Tanya Ilustrismo, spa director for the Viceroy’s Estrella Spa in Palm Springs has long been a fan of the natural. A California native, she grew up around hippies and organic farms, and spent seven years in the 1990s in Hawaii investigating holistic medicine and wellness. So recently, when the Viceroy’s owners were trying to figure out what to do with a large plot of unused land, she suggested a longtime personal dream: an organic herb garden.

The Estrella Spa now offers several fresh body treatments sourced directly from Ilustrismo’s herb garden, including a rosemary and mint scrub, a lemon and basil scrub, a lavender bath, and after-sun treatments utilizing aloe vera. “Right now, we offer a coffee and lemon scrub that’s especially popular,” Ilustrismo says. “The lemon oil is squeezed from the rind of our own lemons, which are picked from our trees on the property, and the scent is just amazing. It’s something you don’t see in the typical spa, and I think that provides a real ‘wow’ factor for our guests.”

Ilustrismo’s herbs have also made their way onto the spa menu. The Estrella Spa recently introduced a menu of spa cuisine. “It’s wonderful that so many of these ingredients in the garden can work for both cooking and topically, for the body,” she says.

Ilustrismo points out that researchers are still learning about the health benefits of the herbs and spices in the garden at the Viceroy. “It makes me feel good knowing the ingredients we use are as fresh and dynamic as possible,” she says, “rather than mixtures that have been sitting in a package for two years.” For more information call (800) 670-6184 or visit www.viceroypalmsprings.com

– Katherine Stewart

November/December 2007

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