Your 3-Day Wellness Guide to Delray Beach, Florida
If there’s anyone who knows how to do holistic living right, it’s world-renowned celebrity esthetician and skincare savant Tammy Fender. Which is why we’ve tapped this South Florida native to share a few ways to weave wellness into a Friday-through-Sunday Delray Beach stay at Opal Grand Resort & Spa – including stops at her on-site award-winning spa sanctuary.
Ever since Tammy Fender was a little girl, she knew there was something special – something healing – about the destination of Delray Beach. “I grew up coming here, walking the beach, and there’s a specific energy that draws people interested in healing,” says Fender. Which is why, in 2020 and 2021, when she was looking to open a second location of her award-winning spa (she launched her lauded West Palm Beach location in 2003), she naturally turned her sights to Delray Beach and the then-new resort property of Opal Grand Resort & Spa.
The result is what is now an equally award-winning 8,000-square-foot wellness haven – a sprawling sanctuary located just past Opal Grand’s lobby that is imbued with serenity around every corner, down to the signature black tea, a blend carefully crafted by Fender herself that is served upon arrival. But, in terms of services, what you’ll find here is more than a mere massage. All-natural, hand-crafted skincare formulated by Fender herself comes coupled with guided meditation, silence therapy, and energy work (like reflexology). In fact, before any treatment even begins, you first go through a diagnostic exercise – called an essential oil reading – where you sit with 13 different plant essences to find which appeal most to you at that very moment. Those specific selections are then worked into your treatment, which is custom-made right there in the spa’s blending room. It’s a true holistic mind-body wellness experience custom to each individual.
So how else do you keep that healing going while on a Delray Beach, Florida vacation? You incorporate some of these additional practices and local stops, recommended by Fender herself.
FRIDAY, DAY 1
Shake Off the Travel Stress at the On-Site Tammy Fender Holistic Spa
After your afternoon check-in, one of the best ways to ease yourself into your wellness escape is by kicking it off with a fan-favorite Tammy Fender treatment. In particular, we’re talking about the Signature Facial which includes reflexology followed by the Custom Holistic Massage. “These two treatments are our classics and the ones everyone loves and talks about,” says Fender. Why? Because it’s a head-to-toe experience that lulls your entire being into a deep calm – yet doesn’t make you tired. “It actually brings a fresh radiance to your mind and body,” says Fender.
Wind Down for the Night Wisely
To ensure a calm, easy foundation for the days to follow, Fender suggests first creating an atmosphere conducive for a good night’s sleep. “Power down the screens as early as you can and embrace the golden hour – that last hour before sunset,” says Fender. There’s no better place for that than Opal Grand’s private balconies. “You get such a beautiful ocean breeze there – just sitting and observing nature will support good sleep.”
Another way she likes to create a sense of calm – especially when traveling and not in her normal home setting – is with two of her own products: Bulgarian Rose Water, which she spritzes on her pillow, and Bulgarian Lavender Body Oil (also a favorite of Kate Upton), which she massages into her neck. “These two products are incredible sleep allies, slowing down the body systems and creating an aura of peaceful rest.”
SATURDAY, DAY 2
Stroll the Beach at Dawn
“Any time of day is a great time to stroll the beach, but I find early morning walks – before the rest of the world has awoken – so meditative,” says Fender, who also says she feels so fortunate that the spa overlooks the ocean, “one of our greatest healers.” And a big part of what makes this particular two-mile stretch of golden sand so serene is that it’s largely undeveloped. In fact, that’s just one of the reasons it won “Best Beach in Florida” in USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Visit The Delray Beach Green Market
If you’re visiting between the months of October through July, you should always reserve your Saturday mornings for perusing this open-air market located on the Old School Square grounds off Atlantic Ave. “It’s a very well-curated market where I like to sample some local fresh flavors,” says Fender. In fact, she likes to beeline to her favorite vendor, Gratitude Garden Farm, an organic farm out of Loxahatchee that is the go-to produce purveyor for many of Palm Beach County’s top restaurants. “They are especially known for their gourmet mushrooms,” adds Fender. “What better way to promote well-being than by engaging with the locals and their agriculture.”
Stretch Things Out with Your Next Massage
Back at the Tammy Fender Holistic Spa, it’s time for your next treatment. “The Thai Yoga Massage is a personal favorite of mine because it incorporates a beautiful stretching technique guided by your therapist,” says Fender. “Whereas the previous day’s treatment was all about calming the muscles, this is now about opening them.” Follow that up with a Botanical Body Wrap – featuring a detoxifying dry-brush treatment and a custom blend of botanicals – to leave your body deeply hydrated.
Dinner in Drift
You’ll find high-quality food to fuel you at Opal Grand’s signature restaurant, everything from house-made pasta and freshly baked breads to locally-farmed produce and fresh seafood and beef. While some of the specialty dishes include branzino with warm asparagus salad and pan-seared grouper with parsnip-potato puree and root vegetable caponata, Fender suggests accenting your meal with at least one of the following dishes: the Moroccan hummus plate and/or the beets and burrata salad. “The hummus appetizer has beautiful organic vegetables and the salad is so good with the roasted golden beets, whipped burrata, and local honey.”
SUNDAY, DAY 3
Start with a Healthy Snack
Located right across from the Tammy Fender Holistic Spa, Beach Market Cafe is another Opal Grand dining outlet that specializes in healthy grab-n-go style dishes. While Fender is a big fan of the Green Smoothie (a power blend including baby spinach, kale, Fiji apple, and avocado that they often serve in the spa), the well-crafted menu also includes other organic smoothies, as well as acai bowls and salads. “Anything from there will energize you for the day ahead,” says Fender.
Prolong the Sense of Calm You’ve Created
For your third Tammy Fender treatment, it’s all about locking in the wellness work you’ve done with a Foundational Matrix Facial, followed by a Subtle Touch Therapy session. The facial targets connective tissue and helps with micro-circulation and collagen enhancement, while Subtle Touch is about balancing the energy with a personalized guided meditation and gentle touch. “The energy therapy engages the parasympathetic nervous system to really relax you and to prolong that sense of calm,” says Fender. “Clients say it leaves them feeling very light, almost like they are floating. It’s a very ethereal type of treatment.”
Stroll Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
It wouldn’t be a wellness escape in Delray without squeezing in a visit to this gem of meditative nature center, dedicated to celebrating Japanese culture. While the museum buildings house an impressive collection of Japanese art and artifacts and hosts all kinds of workshops, classes, and cultural demonstrations, the biggest draw might just be its 16 acres of stunning tranquil gardens interlaced with strolling paths and peppered with bonsai, waterfalls, and stone lanterns. “There’s a lot of reflective stopping points, where you can sit on beautiful benches and reflect on all the beauty around you,” says Fender. In fact, this is where Fender likes to journal and – inspired by all the plants around her – dream up formulations. “It’s where I’ve created many of my spa services.”
OTHER WAYS TO WELLNESS IN DELRAY BEACH, FL
A few other wellness activities to consider working into your Delray Beach, Florida vacation.
Thursday Evening Sound Bath Experiences
Held weekly year-round on Thursday evenings and available to locals and Opal Grand guests alike, the Tammy Fender Holistic Spa hosts a sound bath and cacao ceremony in the private relaxation room overlooking the ocean. What is a sound bath? It’s a deeply immersive, full-body listening experience that uses sound waves – produced by a gong, crystal singing bowls, and koshi chimes – to nurture your mind and body.
Delray Beach Tennis Center
“An important part of a vacation wellness regime is staying active and getting your heart rate up,” says Fender, who likes to do just that with a stop at this full-service public tennis facility located just off the palm-lined Atlantic Ave. Not only can you reserve a court – there are 14 clay courts, six hard courts, and eight pickleball courts – or book a lesson, but the 8,200-seat stadium hosts a number of elite tournaments throughout the year, including the 10-day Delray Beach Open, an ATP event that is televised nationally.
The Montana Method
Nestled in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove District, this fitness studio – owned by local Montana Globerman – offers drop-in classes, where you can try this wildly popular and very unique full-body workout that incorporates elements of pilates, barre, dance, and yoga. And, if you’re visiting sometime around October 19, Globerman will actually be leading a morning yoga class that day at Elevate, Opal Grand’s new rooftop dining outlet, in collaboration with the resort and Tammy Fender.
Coming-Soon: The Tammy Fender Spritz Cart
You’ve seen bar carts, but this one – custom-designed by the Tammy Fender Holistic Spa – is quite a refreshing twist, literally. That’s because it’s going to be serving up hand-crafted Tammy Fender tonics and herbal, floral waters. Starting sometime this fall, expect to see the spritz cart stationed at various spots around Opal Grand’s property, including the lobby at check-in hours, the pool, Elevate, and more.
