Affordable + Spa = A Great Vacation
Want to give a gift that can last a lifetime? How about imparting a lifestyle change to a loved one that allows him or her to be alternately challenged and pampered while:
- Shedding unwanted pounds
- Kicking that smoking habit
- Developing a taste for exercise
- Learning to eat better, to live longer
Spas have gone mainstream. They're no longer the reserve of the rich or the elderly to relax and rejuvenate. Even luxury resorts like La Costa are looking to draw baby boomer professionals along with the rich and famous.
If you're careful, a spa vacation, with its packages and discounts, can be one of your more rewarding travel bargains.
The term "spa" has its origins in the waters of a town in Belgium, nestled in the Ardennes Forest. Now, it can mean any health-related vacation that generally tries to increase your well being through a program of diet, exercise and sound advice.
Self-Contained: These resorts are completely dedicated to fitness, wellness, relaxation and/or weight management. If you're focused on a specific weight or fitness goal, the classic self-contained spa could be your best option. Some self-contained spas stress the beauty aspect of a makeover, and several carry their own brand of cosmetics.
Many self-contained spas are in remote locations, to help eliminate distractions.
Hotel Spas: These spas are perfect if your partner isn't as motivated for a makeover as you are. Good hotel spas like the Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas has many enough alternative options to keep your companion from feeling trapped or left out.
But beware the distractions of people who don't share your outlook gorging at an adjacent table on prime rib, fries and dessert while you try to main the discipline of a 300-calorie meal.
New-Age Retreats: These are destinations where you will be challenged to expand mind and spirit as you work to reduce your waistline. Expect to encounter a host of techniques you've only read about before, such as Shiatsu, accupressure and aromatherapy.
Several New-Age retreats find their roots in specific philosophies or Eastern disciplines. Others simply try to elevate your inner awareness while they minister to your five senses.
Weight-Loss Spas: Forget the "fat farms" of yore, which made customers wistful for Devil's Island. Creative chefs and imaginative menus have taken much of the pain out of these resorts' supervised calorie counting.
Instead of discipline and deprivation, staff members at weight-loss spas use positive motivation to persuade you about the logic and benefits of healthy living.
Whatever your goal, our area of the country has an incredible variety of spas to choose from. Here's a peek at some of the best:
La Costa. The Cadillac of West Coast resorts, La Costa has a reputation for unparalleled luxury and variety.
This sprawling retreat just outside San Diego boasts two 18-hole golf courses, more than 20 racquetball courts, clay, grass and composite tennis courts, a heated pool and aquatic center, running trails and rental bikes.
Exercise equipment is state of the art. Massage therapy options include traditional Swedish massage, shiatsu, aromatherapy, reiki energy therapy and European water treatments.
Guests can also luxuriate in an herbal wrap, a whirlpool bath, a loofah treatment to shave off dry skin, or be wrapped in moor mud or seaweed algae. The resort offers seven restaurants, with atmosphere and cuisine ranging from the sensible to the elegant.
You'll pay handsomely for a week's stay at La Costa. A seven-day Weight Management package will run you $2500 per person based on double occupancy, from October through December.
A four-night Fitness Getaway costs about $1100 per person, two to a room. La Costa is also taking part in a promotion sponsored by Spa Finders Magazine called "Spas Now."
Program participants check their inventories -- and if they're not heavily booked -- they negotiate special discounts with the magazine that are then passed on to subscribers and program customers. Sometimes the program can deliver savings of 25 percent.
If your spirit is hungry for a facelift, check out The Ashram, in Calabassas, Calif. [(818) 222-6900].
The Ashram accommodates only 12 guests at a time, and it has no private rooms, private bathrooms, or gourmet meals. But the Ashram has gained a strong reputation through a weight-loss program that gets results, a challenging fitness program and the chance to lose your ego in a supportive and instructive environment.
The Ashram is also known for its scenic hikes, incredible massages and its accessible instruction in yoga and meditation. The price of a week of purification and renewal at the Ashram is about $2700.
The Oaks at Ojai, California aims to change your outlook toward health in a more elegant setting.
The exercise program offers a barrage of nearly 20 classes and lectures. Meals are so beautifully prepared and tasty you hardly notice they don't contain salt, white sugar or white flour.
Best of all, they total just over a thousand calories per day. Prices for a week's stay range from $945, double occupancy. The Oaks has five day midweek packages, for about $700. A "Shape Up Special," running during December, gives a 50 percent discount after the first two days at regular program rates.
If you're looking for a reasonably priced fitness getaway close to Las Vegas, consider the Red Mountain Spa in Utah [(435) 673-4905]. This collection of geodesic domes sits astride red sandstone among desert canyons.
The spa has some of the best exercise equipment around (including a heated pool), and the staff's approach to weight management often means the inches you take off, stay off. The place has gotten consistent raves from patrons who report lasting results. Price per week averages about $1400 per person.
No matter where you end up, here are some tips to help make your spa stay a pleasant one, courtesy of Dr. Betsy Morscher, as found in Spa Finders:
Spas come in several flavors:
