Sometimes it’s difficult to slow down and catch your breath. Lucky you, then, to have discovered Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa’s 10,500-square-foot Sunstone Spa.
Here, you can customize a luxurious experience as spa attendants cater to your every need. Use these insider tips to help you make the most of your visit.
Take Advantage of the Facilities
If you think a spa experience is only what happens in the treatment room, you’re missing out. Any treatment more than $50 allows full use of Sunstone Spa’s facilities. Head to the spa at least an hour or more before the treatment start time to check in, get a tour, change into your robe and spa sandals, and enjoy the amenities.
Start in the relaxation areas. The women’s and men’s lounges have separate wet areas with a sauna, a eucalyptus steam room, and a whirlpool tub. “Before a treatment, the heat from soaking in a hot tub, sitting in a sauna, or relaxing in a steam room begins the body’s relaxation process, making the muscles more responsive to therapeutic touch and allowing the mind to begin to unwind,” says Spa Manager Daniel Spencer.
Afterward, in robe and sandals, sink into a sumptuous chair in one of the dry relaxation areas while you read a magazine, sip tea, and enjoy fruit-infused water and freshly cut fruit.
If your body craves physical activity, bring exercise clothes and enjoy a workout at the fitness center before stepping into the whirlpool tub, steam room, and sauna. Put on your swimsuit and do some laps in the outdoor co-ed spa pool, and then relax on the poolside lounge chairs under the open sky.
As long as the spa has availability (call ahead to check), you can purchase a Spa Experience Day Pass and enjoy the facilities without booking a treatment. The pass allows access to all the facilities noted above. Hang out for several hours, in solitude or with friends, and make it a day retreat.
Enhance a Facial
While all Sunstone Spa’s facials on their own provide individual benefits to the skin, the spa offers “Enhancements” — all $35 or less — that customize your facial by addressing specific concerns.
The Laugh Lines – Eye and Lip Treatment utilizes anti-aging serums and a renewing eye repair mask to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. “This add-on targets the lines around the lips, the creases in between the eyebrows, and the crow’s feet around the eyes,” Spencer says.
If you’re looking for skin plumping, the Collagen Boost is a good choice. A collagen-stimulating serum and collagen mask penetrate deep into the skin. “As time goes on, a guest will see even more improvement over the course of eight hours, including the reduction of fine lines,” Spencer says.
For exfoliation and pore reduction, opt for the Glycolic Peel add-on. By removing older, often more rough and dry skin, Spencer notes that this add-on can make your skin look smoother and younger, with fewer fine lines and wrinkles.
The O2 Intensive Treatment “provides a radiant glow and is ideal for dehydrated and mature skin,” Spencer says. He recommends it as a perfect facial add-on before going out for the night. “The treatment offers immediate results.”
Upgrade a Body Treatment or Massage
For less than $20 per add-on, you can enhance any massage or body treatment on the spa menu with one of these options.
Lymphatic Dry Brushing gently exfoliates dead skin cells, brings blood and oxygen to the skin’s surface, and helps in the body’s detoxification process. The therapist starts brushing the skin at the feet and then moves up the legs and back to the shoulders. “In more sedentary months, adding a dry brush treatment to a massage or body treatment will even assist in boosting the immune system by stimulating the lymph,” Spencer says. “It also helps decrease the appearance of cellulite.”
“The Personalized Aroma Blend is one of my favorites,” Spencer says.
When you check in, you will answer a series of questions that will guide you to the appropriate scent to support you on that day. “It could be about aroma preferences, like citrus, woodsy, or floral, or it could also be about what you’d like to get out of the treatment, such as easing stress, eliminating fatigue, or tending to sore muscles,” Spencer says.
For relaxation and hair strengthening in one, the Hairglow Scalp Treatment offers a stimulating scalp massage with essential oils. “You can leave the oils in overnight or wash it out after the treatment if you’d like, because it gives the hair a nice glow either way,” Spencer says.
Save Money With a Spa Package
Spencer notes that the spa offers combination treatments with a price break for guests who’d like to experience more than one treatment during a particular visit.
“Our Infusion Packages incorporate two or more treatments to allow a guest to choose from massage, body treatment, or a facial,” Spencer says. The Sunstone Trio, for example, is a 150-minute treatment that offers a wrap, massage, and facial.
Especially for guests new to spa treatments, Spencer recommends the two-hour Spa Experience Sampler, which includes four treatments that are 25 minutes each: a neck, back, and shoulder massage; an express facial; an express manicure; and an express pedicure.
“This is perfect for a person who’s never done a spa treatment before,” Spencer says. “It doesn’t lock them into anything for too long at a time and gives them a little taste of every element.”
The Spa Experience Sampler can be broken up throughout the day. “Guests might do the first two treatments in the morning or late morning, then break for lunch to eat outside by the spa pool,” he says. “Afterward, they relax for another hour before heading back inside for the other treatments.”
No matter what you end up choosing for your visit to Sunstone Spa, one thing’s for certain: You’ll leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Book it!
Sunstone Spa at Agua Caliente
Casino Resort Spa
32250 Bob Hope Drive
Rancho Mirage, 888-999-1995
www.hotwatercasino.com/spa.html
Spa Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Fitness Center Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This article originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2015-2016 edition of Me Yah Whae.