Spa Services

Choose from the extensive menus of spa treatments at these world-class resorts and indulge your senses while healing your spirit.

VENTANA INN AND SPA Ventana's list of guest amenities is as endless as the ocean view from the massage tables... Spa visitors and hotel guests enjoy two heated pools, Japanese Hot Baths and sauna. Try the Thalasso Therapy with algae and seaweed products to detoxify and soothe. Facials, wraps, energy readings, private fitness classes and guided hikes are some of the tough choices you'll have to make. On inclement days a shuttle service ferries you to your next treatment appointment. 831-667-2331 or 800-628-6500, www.ventanainn.com

POST RANCH INN For a unique Big Sur take on the current rage for hot stone massage, be sure and try the Post Ranch Inn version with local jades, marble and basalt river rocks to ease out those stress knots. A full menu of other treatments includes massage, facials, private yoga in the ocean-view yurt, reflexology, Reiki, and craniosacral massage. Guests have to be forcibly removed from the basking pool when the pleasure overload point is passed. Meditation, guided hikes and couples instruction in massage techniques are some of the many other options for spending time in this glorious setting. 831-667-2200 or 800-527-2200, www.postranchinn com

ESALEN It's the 40th anniversary this year of the Big Sur landmark. No drop-ins at this very private resort, please, but you can schedule a massage and sneak in for a few hours even if you're not a workshop participant. Off-site massages are also a possibility--they'll come to your hotel room (or campsite?! Wow!)--but who would want to miss the chance to romp in the newly renovated cliff-side hot baths. You're permitted one hour before and a half-hour after your massage to relish the beautiful new facilities that merge National Geographic-style intimacy with the marine wildlife with complete hydroindulgence. 831-667-3005, www.esalen.org