By Bernard Burt
Branding was the hot topic of 2004. From skincare at resorts to day spa chains, sun protection, and shower gel, brand name products define levels of luxury, quality, and service. Since no national authority sets standards, brand names are some of the best ways to know what you’re getting at a spa and in home care products.
The line experienced at more and more leading resorts and day spas is Pevonia Botanica. Industry insiders point to several reasons for Pevonia’s international success: seventeen specific skincare lines are formulated exclusively for spa-goers. Moreover, Pevonia is created by skincare specialists who train estheticians to customize treatments that meet your personal needs. Add to that professional spa body treatments and aromatherapy products to soothe your senses at home. The result is interactive, holistic health for body and soul.
Pevonia Botanica is one of the most recognized brands in the world. Estheticians swear by the product. That adds an extra level of comfort when I’m traveling.
Legendary La Costa
The legendary La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, recently opened a stunning new center for health and wellness. Similar in style to a Mediterranean village, La Costa’s serene hideaway has fountains, gardens, a cafe, and swimming pools, surrounded by forty-two treatment rooms. But before you dip into a hot tub or tsunami shower, discuss your intentions with your spa therapist.
“It’s all about intentions,” explains Spa Director Jeremy McCarthy as we consider three choices. Receptionists suggest treatments that are indulgent, invigorating, or inspiring. Then its up to therapists, advised of your intention, to recommend specific treatments. Their menu lists seven facials, all featuring Pevonia products. I was advised to have the lavender-infused 80-minute Custom La Costa Facial that includes a scalp and shoulder massage, as well as hand and foot treatment. Invigorating sage and eucalyptus enhance the Skin Awakening treatment, a deep-cleansing facial that comes with an enzyme peel and a hydrating masque. Rose essences inspire the lifting facial, combining protein enzymes to tone and lift your skin and spirit.
“We created three unique lines of aromatherapy products which are customized to each guest based on their intention” adds McCarthy. Therapists suggest appropriate music and massage oils. You also have a choice of massage strokes, long and relaxing or deeply invigorating. Ultimately, intention mixes with intuition, connecting you to a total sense of well-being. For more information call (800) 729-4772 or visit www.lacosta.com.
Spa’Deus Tuscan Treatments
Milanese fashion models, Roman businessmen, and showbiz celebrities shape up at Spa’Deus, Italy’s only American-style destination spa. Forget pasta, wine, and espresso; meals are designed to jumpstart a wellness regime. Skincare treatments with Pevonia Botanica products complement your exercise regimen, from Pilates to NIA.
Christina Newburgh, a pioneer of holistic health, created Spa’Deus in a modern fifty-room hilltop hotel at Chianciano Terme, a spa town renowned for its healing waters. The program I selected focused on outdoor adventure and inner serenity rather than taking the waters. The all-inclusive daily fee offers aquatics in an indoor swimming pool, Pilates training on the Cadillac equipment, and movement classes. Mornings start with wake-up tisane (tea), warm-up stretches, hikes around the vineyards, and breakfast at a country inn. Afternoon excursions to scenic hill towns are offered at no extra cost. Services available a la carte include mud wraps, aromatherapy, hot stone massage, even colonics.
Travel to Italy from the U.S. is enhanced by Alitalia’s new non-stop flight from Washington, D.C., as well as New York. Easy to reach by train or car from Florence and Milan, Spa’Deus is open from Easter to fall. For more information call (39) 05-78-63232 or visit www.spadeus.it
Deep Detox At Hammock Beach
Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon searched for the fountain of youth near Florida’s oldest city, St. Augustine. Nearby at Palm Coast, you can rejuvenate at the Club at Hammock Beach. The new spa and fitness center follows an integrated approach to health. All services are scheduled by your personal concierge. For a golfer with back problems, the suggested regime includes yoga, massage, and exercise to strengthen body alignment. “It’s like having a personal trainer, only on a broader scale” says spa director Danni Glenn.
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Featuring outdoor and indoor treatment rooms, the Club spa uses only Pevonia products. For sea-inspired thalassotherapy, seaweed harvested in deep Atlantic waters off the coast of Brittany adds healing elements to a Pevonia detox-thalasso wrap. Chosen to stimulate the lymphatic system, a seaweed species called laminaria digitata works as both a detoxifier and diuretic. As described by a therapist, one breaks down impurities, the other flushes them out.
Research has shown that seaweed increases the moisture content of the external layer of the skin by fifty percent and of the entire epidermis by twenty percent. The Club’s treatment packages provide the most nourishing, natural ingredients that the oceans and earth have to offer, without getting sand on your feet. For more information call (888) 246-5500 or visit www.hammockbeach.com
Retreat At The Phoenician
Secluded within lush golf links and cactus gardens, the Centre for Well-Being at the Phoenician in Scottsdale sports an East-meets-West spa that goes beyond typical treatments and features a meditation atrium, table Thai massage, and tarot card readings. Not to mention a full range of skincare treatments by Pevonia Botanica.
The soothing effect of Pevonia’s Sensitive Skin Line makes it ideal for desert visitors, comments John De Fontes, spa director. Combining healing ingredients such as shea butter and neroli essential oil, Pevonia’s Ligne Lavandou products restore the skin’s epidermal defenses and eliminate hypersensitivity.
Expanding the massage menu for athletes, Table Thai deeply relaxes you through the use of compression and pressure, while passive stretches create a feeling of complete reinvigoration. Also unique is Sport Yoga, designed to bio-mechanically balance flexibility, strength, alignment, and body awareness. The finishing touch is a ‘Gentlemen’s Facial’ This deep-cleansing treatment leaves your skin toned and revived.
Set into the hillside of Camelback Mountain like a gleaming crystal, the Well-Being Centre offers strength training equipment and a glass-walled aerobic and cardiovascular studio. Complimentary daily classes include spinning, kickboxing, and Pilates. For more information call (800) 843-2392 or visit www.thephoenician.com
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