Forbes Travel Guide

 The Pacific coast's indoor-outdoor
retreat
25 Treatment Rooms
It's easy to spend a whole day indulging in the airy, gold-hued Spa at Terranea in
Los Angeles' only oceanside retreat, Terranea Resort, even if you aren't a guest
of the property. One treatment gets you access to the sprawling 50,000-squarefoot spa, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is filled with luxurious, whydon’t-you-stay-awhile amenities.
The Amenities
Jutting out over the water on the Rancho Palos Verdes peninsula, the spa
includes a private, kid-free pool, an outdoor Jacuzzi and cold water plunge bath,
steam rooms, private cabanas, fire pits and a 5,000-square-foot fitness center
with sweeping ocean views. Exercise and pool lounging aside, the main reason
to visit The Spa at Terranea is to book time in one of the 25 state-of-the-art
treatment rooms. The Los Angeles spa offers massage, prenatal spa services,
facials, body wraps, scrubs, manicures and pedicures, a full-service salon, Vichy
showers and amazing copper tubs perfect for soaking in after a seaside yoga
class.
The Treatments
Services have elements that tend to celebrate the sea, such as the revitalizing
seaweed wrap, part of the Ocean Prelude, a treatment that takes place in a lowlit, tranquil room by the water where guests can hear the waves crashing. It starts
with the aforementioned wrap followed by a salt-water bath in one of the resort's
signature deep copper tubs. It’s finished with another sea-themed service, a
laminaria oil massage. The spa also uses crystals, which were once mined in
caves on the resort's property. Take advantage of this local source with a crystalquartz body scrub or the Crystal Reflections, a foot reflexology treatment that
incorporates a copper tub filled with harmonizing quartz. For facials, you’ll have
more than a half dozen options including one for men, an anti-aging treatment
and hair removal.
Another unique aspect of the spa comes is its time-of-day-themed services. For
example, in the morning you might want a skin-stimulating volcanic clay wrap. As
for the late afternoon and evening, the El Segundo Blue is a good option as it
includes a slow, rhythmic massage with the essential oil best suited for your
intentions, be that balance, energy, peace or revitalization. An invigorating sea
blue mineral clay culminates the experience.
Services at the spa use an array of products, depending on the treatment. These
include Aromatherapy Associates’ Rose Infinity line, Naturopathica for select
facials and Kimberly Parry Organics for prenatal treatments. All can be
purchased in the spa boutique, as well as other chic souvenirs like designer swim
suits, charming jewelry, beauty products and summery cover-ups, the perfect
garb in which to float about the resort.
The Café
In between a massage and a Pilates class, sustain yourself with fresh samplings
from the Spa Café, an eatery featuring healthy yet hearty foods that make you
feel good inside and out. In the morning, the restaurant has a superb breakfast
burrito with scrambled egg whites, turkey bacon, avocado and pico de gallo — it
pairs wonderfully with a glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice or whatever
fruit they happen to be pulverizing at the time. Lunch and dinner options include
a lot of local vegetables such as spring beet and pomegranate salad, olive oilseared tuna with arugula and flavorful carrot hummus. Desserts are virtually guiltfree and include a sugar-free cucumber lime panna cotta and the honey-lemon
mousse torte, a treat made from the golden nectar harvested right there on the
property. Bonus: All this can be had with a glass of sparkling wine while lounging
poolside.