Spas and spa culture are an integral part of the local scene in laid-back Southern California. Located in the heart of a desert, SoCal’s zeitgeist is all about water. Ocean waves, swimming pools, lush lawns, and floral extravaganzas dominate the landscape.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the seaside town of Carlsbad, 35 miles north of San Diego. Here, spa culture is a major industry, and spa-going, together with golf and Legoland, are the primary attractions for the roughly three million visitors who drop by every year.
The village of Carlsbad is a fusion of funky surfer hang-out, historic Victorian buildings, and upscale shopping areas framed by colourful street art. The result is a community that offers something for everyone.
Carlsbad owes its existence to water. In the 1880s, a former sea captain named John Frazier settled here and made his living selling water from artesian wells on his farm. The springs of mineral water that Frazier discovered turned out to have the same chemical signature as a famous Czech spa called Karlsbad, and so Frazier’s Station became Carlsbad and the town’s spa culture was launched.
Today there are literally dozens of spas in the area—destination spas, day spas, and by-the-way spas. I began my visit at arguably the best, La Costa Resort and Spa, a be-flowered jewel of a resort set in the rolling green acres of a golf course.
The Spa Treatment
La Costa Resort and Spa is a place of whitewashed walls, red tile roofs, towering palms, and blue umbrellas. Its sprawling California Mission architecture provides a gentle backdrop for the expansive emphasis on wellness that’s the focus for both the resort’s own spa complex and the Chopra Center Spa next door.Always ready to put in the research, I put myself in the hands of Phil, an experienced masseur who also turned out to be a massage tutor. He showed me how to position arms and legs for the best stress-relieving massage experience and sent me off into a blissful hour of deep-tissue relaxation.
Around the spa enclosure are swimming pools, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, steam rooms, and benches with overhead pipes that pound water down on tight back and shoulder muscles.
The Chopra Center is modelled on the German wellness plan that includes consulting doctors trained in both Western and Ayurvedic medicine. Statues of Hindu gods mix with Indian miniatures in the peaceful hallways and whiffs of incense float through quiet meditation rooms.
Coconut, cucumber, and citrus water infusions target toxins in the system. One advantage of the Chopra Spa complex is that it includes access to La Costa, making it possible to spend days rather than hours pampering the inner you.
Besides destination spas, a few minutes north in Carlsbad Village there are literally dozens of day spas. The Carlsbad Mineral Water Spa is located in a Hansel and Gretel-style, half-timbered house built over the artesian mineral water John Frazier discovered. Just minutes away, Spa Samudra offers pumpkin facials and hot sand and stone massages, and down the street at Skinsational, Asian fusion treatments starring rocks, water, and bamboo are the order of the day.
Gems, Food, and More Spas
For the moment, however, I was spa-ed out so for something completely different I drove up to the Carlsbad campus of the Gemological Institute of America. Instead of refining and polishing bodies, GIA refines and polishes some of the world’s most exquisite gemstones. On a public tour I learned about the heat treatment of gems, the rareness of rose quartz, and the difference between inclusions (desirable material trapped inside a gem), and occlusions (undesirable material inside).It was lunchtime and not far away was another gem, this time of the foodie variety. The kitchen at Bistro West under the direction of chef John Miller produced an inspired plate of lightly crisped calamari soaked in coconut milk, ahi tartare with avocado, and mango salsa and roasted beet salad with apples, walnuts, and crusted goat cheese. Followed by a dessert taster plate of key lime pie, chocolate mousse, and bread pudding with fresh berry sauce, I was full to bursting and ready to re-enter spa land.
At the Ocean Pearl Spa, part of the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort, masseuse Marisa introduced me to the pleasures of the Honey Dream Body Treatment. Coated with ginger and honey, beeswax, and hot towels, I was sticky but could feel the tension melting with the honey. Later, a basalt rock leg massage using oil from an aroma candle and a honey-infused facial left me ready to face the world thoroughly detoxed and de-stressed.
But I had one more appointment: the oldest natural spa in Carlsbad. It features sand scrubs, salt water soaks, and an ancient gravitational massage. Its aromatherapy smells of sea air and its audio-therapy features the sibilant sounds of the Pacific Ocean. It is located in the waves just offshore at Carlsbad State Beach.
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