With its own vineyard, an array of buildings brought from exotic locations around the globe (disassembled abroad and reconstructed on site), a chapel for wedding vows and a restaurant that draws people from miles away to this wildflower-flecked parcel of the Hill Country near Dripping Springs, Camp Lucy is both an escape and lair for its owners, Whit and Kim Hanks.
Like most hotels that began as a refuge, Camp Lucy grew from a home to a place to welcome friends. Soon, it was a clever boutique hotel. When Whit and Kim married, it took on a more focused role. It combined their occupational interests — for him, antique and artifact dealing, and for her, wedding planning — as well as their personal passions, such as travel, design and gastronomy. Today, with 52 rooms and two cottages, a tiny herd of alpacas, hiking trails, pools and event space, the creative endeavor has just launched Folklore Spa, its magnum opus.
Not where you expect to find a world-class sanctum of repose, Folklore boldly expresses itself at this ranch-style retreat in the Texas Hill Country. Not lazily or predictably created to fit into a box — like so many new spas lately — this one exudes the soul of Camp Lucy, embodying the hideaway’s first-class efforts (mainstays such as sumptuous suites and fine dining) to stand on a pedestal of its own.
As well as a perfect place for wedding parties to spruce up or weekend guests to relax, this is the sort of spa you’ll want to travel for and where you’ll want to stay awhile. Deeply researched by Kim Hanks and cleverly executed, Folklore occupies reimagined, vintage Vietnamese buildings, including an 1800s town hall. Deliciously imperfect as all soulful old things are, the structures vibrate with a healing life force. Look for the mysterious, extant scribblings on the walls, evocative messages from the past to the spa goers of our time.
Inside, the old buildings embrace a maximalist decor as colorful and emotionally stirring as a spontaneous song or an eruption of much-needed laughter. Kim Hanks joined forces with notable British interior designer Charlotte Smiley to create a spa that, though tranquil, brims with captivating details and nooks sure to be a stimulus to healing, repose and pivots.
“We wanted to create a space where wellness isn’t an escape but a part of daily life, shared with others and infused with meaning,” Kim said.
A thoughtful extravaganza of patterned textiles, sculptural furnishings, geometric-patterned wallpapers and collections, such as a wall of masks and another of ceramic Staffordshire dogs, the spa stays grounded amid all this heart-quickening artistry with its rough-hewn, ancient architectural elements in place. Alluring, Folklore’s interiors serve as a prelude to the spa experience it offers.
Meant to care for both day visitors and extended-stay guests, 13,000-square-foot Folklore stretches another 7,000 square feet outdoors, with amenities such as a heated outdoor spa pool, an oversize hot tub and a line of salmon-colored umbrellas, complete with tassels.
A large coed sauna competes for attention with an affable cafe and bar. Eleven indoor treatment rooms offer cutting-edged rituals by highly touted brands rarely seen in Texas: Natura Bisse and Irene Forte Skincare, to name two. Both innovative and classic experiences are offered, complemented by wellness experiences led by staff experts and visiting professionals — yoga, sound healing, art therapy. Hatchet throwing, forest bathing and wine tastings can be arranged.
When booking, splurge on the extravagantly kitted-out Foley Suites, located steps from the spa.
Folklore Spa at Camp Lucy
3509 Creek Road in Dripping Springs,