Something happens on the ferry crossing to Shelter Island. By the time The Pridwin comes into view above Crescent Beach, the week’s noise has already started to recede. The property features cottages with spectacular water views, a sauna and steam room, elegant dinner tablescapes on the lawn that make you want to linger, and s’mores around the fire pit afterward—proper ones, with artisanal marshmallows and milk and dark chocolate bars that make you rethink the whole campfire canon. On Wednesdays, their outdoor barbecues draw a lively crowd for good reason. Kayaks are available to grab and go from the Pridwin dock, and the hotel offers scenic motorboat tours around the island, as well as electric vehicles and bicycles for land exploration. It is the perfect destination for a weekend escape, a midweek reset, or a staycation for those lucky enough to call the East End home. The only appointment worth making is at the spa.
The Tammy Fender pop-up there is worth the trip alone. Here is why.
Tammy Fender was doing clean beauty before it had a name. More than 25 years ago, she began studying herbalism, aromatherapy, and Eastern medicine, eventually making her own formulations by hand, in small batches. Her reputation grew by word of mouth in Palm Beach, through clients who came back looking different and couldn’t stop talking about it. She opened her flagship spa there in 2003, followed by a second location at the Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa in Delray Beach in 2021.
Aesthetician Amy Branum calls the Palm Beach flagship “the healing house” or “the jewel box.” “You go in, and everything is white and serene,” Branum says. “You forget there’s hustle right outside the door due to the serenity of it.” This summer, Fender brings her full residency to The Pridwin Spa through Labor Day.
“She is the definition of holistic wellness. She’s so authentic,” says Branum. The products are small-batch and carefully sourced—often from European growers operating under stricter regulatory standards—and formulated by Fender herself. “You don’t find that with a lot of the big iconic brands. She’s really big on sourcing. And with that, you’re never risking ingredients that are going to disrupt your hormones or create any kind of issue.”
The treatment menu ranges from 20 to 90 minutes, with an emphasis on manual lymphatic drainage and movement-based work designed, as Branum puts it, “to heal, depuff, and nurture.”
Signature Offerings Include:
- Sculpted Radiance Facial ($340 / 90 min.): Combines ultrasonic cleansing, light therapy, and lymphatic massage to lift and restore luminosity.
- Icy Glow Facial ($205 / 60 min.): A cryo-cooling protocol designed to calm inflammation and reduce redness, puffiness, and breakouts.
- Body Perfecting Treatment ($305 / 90 min.): Opens with dry brushing to activate lymphatic pathways, followed by a full-body exfoliation using the award-winning Epi-Body Polish.
The spa also offers a Purifying Back Treatment, Deep Tissue and Custom Holistic Massages, and a 20-minute Crowning Serenity Scalp Massage.
A selection of Fender’s products is also available on-site. For an insider morning routine, Branum recommends applying the Epi Peel to dry skin first as an exfoliating mask to slough away dead cells, adding a little cleansing gel for easier removal. Follow it with the Intensive Repair Balm, which is lighter than a standard balm and notably good at healing skin after procedures like laser treatments.
One last thing: carry cash. The ferry is old-school in that way, too.
Explore more in Wellness at The Purist.
Never miss an issue—join The Purist community.