Ride the Wave

If the Sè gazes afar for inspiration, then the Spa L’Auberge (800.245.9757, www.laubergedelmar.com) in Del Mar is its contentedly local foil, for this spa never forgets its context. And thank goodness, because it’s worth remembering. You’ll glimpse the ocean on your way to the 5,000-sq.-ft. spa, which opened last March, and you’ll feel the sea’s watery influence inside as well. Aqua walls are set off by white wainscoting, wave patterns ripple over accent walls in treatment rooms and the whole spa is sprinkled with seaside décor like surfboards, shells and glass jellyfish and octopi.

The beach-house vibe, however, does not apply to the treatment menu at Spa L’Auberge. Its signature Seaside Sojourns draw on traditions and ingredients from Asia, Polynesia, Morocco and South America, the most intriguing of which may just be the Amazonian Escapade. Despite the name, this whirl through South America’s vegetative offerings is an indulgently feminine experience, starting with an exfoliation via Brazil nut oil and sea crystals. It’s a deliciously exotic concoction designed to tone as it sloughs, and it paves the way for the decadent reward of a chocolate mousse wrap. (Be warned, however, that you’ll feel compelled to order something chocolaty for dessert that night as a result.) The scrumptious, self-heating goo is intended to stimulate circulation—it certainly works up an appetite—but it’s overwhelming in neither scent nor sensation, which makes it a delightful anomaly among spa treatments. A light moisturizer (or “modeling fluid” in L’Auberge parlance) follows, along with an invigoratingly firm massage, so you feel as revitalized as an Amazonian warrior princess.