RocketGrrl

So winter is fast approaching up here in the north, and the ladies and I are anticipating the need for some sun and pampering in February.

What is your favorite spa, and why?

l etoile

Are you looking for most indulgent, most pampering spa or for places with spas where they're so darn cheap you can practically spend your entire trip going from massage table to floral soak to arompatherapy to facial and then start again from the top?

RocketGrrl

Mostly I'm looking for something that's worth the trip.

Since I'm planning for a group, and some of the ladies are more budget concious than others, it would be good to go for something that is indulgent without breaking the bank.

My suggestion to the girls is a trip to LA to Glen Ivy (www.glenivy.com)

You pay an entry fee - $42 on weekends, which will get you access to various saunas, steam baths, mineral baths, and mud bath. From there you can add on services like massages, mani/pedi and whatnot. The services are just basic spa fare but nothing really to write home about. I do like going for the mud bath for exfoliation, then going to 'the grotto' where you take an elevator to an underground room and they paint what must be the equivalent of an entire bottle of moisturizer over you. You sit in a warm room for as long as you like slathering it all in. Anyway, the grotto is an addional $10, so with lunch, you can spend an entire day at the spa for around $70 if you don't do the other services.

I think the girls would like it, but I've been there enough times to want to try something different.

Dorlee

Duplicate post deleted

Dorlee

Love to hear about the ones that are "so darn cheap"

l etoile

Those would be in places such as Bali. There are a good many low-cost spas (most of which Dianne47 turned me on to) where for $15 or so you can get two-hour treatments that include full massage, body scrub and soak in flowers or spices. A few dollars more gets your brows done, facial, manicure and pedicure. When I was there in September I had full treatments most every day for a week.

brendamc

Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico is about 1/2 the cost of US spa - Golden Door, Canyon Ranch, Mireval, etc.

Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs, Ca would be fun.

More expensive, but my favorite spa is the Spa Grande at the Grand Wailea Hotel, Maui. I'm not so excited about the hotel, but that spa is wonderful!

Dorlee

[QUOTE=brendamc]Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Mexico is about 1/2 the cost of US spa - Golden Door, Canyon Ranch, Mireval, etc.

That's funny you suggested Rancho la Puerta, because I went there with four girlfriends in 1983, and was living in Newport Beach at the time.

We called it the "Tin Door", because we couldn't afford their more expensive spa, "The Golden Door". I am sure it costs much more now than back 20+ years ago

trekker

Red Mountain Spa in Ivins, Utah, is a very good value, with good food (they even have---gasp!---a wine list). Spa itself is not luxurious, but I have had some great massages there. Location is beautiful, and if you like to hike, the red rock canyons are spectacular!

Dianne47

Bali must be the all-time spa capital of the universe. The only trouble is the 24+ hour trip to get there, costing about $800-1,000 (of course you collect many miles on your FF account). Sometimes packages that include airfare + hotel (from SQ's Asian Affair Holidays or Escapes Unlimited) can help bring down the overall cost. I like to fly Eva Air in Deluxe Economy (many comments can be found on the Other Asian Airlines forum). Once you get there you are in cheap spa heaven, and that's an understatement, especially in the wonderful arts and shopping mecca of Ubud.

My latest "find" is the sleepy UNESCO World Heritage Site town of Luang Prabang, Laos. Massages in the town's many massage shops are $3 per hour, I kid you not. This would be for a foot and leg massage (in some places includes shoulders, too), or a full "Thai massage" which is performed on the floor on a mattress while the massagee is wearing PJ-type clothing. It's kind of a cross between chiropractic and yoga-done-TO-you. I found no full-scale spas there with other types of treatments, but the town is incredibly fabulous and oh-so-chic as a name to drop.

Chiang Mai, Thailand (northern area of the country very far from recent tsunami-devastated areas) is another inexpensive spa headquarters.

Check out many threads in the Asia forum!

I'm so spoiled by the above destinations that I never go to USA spas now. Just too expensive.

SanDiego1K

Does anyone have a fave Singapore spa? Last year, I went to one in Chinatown that charged just $15 or so/hour. It was decent enough to go back the next day, but I didn't like the masseuse talking on her cellphone while giving me my foot massage. 50 FTers are descending on Singapore next weekend; quite a few of us want to find similarly priced place for reflexology and massage.

around the world

One of the best Spas' I have been to is in Cebu City, Philippines. They cater to both women and men and their prices are quite inexpensive when converted to USD$. Facials, Microdermabrasion, Manicures, Pedicures, Seaweed body scrubs, Aromatherapy body massages - you name it.

I am almost afraid to post the details on FT for fear that this little known secret might get out and they'll raise their prices. I believe my Anti-Acne Facial (either 60 or 90 minutes) was under $15 USD. Very professional. They actually inflict pain and remove blackheads - not like establishments in the states that merely wash your face.

I have found no place like it anywhere else. I will be leaving for Cebu in a few days and will try to get an updated price list. If anyone wants the details - PM me. I know the owner and used to get a 20% discount (hopefully its still in place) And if anyone knows of good Spas in Thailand – do let me know. Would like to visit one when I am there.

Cheers,
around the world

Dorlee

Does anyone have any first hand experience regarding Canyon Ranch? A friend just spent a week there and said it was the best spa week she's ever had.

trekker

I've been to CR Tucson several times, and I agree with your friend. Fantastic hiking program (even if you are a non-hiker, you should try one!). The food is excellent (and although portions are small, you can have as many of them as you want). The array of exercise classes is mind-boggling. Full array of spa treatments, of course.

The Berkshires is practically my backyard (1 1/2 hrs away), and I wouldn't normally pay CR prices to go there, but spent a long weekend there once with a friend who was a member (at member's rate). Food wasn't as good, and the hiking, while excellent, is too much like what I can do any weekend around here. Exercise program is still extensive (though I seem to recall being unimpressed by the yoga), and the treatments are fine. The dining room is more elegant-looking than the one in Tucson. If you are there in the summer, you have an array of theatre, concerts, dance in Lenox and the surrounding Berkshire towns.