Leave Fido in the yard.
Then head to the Spa La Quinta for some true relaxation.
Spa La Quinta immediately distinguishes itself by
its elaborate outdoor relaxation spaces. Find an outdoor
kiva here with a warming fire in the winter months
and a pool for a post-treatment plunge.
To best savor your wellness time, make sure you schedule
in at least one 80-minute treatment, whether a facial
or a massage. That way you will receive the full benefit
of your treatment and finally begin to relax.
Start with a signature Celestial Shower, a shower
stall open to the sky and swaying palm trees. Melt
under the overhead rain shower jets, while immersing
in the rock waterfall streams and dozen jets pulsating
for a full-body hydro-massage.
While body treatments and wraps take on some indigenous
personalities (Cahuilla Sage Wrap and the Mountain
Dunes Clay Wrap, for instance. Sage was used by the
local Cahuilla Indians as a cleansing agent and for
calming and enhancing the respiratory system. The
local red mountain clay has been used for centuries
for its nourishing and detoxifying properties.) the
massages here might be considered more mainstream.
While Lomi Lomi and Sacred Stone Therapy are on the
menu, other massages are golf- and sports-based stemming
from a Swedish approach. Whatever you choose, your
therapist will add his or her own specialty to the
mix. Many of the highly-skilled hands here hail from
the Mueller College of Holistic Studies in San Diego
and have a plan that comes to life once familiar with
the needs of your body.
Recommended for the topper is the 80-minute Seduction
of the Senses facial. Suggested for normal or dry
skin it employs soy, wheat and oat protein enzymes
to strengthen skin and dissolves fine lines by using
black current and passion fruit. The movements are
delivered in sync with a special musical recording
created for the treatment and delivering a total experience
that touches the five senses - if you include the
view of the garden and desert horizon you get through
the French windows.
Try the Spa Spectacular Pamper Package. Good through
May 6, 2006 it includes $175 credit at Spa La Quinta.
The rates per night start at $495 (plus taxes and
nightly $20 Resort Charge) and include your accommodations
and spa credit plus a special Celestial Shower or
Garden Bath in the spa, and breakfast for two at the
Adobe Grill.
Call (800) 598-3828, www.laquintaresort.com.
To the Sea: For some sensational spa moments by the
sea, stay at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa
in Dana Point, CA just south of Laguna Beach.
A recently reconstructed and completely feng shui'd
new spa makes this resort the unsung sleeper of the
season. A find on its perch just above the harbor
and looking out on the Pacific, the resort takes wellness
seriously and uses the beauty of its environment as
a starting point. Try starting your day with yoga
on the lawn. As the ocean mist rolls away, you'll
be enjoying coffee and wellness talks delivered by
Dr. Edward Taub, a renowned practitioner of both holistic
and western medicine who will help you take charge
of your body, mind and spirit with some creative healing
approaches.
Fitness can be accomplished in the cheery gym here
or by walking the course of trails and steps around
the spread, leading down to the ocean, or up into
the cliffs. A necklace of greenery that is a public
park surrounds the property and Fido is welcomed here
too, no questions asked.
The spa spans out at 14,000 square feet with 10 treatment
rooms and a comely great room to relax on a chaise
with a magazine, a comfy blanket and a cup of herb
tea. Fruits and nuts are stocked for those who get
hungry and a platter of vegetables is produced in
the afternoon.
Therapies here include the exotic with Ayurvedic and
Thai approaches among the choices for massage. Do
the Coastal Stone Massage using smooth basalt rocks
that have been warmed and placed on appropriate chakra
points. To reach that harmonic convergence, make it
the 110-minute version. Wraps, too, reach for the
local spin and the Catalina Kelp Cocoon takes the
advantage as one of nature's most powerful detoxifiers
harvested from watery depths only miles away.
Got sun damaged skin? The signature Vitamin C Facial
is just the cure. And its unique blend of homeopathic
and lymphatic drainage techniques result in an experience
of complete relaxation.
Finally, return to the great room for your post-treatment
quiet time. The feng shui'd energy of the room will
bolster your chi - and you will need all the help
you can get if you want to move again.
Call (800) 228-9290, www.lagunacliffs.com.
