Everything you ever wanted to know about spas but were afraid to ask
A self-professed spa snob who has trekked to health and fitness resorts throughout the world for over two decades both for work and primal pleasure, people often question me about the subject. Prior to the recession spa vacations had bludgeoned as one of the favorite destinations of couples and singles seeking serenity, fitness, weight reduction and pure pampering.
According to spa owners, business is creeping back, ironically as a way to get over financial angst. For spa goers living in LA, nearby choices are plentiful. Great spas are as close as car ride to Escondido, Ojai, Arizona and San Francisco. This is a good thing because you can fly or drive easily and pend less time traveling and more time at the spa.
Shaped up and reinvented at the beginning of the new millennium, health spa are no longer playgrounds for pudgy plutocrats,but rather finely-tuned operations that focus on mind, body and spirit.
With hundreds of choices in all sizes, prices and philosophies available, how do you pick the right one?
First ask yourself what you want out of a spa:
Pure, unadulterated pampering?
To be mercilessly whipped into shape?
Spiritual renewal?
All of the above.
Now what's in a name? For purposes of this piece we are discussing destination spas: facilities offering room, board, pampering, fitness and nutritional guidance, as opposite to day spas where you plop for facial, massage or half or whole day of pampering.
The Diva prefers what is known in spa-speak as "glamor" spas like the Golden Door (www.goldendoor.com) and Cal-A-Vie www.calavie.com), two southern Calfornia sanctuaries that dole a finely-honed combination of exercise, personal training, healthy eating and pampering for one all-inclusive (and pretty stiff price).
For the budget-seeker, there's also oasis such as the Oaks at Ojai--a well-run eco-spa with good spa cuisine, top notch fitness options, comfy rooms, and a la carte pampering (www.theoaksatojai.com)
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Then there's there the Ojai Valley Inn, billed as a spa but more of a hotel with spa offerings. The Sonoma Mission Inn another hotel with a spa that plays a major role with lots of fitness options, hiking and fantastic spa cuisine (www.sonomamissioninn.com).
For serious fitness fanatics, the Ashram, hidden away in a little canyon above Malibu, in Calabasas, California, provides a week of boot camp-like activities concentrated on hiking and heavy duty aerobics fueled by modest, mostly vegan meals. Popular with celebs needing a quick fix prior to a movie or TV appearance and die-hard exercisers, this spa, according to the founder, Anne Marie Bennstrom, "Is mean and lean."
Now to answer the most often asked questions:
Q: How long should I stay at a destination to get the best results?
A: At lest 5 days, but a week works best. Bad habits don't dissolve over night. It takes time baby, it takes time.
Q: What results can I expect?
A: Be realistic. It depends on your goal. If weight loss is your aim, don't expect to shed 50 pounds in 7 days. But if you follow the program it is possible to drop 2 to 5 pounds (for women) and up to 10 for men. It's not fair, but I don't make the rules, men often boast better metabolism.
If rest and rejuvenation are your targets, you'll pretty much find that within 24 hours especially at the Golden Door or Cal-A-Vie.
Q: What happens when I get there?
A: They lock you up and throw away the key. Only kidding. But some folks feel that way when they arrive at the Golden Door where a huge gate locks behind them. The Door offers a Sunday to Sunday program of hiking, fitness classes (aerobics,Pilates, Yoga, weight training,spinning, and every new technique in the industry), plus pampering (facials, massages, body treatment, hair ,nails makeup), cooking classes, lectures, evening programs and much more.
At full-fledged spas you won't find alcohol (there are bars at spots like Sonoma Mission Inn and hotels of course). So if drinking's a problem you may want to select a spa sans bars or temptations. The true health and resort experience includes personalized programs geared to guests goals. While more laissez fair facilities such as Rancho La Puerta, in Tecate, California (www.rancholapuerta.com) offer everything you want during a mandatory Saturday to Saturday stay but let you decide.
Q: What will it cost me?
A: Plenty if you opt for the works or go to a "glamor" spa like the Golden Door or Cal-A-Vie where a week runs $6,000 and up depending on specials. Even the supposedly less-expensive, Canyon Ranch's rate sky rocket when you add treatments and assorted extras.
Q: Is it worth it?
A: You bet your booty (which will greatly diminish and tone after a spa week). I get my yearly tune-ups at the Golden Door. In-between I check out other spas for research for my writing. And I maintain the program at home--which is the key to success.
Like everything, it doesn't' it just stay with you, you have to keep working for it.
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