will be. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I can experience 80 minutes of bliss again.
Barnsley Resort | BarnsleyResort.com | 770.773.2465 | 597 Barnsley Gardens Rd. NW. Adairsville, GA 30103
