Where to Recharge and Recover During Awards Season
By Kathy A. McDonald
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Wellness is way of life in California. Or more accurately, there’s an abundance of places that promise to transform guests into someone chiller and who looks younger (even for a few hours). Here’s where to recharge, relax and recover from that trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific or trans-continental flight or to fine-tune body and mind for the final awards season push.
Inside Out Wellness
The Hydration Room, Santa Monica
The Hydration Room on Santa Monica’s fashionable Montana Avenue assures glowing skin from the inside out using high doses of vitamins and minerals delivered by intravenous and injection therapies. Dr. Brett Florie, an Orange County-based anesthesiologist, founded the clinic four years ago, and seven establishments now offer 25 proprietary therapies (combining vitamins and minerals). Registered nurses administer the IVs. The Hydration Room’s skin health therapy appeals to on-camera talent: vitamin C, collagen, anti-oxidants and fluids hydrate the skin, improving elasticity.
Web: thehydrationroom.com
Easy Getaway
Lido House, Newport Beach, Calif.
The O.C.’s primo resort town of Newport Beach is a mere hour away from Los Angeles. John Wayne is celebrated at the recently opened, 137-room Lido House, Autograph Collection, where a model of his ship is the centerpiece of the lobby. The vibe is totally kickback California. Providing a comfortable residential experience, Lido House’s five 1,500-sq.-ft., two-bedroom, multi-level, designer-perfect cottages appeal to those seeking privacy and extra space. The intimate on-site Boost spa offers hydrafacial treatments, which combine exfoliation and serums for a promised youthful radiance.
Web: lidohousehotel.com
Balcony Bubbles
Surf & Sand Resort, Laguna Beach, Calif.
The sound of ocean waves pounding on the beach below drowns out most worries at Laguna Beach’s laidback Surf & Sand Resort, one of the few Southern California set directly on the sand. The pastel-colored rooms all face the ocean and come with roomy balconies and sliding glass doors maximizing views of the surf. Jump-start a stay by unwinding with Champagne paired with Ossetra caviar and buckwheat blinis served on guests’ private balcony.
Web: surfandsandresort.com
Designer Hideaway
Sands Hotel & Spa, Indian Wells, Calif.
The Sands Hotel & Spa in Indian Wells (20 minutes from the Coachella festival grounds) occupies a colorfully and fully renovated 1950s-era, 46-room hideaway hotel. Centered on a pool surrounded by snazzy black-and-white cabanas, the adults-only Sands is a secluded oasis. Its three-treatment room spa, memorably embellished with decor by interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, glimmers with reflective tiles and Moroccan influences. Book the Royal Rhassoul body treatment for all-over skin revival where dead skin cells are brushed away, skin is softened via a body clay mask and then re-hydrated.
Web: sandshotelandspa.com
Revive in the Redwoods
Ventana Big Sur, Calif.
Set on a hilltop with the jaw-dropping Big Sur coastline in view, Ventana Big Sur is where reality feels and is far, far away. The atmosphere is quintessentially mellow; indulgent touches are found in the 59 rooms outfitted with soaking tubs, fireplaces and the plushest of king-size beds. Dip into the clothing-optional pool or book a lavender-infused body treatment at the resort’s Alila spa. Ventana is carefully nestled on 160 acres; guests must be 18 years or older. Also on site: a “glamping” campground of luxuriously outfitted and heated canvas tents set within a quiet canyon for those that want to sleep stylishly under the stars.
Web: ventanabigsur.com
Lifestyle Restructuring
VeraVia at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Carlsbad, Calif.
Commit to a lifestyle remake at VeraVia, the all-inclusive spa retreat within the 329-room Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa, close to North County San Diego’s celebrated beaches. VeraVia helps guests holistically create a regimen to achieve fitness, weight loss and true health goals. Stays can vary from a three-day express to a week or more. The surrounding resort set on 200 manicured acres has every outdoor activity.
Web: veraviafit.com
parkhyattaviara.com
