For most Arizonans, a summertime jaunt to San Diego is as necessary and expected as a new swimsuit. But before you assume you know everything there is to know about this classic summer escape, book an appointment at one of the following spas. Between the Moroccan Rasul and the Amazonian rubdown, we promise you’ll discover a few surprises.
Travel the Silk Road
With just nine treatment rooms, the Sè Spa (619.515.3000, www.sesandiego.com) is small, but it packs a mighty punch, starting with the welcome shot of the spa’s Elixir of Life. Riffing on an East Indian libation reputed to impart courage, virtue and long life, the Sè prepares its version with pomegranate juice, honey and cucumber-infused organic vodka. Teetotalers can sip on juice instead, but they’re missing more than a tasty pick-me-up. The Sè was inspired in both design and treatments by the Silk Road, which wound through Asia and North Africa. A little daring on the guest’s part seems like a given.
The lounge embraces this motif with Moroccan lanterns, chaise lounges and billowing, sheer drapes that separate the chaises. It’s an inviting spot, and one you should have plenty of time to appreciate since the Sè bypasses the awkward locker room experience. Each treatment room has its own steam shower and ingeniously integrated amenities—a robe, slippers and toiletries are all tucked away in a closet—for a truly private experience.
The Studio Sutra takes exclusivity up a notch for couples. A Japanese soaking tub with integrated light therapy, two massage tables, a sitting area and kitchenette outfit a room no one is in a hurry to leave. And the Moroccan Rasul—a tiled space built for the spa’s cleansing Arabic mud treatment—is the only one you’ll find stateside.
Don’t, however, pass on the Vibe Massage. Wearing headphones that pipe instrumental music to your ears only, you lie down on a table that gently pulsates in harmony with the music. Between the soothing repetitive motions of massage and the vibrating table, you end up feeling as plucked and caressed as a well-tended guitar. Follow it up with a long steam shower (in the privacy of your own treatment room, mind you), and you’ll be in the right frame of mind to appreciate the striking fusion of design and treatments at the Sè. From the custom art installation at the entry, which incorporates hundreds of small teacups, to the burl wood wall treatments that the hotel owner handpicked in Pakistan, the Sè Spa never forgets its metaphor. Japan, Southeast Asia, India, North Africa—each of these regions is represented in spirit or material for a truly exotic effect.
