Words by Shari Mycek and Becca Hensley; each spa treatment is being equally honored in no particular order.
When you know, you know. And walking into the clifftop, ocean-facing spa suite at Terranea Resort and Spa in Rancho Palos Verdes California recently, I knew — intuitively and without any question in my mind, I had entered into Anne Bramham territory. I had met the renowned spa educator and founder of ASTECC, a spa curriculum bridging traditional rehabilitation and holistic wellness, years ago on a California beach not far from this one where she had led me on an ocean-spa immersion. Together, we breathed in deeply the salt air with its negative ions, and waded hip deep, in chilly ocean waters. It was also through Bramham I learned about one of the first marine-based product lines, Spa Technologies.
Now inside this exquisite ocean suite — “The room was designed for the treatment, the treatment was designed for the room,” my therapist Cecilia tells me — I see (and feel) Bramham’s touch. The doors to the suite are flung open to the sea; the lull of waves serve as an acoustic backdrop. In the center of the room, an oversized copper soaking tub offers a postcard-perfect ocean view, while still serving an important functional purpose. Unlike acrylic or even porcelain tubs, copper holds the heat.
The 120-minute Ocean Prelude treatment has been on Terranea’s menu since the spa opened 15 years ago. Cecilia, originally from Sweden, who joined the spa at that time, says she was enthralled (and still is) by the treatment and found Bramham “absolutely genius in her formulation. It is such a beautiful, eloquent treatment, yet brilliantly works the lymphatic system.”
Following, read more on Terranea’s signature Ocean Prelude treatment and the other exquisite Very Best Spa Treatments we unearthed this past year.
Ocean Prelude at Terranea Resort, California
Therapist: Cecilia; Treatment: 120 minutes
This immersive sea-to-spa treatment, a Terranea signature, is all about the ocean and supporting the body’s lymphatic system. The 120-minute experience begins with a dry body brushing followed by a wrap in warm algae (by Spa Technologies), before slipping into the waiting copper tub laced with red algae and dead sea salts. It is during this private soak while reclining in the warm salt water, I spot four dolphin pods — as if on cue — leaping and twirling playfully in the sea. A massage (that includes the abdomen) in laminaria oil completes the experience, with the grand finale a cup of fresh ginger tea served on a private terrace overlooking the crashing waves below. “Just be for a while,” Cecilia smiles. “Listen to the waves; breathe in the salt and fresh ocean air.”
Han Therapy Seasonal Treatment Series, The Peninsula Hong Kong
Therapist: Yoki; Treatment 120 minutes
Just when I thought I’d tried every type of authentic spa treatment, I experienced Han Therapy, the creation of Connie Pong, spa director at The Peninsula Hong Kong. Pong was living in Shanghai (where she opened The Peninsula Shanghai spa) when she had the idea to blend traditional Chinese massage, which deeply works the meridian line of the body, sometimes creating great pain, with a more soothing, but effective five-star hotel spa experience. “Guests are no longer coming to the spa solely for relaxation; they are coming for therapeutic benefit,” Pong told me, carefully arranging five ‘magic’ herb-infused oils on a tray. The treatment (which alters with each season) begins with each guest’s intuitive selection of three element oils (representing fire, water, metal, earth, and wood), which are then blended together for the oil-massage part of the treatment. Following an assessment of the six meridian points, my (winter) treatment included a dry, then oil meridian massage, hot white jade stones, a lifting, bone-shaping gua sha facial massage, and scalp massage with a bojin stick to balance energy, nourish and warm the kidneys, prompt myofascial release, and for this writer at least, induce deep sleep and jet-lag recovery. It’s a wow.
Seaweed Aromabath & Massage, JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa, Florida
Therapist: Alaney; Treatment: 100 minutes
When I reserved this 100-minute treatment at JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa (inclusive of a 20-minute Irish-harvested seaweed bath by Voya, and an 80-minute customized massage), I had no idea of my therapist’s backstory — that she was deeply rooted in medical massage. With my muscles nimble from the hot and soothing seaweed soak (in real strands of seaweed), Alaney deftly went to work on my shoulder, back, and ribcage knots pausing to apply ‘yoga balm’ (for cooling relief), and, as needed, a sliding form of cupping (new to me) to draw out the ‘stuck’ fascia. Unlike traditional cupping, this sliding version doesn’t leave red-circle marks, making it conducive for baring shoulders and back on the beach; or later during a romantic alfresco dinner.
Anti-Age Active Beauty Facial, Terme di Saturnia
Therapist Barbara Darini; Treatment 80 minutes
Just to soak in this Tuscan hot spring resort’s astonishingly healing and scientifically proclaimed mineral waters might be enough. But this multi-step facial, which uses both the curative water and its distinctive plankton in its high-performance skincare line, envelops guests in an effective and restorative multi-step journey that leaves skin noticeably date-night ready — lifted, firmed, and toned. Suitable for mature skin, the facial begins with a diamond-tipped microdermabrasion exfoliation, then Acid Cream from the Terme di Saturnia line, followed by a hyperbaric oxygen airbrushing and a hyaluronic mask, set with electrical pulses. Massage with Active Beauty’s Pro-youth cream, rich in bioplankton, prepares the face for the spa’s own Active Beauty Glow Mask, which lifts and brightens with Niacinamide, bioplankton, and porcelain flower.
Scents of Capri, Hotel Punta Tragara, Italy
Therapist: Annarita; Treatment: 120 minutes
Overlooking Capri’s famous Faraglioni Rocks, Hotel Punta Tragara is the only place on the island to experience one of Italy’s most coveted skincare lines, INSÌUM. The hotel’s tiny spa, GILI Wellness & Beauty, framed in pink bougainvillea, is known for the clean, vegan line. Stand-out treatment comes in the 120-minute Scents of Capri, a fusion of salt culled from the Mediterranean Sea and a blend of avocado and apricot oils. The experience includes an exfoliating body scrub, massage, and relaxing vanilla-scent facial. As I was scraping myself off the table in bliss, my therapist Annarita stopped me. “Oh, but you are not finished yet.” Smiling, she led me to a beautiful space with all-white chairs and sleek lines for the ultimate (read: best ever) blowout. I may or may not have been mistaken for Jennifer Anniston.
Úumbal Shawl Massage, Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico
Therapist: April; Treatment: 80 minutes
Following an hour-long, guided water ceremony through steam and sauna, hot and cold pools, I change into a pantaloon-like shorts set (elastic hugging each thigh) for Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s signature Úumbal Shawl massage. Featuring stretching similar to Thai massage, a shawl (a.k.a. Mexican pashmina) is used to align the body; cleanse the energy channels. The ancient technique begins with a foot soak in millet — the texture surprisingly soothing and relaxing— as a hot stone is placed on my face and neck, and water poured over my hands in Mayan blessing April next performs a series of wrapping and tying of the shawl — using it to gently push, cradle, pull, and stretch me. Limes (to increase pressure) blend with warm copal oil, taken from a sacred Maya tree, to massage. At one point, I feel a light sweeping motion from head to toe as I breathe in a familiar scent (fresh basil) as April brushes the fragrant herb bundle over my body — in a traditional barrida (sweep).
System Recovery Treatment, We Care Spa, Desert Hot Springs, California
Therapist: Donna; Treatment: 90 minutes
While colon hydrotherapy (colonics) is the star of We Care’s renowned desert detox program, the 90-minute System Recovery Treatment plays a major supporting (and medicinal) role. Following a dry body brushing atop a heated amethyst mat, warm castor oil is poured over my entire body; I’m then wrapped in the oil and mounds of covering to reduce abdominal bloating and inflammation while activating liver and bowel detox.
“Grandma’s remedy,” my therapist Donna says, kneading more castor oil into my scalp. “Castor oil is the most penetrating of all the oils, and is extremely healing, especially on joints and muscle aches.”
It smells lovely too.
Warming Bamboo Massage, Curtain Bluff, Antigua, Caribbean
Therapist: Wayan; Treatment: 60 minutes
One of the most unexpected spa surprises came this year in the tranquil, white-furnishings-on-blue-sea spa sanctuary at Curtain Bluff, set high above the Caribbean Sea. Blending hands, heated bamboo sticks, and a skill set honed in her homeland of Bali, therapist Wayan soothed my achy muscles into oblivion. The relaxation continued in the spa’s open-air lounge, lush with greenery, pink bougainvillea, and endless sea views. As waves crashed against the craggy cliffs below, my partner (who opted for an equally stellar deep-tissue massage) and I sipped tea served in elegant porcelain and nibbled healthy, flower-accentuated. treats prepared by the chef. We wanted never to leave.
Ocean-Fed Pools, Gurneys Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa, New York
Thalassotherapy in its purest form, Gurneys Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa is home to the only ocean-fed saltwater pools in the U.S. When I ridiculously wore heels to dinner (note: leave your Louboutins at home) and tweaked my calf climbing the plethora of wooden catwalk steps crisscrossing the property, I headed straight to the bathhouse and saltwater pools for healing. And they worked. Available before treatments or as a stand-alone experience, the bathhouse features hot (104F caldarium), warm (94F thermae), and cold (50F and 57F frigidarium) seawater pools. Alternate with time in the steam and sauna, ending with a cold plunge, then wrap in blankets to restore before restarting the circuit all over again. Up to three times recommended.
Seabody Touch Facial, Sheen Falls Lodge, Ireland
Treatment: 60 minutes
Sheen Falls Lodge, a glorious former fishing estate brimming with local personality in County Kerry, stays true to its local roots with treatments by Seabody at its elegant Easanna Spa. The scientifically based, highly celebrated Irish line, powered by foraged Irish seaweed, delivers a facial that results in firmer, brighter skin with lasting results. Gua Sha, a mask and massage, among other modalities, comprise the restorative experience.
Cover image courtesy of Terranea Resort
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