"Here golf is still king, " explains spa general manager Jim Root. (Sea Island offers four golf courses on its various properties.) The current chairman of the International Spa Association (ISPA), Root joined Sea Island in 2005 from Tucson's innovative Miraval, and he admits that the move from a progressive spa environment to a conservative one has not been without its challenges.

FORBES: The Old South rises again at the Spa at Sea Island, Georgia.

It involves learning where sponges grow, picking the right one, prying an intact sponge from the sea bottom, and using it on their noses to root around the right areas to find fish concealed in the sand.

MSN: Dolphin social networks show first hints of culture