Spa of the month | September 2014

WOODLAND GETAWAY THE SPA AT VENTANA INN & SPA BIG SUR, CA

by Amanda Clinton Winter

explore and restore. Relaxation, retreat and regroup with a focus on whole health of mind, body and spirit.”

Branching out from the main Ocean House where the reception area is located, The Spa at Ventana offers a myriad of services to its guests and features a dry sauna and Japanese hot baths, including a clothing optional area adjacent to the sun deck and the pool.

With more than 40 years of operations, Ventana is a veteran in the hospitality world and an iconic fixture of Big Sur.

Guests can lose themselves in the fragrances of wild mountain lavender and other natural botanical essences as they are pampered with the spa’s many signature treatments.

photos: courtesy of ventana inn & spa

SPA

OF THE MONTH

World’s Best Hotels list four times and Condé Nast Traveler’s The World’s Best Places to Stay Gold List 3 years in a row.

Big Sur encompasses 300 square miles of predominantly state parks, national forests, unincorporated public lands, and seemingly endless beautiful coastline, ocean cliffs, steep ridges, jagged peaks, deep gorges and rivers.

The lay of the land allows for innumerable hidden gems for guests to explore before retreating into Ventana for delectable, healthy foods and some well-deserved pampering at the spa.

Although most spa guests are also patrons of the hotel, Ventana—an adults only property— also attracts locals, who come in for a luxurious day at the spa to indulge in the cuisine at the restaurant or visit the art gallery. “Big Sur and Ventana are about experience,” says Donna Shoemaker, spa director at Ventana. “Many guests are here with a sense of adventure to

Perched on a hillside overlooking the ocean, the cozy wooden structures seem as if they have sprouted from the rich soil just like the redwood, oak and bay laurel trees that surround them.

Quite appropriately named, Ventana Inn & Spa—ventana means “window” in Spanish— opens to the breathtaking views of the valley, its greenery and blue of the ocean. It blends in with the landscape and complements its surroundings. Tucked away and spread across 243 acres of rolling meadows and wooded hillsides, the hotel and spa invites guests to a peace-

ful atmosphere, perfect for relaxing, reflecting and reconnecting with oneself and nature along California’s central coast just 28 miles south of Carmel. Ventana offers a blend of rustic sophistication and elegant simplicity, where suites and guestrooms, spread across the property like cozy wooden cabins, are all appointed with thoughtful details. In harmony with the natural setting, the spacious sanctuary abounds with pampering amenities.

With more than 40 years in operation, Ventana is a veteran in the hospitality world and an iconic fixture of Big Sur. With the opening of its spa in 2002, the hotel and spa has swept dozens of awards, making Travel + Leisure’s

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photos: courtesy of ventana inn & spa

spa of the month | ventana spa

With their guests’ sense of adventure in mind, Ventana’s signature treatments focus on catering to their every need after their long day in the wilderness. The Jade Ilex revives and renews tired feet with warm jade stones and cooling ointments to ease fatigue, while the back is treated with self-heating mud (50 min, $140).

The Essence of Big Sur Herbal Massage is an herbal poultice massage where organic and wild crafted herbs of eucalyptus, lavender, pine, sage and arnica are used to capture the essence of the healing nature surrounding Big

Sur, while providing soothing aromatherapy and deep muscle release (80 min, $210). The El Sur Grande Hot Stone Massage relaxes taut muscles with therapeutic basalt and jade stones to relieve joint pain and reduce stress and tension (80/110 min, $220/$295).

Aside from their signature massages, The Spa at Ventana features an array of treatments from facials to body services and specials for couples such as the Couples Experience, where guests are spoiled with a customized bath, followed by a signature Fusion Massage accom-

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photos: courtesy of ventana inn & spa

spa of the month | ventana spa

panied by candles, gourmet chocolates and tea (80 min, $410). Other popular treatments include the Fusion Massage, where therapists adjust the pressure to the needs of the client and blend their own synergized massage modalities with virgin coconut oil, jojoba blend oil or crème (50/80 min, $130/$195).

The Advanced Renewal Facial, which is also in demand, is customized to guests’ specific skin conditions, and treats concerns with an exfoliation and masque, along with a massage of the face, shoulders, neck and scalp (50/80 min, $145/$215). The sought after Detoxifying Seaweed Body Wrap, rich in potent antioxidants and minerals, features sea algae, umeboshi plum and essential oils to eliminate lymphatic sluggishness and restore healthy body tone (80 min, $185; 110 min with massage, $245). Other treatments include the Espresso Mud Body Treatment, where fragrant and finely ground coffee beans are blended with Indian sarsaparilla, honey, tobacco and black silt clay for a detoxifying scrub and mud treatment to promote cellular detox with anti-cellulite properties (80 min, $185; 110 min with massage, $245).

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spa of the month | ventana spa some unique art can venture into The Gallery at Ventana where collections of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, hand-blown glass, stone and woodwork, ceramics, basketry and photography are displayed.

Indeed, Ventana takes great joy as well as great advantage of the opportunity to partner with local businesses, and to participate in local events to keep up with its legacy and continue to promote its services. Shoemaker points out that their marketing technique also focuses on the Internet, their website and social media, which “fit the modern traveler,” she says. To maintain their level of service, the staff—including massage therapists, estheticians and yoga instructors—receives constant training and communicates at periodical meetings to address any issues. Products selected for retail and used in the spa, says Shoemaker, fit the identity and the feeling of the property. As for the spa menu, Shoemaker adds, it is fined tuned “based on treatments that are a fit for the area and our guest needs and requests.”

photos: courtesy of ventana inn & spa

The Body Polish gently buffs and stimulates the skin with aromatic organic essential oils blended with warm organic brown sugar or mineral rich sea salts (50 min, $140; 80 min with massage, $195). Traditional Thai massage, Reiki and Chakra balancing are offered as well.

The Spa also offers private activities that include yoga, Pilates and tai chi classes (50/80 min, $105/$180); astrology readings (90 min/$225); and kinesiology, which releases blockages, old habits, attachments, old decisions and more (90 min, $225). Once their treatments conclude, guests can stroll through the forest on a quaint winding path to The Restaurant at Ventana, where sustainable ingredients from California’s central coast are expertly combined to create memorable dishes that pair perfectly with Ventana’s award-winning wine list.

Guests can either savor the exquisite tastes in the lodge-like dining room or on the terrace, overlooking the spectacular coastline to enjoy the fresh and pure air. Those in the mood for

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spa of the month | ventana spa A true woodland retreat, Ventana invites guests to slow down and revitalize with a return to nature. “The setting, nature, Mediterranean climate, mountains and ocean, along with the indigenous treatments and amazing caring practitioners who exceed in treatment and customer experience,” says Shoemaker, are what make Ventana truly stand out. n

VENTANA INN & SPA 48123 Highway One, Big Sur, CA 831.667.2331 ventanainn.com VENTANA INN & SPA FACTS Launch dates: Ventana Inn, 1975; Ventana Spa, 2002 Owned by Joie De Vivre Hospitality FACILITY • 60 villas and suites • Six spa treatment rooms, two pool areas, a dry sauna, Japanese soaking tubs, one outdoor Zen garden with cabana PRODUCT LINES USED AND RETAILED Naturopathica, Kerstin Florian, Kimberli’s Organic Creations (locally grown and created body care), Thaiyurveda (locally made compresses created for Ventana Spa) SIGNATURE TREATMENT Jade Ilex, Essence of Big Sur Herbal Massage, El Sur Grande Hot Stone Massage

Amanda Clinton Winter is the managing editor of Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Psychology from Wheaton College in Norton, MA, and a master’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Miami.

Contact her at amanda@LNEONLINE.com.

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photos: courtesy of ventana inn & spa

The Ventana Spa menu is updated periodically.