Sensuous and Special Wellness Spas in San Diego

By Nicola Bridges

Seekers of sensuous spa experiences can satisfy their cravings at a variety of luxurious locations around San Diego County, California, from sybaritic spa therapies to private and personalized bespoke treatments in sumptuous surroundings. Here are some favorites at decadent locales to check in for a day, one treatment or a week of pampering. Then you can fully check out from your chaotic life and experience an ethereal world away from your daily norm for a vacation to remember. All of them will leave you feeling peaceful, pampered, revived and replenished.

Bandy Canyon Ranch, San Pasqual Valley: Say "howdy" to sound-bath float therapy in the star-drenched pool under the night sky at this revered, historic 154-year-old private ranch resort on 107 lush acres in the heart of the San Pasqual Valley. Shift your brainwaves' alert beta state to a relaxed alpha, theta or deep restorative delta state under the guidance of a healing therapist. Meanwhile, you'll float as you listen to sound waves from quartz crystal and Himalayan bowls, gongs and gently pulsing drums that activate the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for stress reduction and relaxation.

Do a daycation pass and enjoy the ranch's full offerings to walk the trails, envelop in nature and pet horses and other rescued animals at the ranch's farm sanctuary. Or stay longer in the rustic charm of one of the ranch's recently renovated 15 cottages that are tucked away against a mountain ridge.

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, Vista: Billed as a "haven of health" in a 200-acre French countryside-style paradise, this consistently voted No. 1 health spa in North America tailors a restorative program to each guest's desires. Enjoy inspirational and creative curated wellness, fitness, nutrition, culinary, beauty, mind, body and soul sessions. My favorites: A love letters meditation and tension-relieving Watsu hydrotherapy -- a therapist moving your body through stretching, massage and acutherapy pressure while floating in a skin-temperature 98-degree private pool. Afterward, take a contemplative stroll around the labyrinth before a mindful-menu meal of sumptuously decadent farm-to-table delectables with a glass of Chateau Cal-a-Vie wine to healthfully satiate your culinary senses. End the evening with a celestial experience at the spa's private observatory gazing through a state-of-the-art Takahashi telescope deep into the cosmos for a view that will take your breath away.

Golden Door, Escondido: This sybaritic health and wellness spa that consistently ranks as one of the world's best is reminiscent of a traditional "ryokan" -- a Japanese guesthouse where travelers immerse in culture and hospitality to recenter. Here, kimono-clad guests silently meander by koi ponds, through bamboo forest trails and around the labyrinth, deferential to the high-end peaceful serenity promised. Sound-bowl meditations, chakra alignments and personalized spa treatments ease you through your healing journey of harmony. During breaks in my personalized program, I came to crave the cocooning sweat wraps of head-to-toe steaming wet towels at the Japanese-style bathhouse. Golden Door requires at least a week's stay as its philosophy is that to "reposition yourself at the center of your life," you need to thoughtfully take care of your mind, body and spirit.

The Spa at the Del, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado Island: With treatments featuring ingredients from land and sea, the Del's spa continues the tradition of Coronado Island as a temperate-climate wellness destination since the 1880s. Breathe the revitalizing fresh sea air as you lounge by the ocean view pool before entering the Victorian spa building, where you'll find modern wellness techniques. My favorites: an inflammation-beating snow algae refresher facial with marshmallow extract, the table Thai massage to balance your body's energy flow, and the light and fluid rhythmic motions of the ocean wave's traditional Hawaiian lomi lomi massage.

The Spa at Rancho Bernardo Inn, Rancho Bernardo: On verdant grounds of tree- and tropical shrub-lined walkways, this consistently ranks as best spa in San Diego. It offers a variety of treatments, from traditional facials to therapeutic holistic wellness massages in indoor-outdoor casitas. If you're not staying at the inn, book a late afternoon treatment and go earlier to enjoy lunch in a private cabana by the vast saline pool and hot tubs surrounded by the jasmine-scented tranquility of a meticulously manicured garden. I love the "serenity and wellness" spa special package of tailored yoga, breathwork and sound-bath immersion that leaves you feeling fresh, centered and aligned after a day's rejuvenating escape.

The Spa at Rancho Valencia, Rancho Santa Fe: The spa at this AAA Five Diamond resort, popular with the upper-crust horsey set, is an oasis of tropical birds of paradise plants and palms hidden away on luscious grounds not far from the Del Mar racetrack. Its Spanish Colonial Hacienda-inspired spa features a Serenity Yoga Pavilion, Pilates Studio, soothing waterfalls and meticulously curated tranquility treatments. These include everything from caressing bespoke facial therapies and marine mineral wraps with dry body brushing to the popular "balancing gemstone" energy-harmonizing massage and The Kur -- a soak in a private tropical grotto tub then a cooling wrap, concluding with a therapeutic massage. The sense of solitude, peace and stillness of the spa truly leaves you feeling fully and opulently rejuvenated.

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WHEN YOU GO

Bandy Canyon Ranch: www.bandycanyon.com, 760-871-6494

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa: www.cal-a-vie.com, 866-772-4283

Golden Door: www.goldendoor.com, 866-420-6414

The Spa at the Del, Hotel Del Coronado: www.hotel.com, 619-435-6611

The Spa at Rancho Bernardo Inn: www.ranchobernardoinn.com, 866-261-8688

The Spa at Rancho Valencia: www.ranchovalencia.com, 858-759-6490

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Nicola Bridges is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.