NORTH AMERICA
SYCANMORE SPA, THE RANCH AT LAGUNA BEACH
LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Gorgeous Laguna Beach has been a gay enclave for more than a century, and it’s still home to one of Southern California’s most popular and sexy gay strips of sand, West Street Beach. Just across the Pacific Coast Highway from the West Street action, and only a seven-minute walk away is the Ranch at Laguna Beach, a tranquil, sprawling and beautiful 87-acre canyon property, and a member of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World.
It is famous for its outstanding commitment to the guest experience, and for its firm commitment to sustainable practices. The Ranch’s Sycamore Spa offers treatments that highlight the property’s canyon setting and coastal proximity, and the healing natural benefits of both sand and sea. Using a unique blend of botanical oils, marine salts, organic seaweed, minerals ,and trace elements, Sycamore’s treatments help protect, rejuvenate, and hydrate the skin, which is very important after a day of frolicking in the sun and sea.
Calm and rejuvenate your beach-weary hooves with Beach Feet (30 min/$65), which kicks off with a scrub of white sand and salt to polish rough soles, followed by an exfoliating peel and a reflexology massage. The fullbody restorative Beach Recovery experience (60 min/$160) begins with an exfoliating and rehydrating foot treatment, followed by the application of a full-body aloe vera elixir to soothe sun-exposed skin.
The treatment is capped off (literally) with the total relaxation-inducing combination of a seaweed face mask and a scalp massage with hydrating coconut oil. The age-correcting Vitamin Sea Facial (90 min/$250) uses a vitamin C dual-peel and biphasic mask to firm and de-wrinkle the skin, followed by an age-defying massage for facial tone and redensification. www.theranchlb.com/chill/sycamore-spa
—Dan Allen
FESS PARKER WINE COUNTRY INN AND SPA
LOS OLIVOS, CALIFORNIA
Fess Parker Inn Pool
Calming earth-toned rooms set exactly the right mood for relaxation in the Spa at Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa, at the heart of California’s Santa Ynez Valley wine country in the town of Los Olivos. With a predominance of Elemis products, they’re well-prepared to take care of your skin. Try, for example, the Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect Facial (50 min/$145) a plant-based, “age-reversing” treatment, and you’ll see the dramatic effects as a more youthful you emerges.
Visiting Santa Ynez Valley from the city? An Elemis Urban Cleanse for Men (50 min/$145) is a deep-cleansing facial therapy designed to unclog and repair the skin, as well as nourishing it to provide long-lasting protection. Their signature Swedish Massage is called, not surprisingly, the Los Olivos Unwind (50 min/$145, 80 min/$185), and it’s the perfect description of the results.
Hot Stone Therapy (80 min/$200) uses warmed basalt stones for an extra-deep soothing effect, while Rhythmic Pressure Massage (50 min/$145, 80 min/$195) uses almond or grapeseed oils and focuses on ridding the muscles of tension. For full face and body satisfaction, try Heaven on Earth (120 min/$245), which combines the Los Olivos Unwind with a customized facial. As you lie by the pool after your spa experience, you’ll wonder why it took you so long to come to Santa Ynez Valley and Fess Parker. www.fessparkerinn.com
—Rich Rubin
