Escape Salish Lodge & Spa

Seattle – We drove into the mountains, where fog mysteriously nestled among the evergreen, pine and spruce trees. It was a 50-minute drive from Seattle to Salish Lodge and Spa, an 86-room resort built on Snoqualmie Falls, a sacred waterfall and surrounding forest that the Snoqualmie Tribe acquired in 2019, reclaiming sacred land and preventing development. Salish Lodge & Spa was featured in the memorable opening credits of the Twin Peaks television show (which I’d never heard of before this trip, so many of the hotel’s thoughtful touches were lost on me).

Where to Park and Check-In

Valet parking was complimentary with our stay. Bellmen helped us out of the circular driveway and into the lobby, where we checked in and were offered our complimentary “welcome beverage”, an apple cider and whiskey cocktail. We made our way to our room, stopping by the hotel’s wine hour downstairs, where they were offering more complimentary house red and white or sparkling rose. After enjoying their incredible rosé, I was embarrassed by the cans of rosé we’d bought at the grocery store. The quality and taste of their house blend was of a far better quality, and I promised myself I would never drink rosé from the can again.

The Rooms at Salish Lodge

We were entranced by our cozy, spacious room which included a fireplace that turned on with the simple touch of a button and warmed the entire room for up to two hours. The large flat screen television was beside the fireplace against a unique wall of reclaimed wood. We browsed live and pay-per-view options before heading to our dinner reservation at The Dining Room.

I was most impressed with the bathrooms, their dual showerheads, and the complimentary eucalyptus shower mist. We spent most of the time in our room in front of the fire, beneath dimmed lights and black out curtains. There was a light rainy wind from the balcony door left ajar and the bed was cozy. Other rooms have views of the waterfall. Before our spa visit, we left our hotel room and walked to the falls, and were overwhelmed by the sheer power, magnitude and overwhelming beauty.

Spa at Salish Lodge

We booked a private bath at the spa, which was an unexpectedly romantic and intimate experience. The spa at Salish Lodge was booked weeks in advance of our stay, but I managed to secure a reservation for the private spa bath. My fiancé and I were escorted to separate dressing rooms with showers, toilets and lockers, where we changed into our robes and slippers; we subsequently met in the dark waiting room. We were then escorted to the compact spa, which had a separate bubbling spa area waiting for us. We could see other guests but we were not disturbed by them and felt completely comfortable and relaxed. I ordered a blackberry mimosa and a refreshing beet and aloe smoothie. There were never more than four people in the spa with us and after uninterrupted 50-minutes, we moved into the public spaces to enjoy the steam room and sauna.

On-site Food and Beverage

There were two restaurants at the lodge; both featured local ingredients such as local honey from the lodge’s on-site apiary. The formal Dining Room overlooked the waterfall. Upstairs, the lounge at The Attic had the best views at the lodge. We normally ordered Room Service, which came quickly. The food was extremely rich and abundant; I could only eat half of what was served on my plate.

We spent two nights at Salish Lodge before finishing our holiday weekend trip in Seattle. As I waited for the valet to retrieve our car, I watched a bride take pictures with her groom by the Christmas tree. I overheard another guest tell a hostess how much she and her family loved the hotel. My fiancé found me and told me we’d come again soon.