From a designer hotel with a rooftop pool and panoramic views in Southern California, to a spa perched on a postcard-worthy cliff along the Central Coast, here are three top spots to hit reset and find your bliss in California now.
Santa Monica Proper Hotel
Santa Monica
Lauded Los Angeles interior designer Kelly Wearstler designed the dreamy, 271-room Santa Monica Proper Hotel dotted with potted palms, custom wallpaper and furniture, artwork by artists such as Bradley Dungan and Tanya Aquiñiga, and beds appointed with Bellino Italian comforters.
Located a short walk to nearby Palisades Park (a beloved local spot for running and walking) and Santa Monica Beach, the hotel offers a 3,000-square-foot ayurvedic spa; three restaurants; a fleet of electric bikes and surfboards; and a slew of concierge services for everything from guided farmer’s market tours with Santa Monica Proper executive chef, to a surf lesson with local surf pro, Andrew Jacobson.
Fitness Goals
The 2,000-square-foot fitness center is lined with Peloton and Airdynex bikes, Woodway treadmills, a water rower, and strength training equipment including dumbbells and barbells. Feel like getting outside? Head to the panoramic rooftop pool or check the schedule for yoga, Pilates, and bootcamp classes.
Surya Spa Redux
“Kelly Wearstler has designed the most incredible and intimate jewel box spa for us that includes spaces for dining, meditation, a custom body oil bar, and six beautiful treatment rooms,” says Roger Soffer, co-owner of Surya Spa. “We’re so excited to help heal and transform everyone that visits us, whether it’s for a luxurious Ayurvedic therapy like a Shirodara; a one-on-one consultation, or our all-inclusive weeklong Wellness Retreats.”
Exit Plan
Book the Abhyanga+Shirodhara//Nourish+Restore Abhyanga, a soothing four-handed warm herbal oil massage designed to restore skin, followed by a Shirodara, or an herbalized oil infusion gently poured over the forehead to combat stress and calm the nervous system. properhotel.com/hotels/santa-monica
Photographs courtesy of Santa Monica Proper
Post Ranch Inn
Big Sur
Floating 1,200 feet above the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, Post Ranch Inn is a 100-acre haven for escape and relaxation. The 40-room property—with a swimming pool and two therapeutically heated infinity basking pools, a spa, and award-winning restaurant, Sierra Mar—features sustainable elements such as rugs by indigenous weavers, Lexus Hybrid vehicles used for guest transport, a 990-panel solar array (the largest in California), and an on-site water pump.
Art Scene
The inn houses an expansive art collection including a sculpture garden with works by Greg Hawthorne and Robert Holmes, and a gallery replete with a current exhibition by photographer Roger Fishman.
Get Outside
Take your pick from complimentary guided morning yoga and guided nature walks, to star-gazing and a 30-minute tour of the organic culinary garden with veggies, flowers, and herbs grown for Sierra Mar.
Drift Away
Exclusive to hotel guests only, the spa is a quiet refuge enveloped by redwood trees and mountain views. For a transformative experience, book the Drum Journey with a shaman to promote synergy and momentum, or try the new Crystal and Gemstone Therapy with a Native American purifying ritual using sage followed by an aromatherapy massage. The treatment incorporates sound therapy, crystals, and gemstones to balance body chakras, and concludes with a refreshing mist by Big Sur Flowers Essence made with certified organic essential oils. postranchinn.com
The Biltmore
Santa Barbara
Opened in 1927, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Santa Barbara, has welcomed a long line of dignitaries and elite Hollywood celebrities from Greta Garbo to Bing Crosby and Rock Hudson. The 22-acre Spanish Colonial-style property, lined with a lush, oasis-like landscape spanning 200 species of plants and a Moreton Fig that’s more than 100 years old, is appointed with 166 guest rooms and 40 suites and bungalows. Situated across the street from Butterfly Beach, a popular spot for guests and locals alike for morning walks and sunset-watching, the resort also features Coral Casino and Cabana Club, an exclusive club dating to 1937 with amenities such as oceanfront restaurant, Tydes; a fitness center; sauna and steam room; and an Olympic-sized swimming pool with direct, private access to Butterfly Beach.
On Spa Time
Designed by New York–based architect Peter Marino (other projects include the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Beverly Hills and the American Craft Museum in New York), the spa is outfitted with 11 treatment rooms (some with ocean views), and products such as Tata Harper, SpaRitual, and custom-blended oils by The Grapeseed Company in Santa Barbara. To brighten dull skin, opt for the newly launched Coconut Citrus milk bath consisting of honey extract, sea salt, Kaolin clay and slices of blood orange and Meyer lemon plucked from the on-site chef’s garden.
Sea Life
The Organic Seaweed Leaf Wrap uses hand-harvested seaweed from County Sligo, Ireland, to gently polish and revive lackluster skin. The journey begins with an exfoliating scrub comprised of seaweed and walnut shells, followed by a detoxifying and moisturizing seaweed leaf wrap packed with minerals and vitamins. While cocooned in warm seaweed, slip into a trance with a scalp massage. fourseasons.com/santabarbara