Nancy Cetel, MD and Joseph Weiss, MD uncover the quite a few well being advantages supplied by the luxurious and charming Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa positioned in southern California.
Picture courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa
We’ve got launched into an invigorating experiential journey to establish the world’s finest well being and wellness vacation spot resorts. After our current column on the worth of expressing gratitude, we’re lucky to have a bountiful provide following our magical expertise on the luxurious Cal-a-Vie Health Spa in southern California.
Historical limestone gate monuments mark the trail from the peaceable and bucolic coastal hills of southern California to an idyllic retreat nestled in what feels just like the lilac meadows of Provence, France. Whereas its exclusivity has established it as a favourite hideaway of celebrities and notables, throughout the gates life-enhancing experiences unfold for all these lucky sufficient to have found its magic.
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Upon arrival, we’re warmly welcomed with a scrumptious backyard lunch set alongside a babbling brook and different water options. This was adopted by a brief stroll to the visitor providers lounge, via manicured panorama options together with a pond and stream with a big working water wheel. Our private scheduler reviewed the numerous choices and our particular person preferences guided the food regimen, health courses and thoughts and physique remedies chosen to optimize our expertise. We had been instantly impressed by the thoughtfulness, appeal and enjoyable ambiance that embraced us. Day by day included a number of fabulous remedies and an incredible number of health courses designed for thoughts, physique and spirit. Any requested adjustments to our schedule had been accommodated with out hesitation.
The Good Location: Provence, France Meets Southern California Bliss
With the perfect local weather and topography of its locale within the countryside of northern San Diego County, Cal-a-Vie consists of 600 sprawling acres of luxuriously planted gardens, ponds and streams, vintage panorama options and ornaments, all set inside romantic rolling hillsides. The grounds are perfect for blissful mountain climbing, contemplative walks or simply basking within the subdued class of the romantic countryside.
There are 32 thoughtfully designed French nation villas, and the entire equally stunning Cal-a-Vie services have wealthy inside design particulars with genuine interval antiques and artworks. Even at full occupancy, with a staff-to-guest ratio of 5 to 1, the ambiance is that of a really non-public paradise. The grounds embody historic architectural jewels imported stone by stone, and seamlessly transplanted as an oasis of Provence. Complementing the panorama are over sixteen meticulous acres of vineyards producing Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes which are remodeled into the notable “Château Cal-a-Vie” Wine.
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Picture courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa
The whole resort is a cornucopia of picturesque scenes. A number of of the buildings are centuries outdated and have been gracefully transplanted from their native France, with their historical past and appeal totally intact. The enduring 400-year-old French chapel was imported from Dijon, France, and rebuilt on the premises. Different architectural gems embody the parish home with a chic wine tasting room and the L’Orangerie with an opulent banquet room adjoining to a state-of-the-art cooking demonstration kitchen. An genuine imported stone windmill, working stream, water wheel and meditative stone labyrinth walkway, all add to the expertise of feeling transported not simply hundreds of miles to Provence, however again in time as effectively. An uncommon nighttime expertise that permits for touring unimaginable distances, is a state-of-the-art telescope observatory, for a memorable celestial expertise underneath the steering of an expert astronomer.
Transformative Imaginative and prescient for Cal-a-Vie
Beneath the steering of its humanitarian and philanthropic patrons, Terri and John Havens, the subtle wellness vacation spot resort of Cal-a-Vie has reached new heights of luxurious with a deal with a holistic method to well being, wellness and vitality. Previous to their stewardship, many celebrities would come to Cal-a-Vie primarily as a weight reduction measure. The Havens have passionately remodeled Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa, and it now fulfills and exceeds its said mission to be a “life altering wellness retreat.” Its welcomed and really lucky company have discovered an distinctive useful resource that gives a way of life reset for the thoughts, physique and spirit in an opulent setting.
Pure francophiles, the Havens are from New Orleans with French Quarter affect. A lot of Cal-a-Vie has been hand-selected by them from their frequent exploratory and vintage searching visits throughout France. They’ve succeeded brilliantly, not solely in recreating an architecturally genuine French retreat in California, however extra importantly of their effort to “create an surroundings that lives and breathes well being and wellness by delivering the very best of every part—making life really feel simple.”
Picture courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa
How did Cal-a-Vie evolve into the one-of-a-kind resort it’s immediately? In line with Terri Havens, “John, my husband, wished to run a marathon. I instructed we do the one in San Diego in order that we might go to a well being spa after the race. In actual fact, we each fell in love with it. It was that go to that impressed me to purchase the spa. John actually felt that well being and wellness was the longer term. He was proper. We all the time do thorough analysis on meals, diet, health, in addition to examine data on remedies with a purpose to all the time be up on the most recent and best.”
“Identical with our audio system. You possibly can belief that every part has been effectively thought out so that you simply take pleasure in your keep, have enjoyable and begin your journey to well being and wellness. We hope to actually present a life-changing expertise for each single visitor.” After the pandemic, the Havens’ addressed the will of the company for a higher deal with the thoughts and physique. They launched a Refresh & Renew Program, including to the over 120 health and spa choices with 60 new class choices with mindfulness and thoughts/physique packages.
Holistic Method to Wellness with Health of Thoughts, Physique and Spirit
The 5 pillars of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa are health, diet, mindfulness, rest and reflection. Every morning begins with an providing of light stretch train adopted by both an escorted and vigorous hike via the breathtaking hills and countryside, or an informal stroll via the picturesque grounds and gardens. A pleasant choice for breakfast is then introduced together with a customized each day schedule, together with custom-made spa providers and coverings. All kinds of courses are scheduled all through the day, with swimming swimming pools and court docket video games together with Pickleball, championship golf on the adjoining course designed by Ted Robinson and different actions supplied as open schedule choices.
Picture courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa
There are over 120 kinds of health courses, cutting-edge physique remedies, superior laboratory dietary testing, private consultations and meal planning with their on-site registered dieticians. Attempting out new courses with grasp instructors was one of many many highlights. A pattern of simply the very first hour of each day health class choices included the next: sluggish circulation yoga; Cal-a-Vie bootcamp; dance selection spin: tread and shed; yoga sculpt; interval weight coaching circuit and introduction to Pickleball. Extra revolutionary courses embody their aqua circuit, waterworks, stretch, trapeze yoga, origami, detox & cleanse and guided meditation. As well as, there are bountiful diet breaks within the morning and wholesome refreshing smoothie breaks within the afternoon.
Mindfulness, emotional, religious and psychological well-being are addressed with a various assortment of stress-reducing and contemplative choices. Among the choices embody face yoga, heart-opening yoga, Ayurveda yoga, meditation periods within the chapel with a crystal bowl sound bathtub, ‘love letter’ meditation, ‘deepen your senses’ meditation and ‘compassion’ meditation. An aquatic tai chi class was a delightfully enjoyable but shifting novelty, which served as an experiential bridge between a thoughts and physique exercise.
Picture courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Well being Spa
The aesthetic and spa therapy providers are additionally glorious, with all kinds to pick out from. As well as, the extra conventional therapy providers together with facials, massages and reflexology had been all delivered with the care and ability required to make the experiences transformational. The Cal-a-Vie expertise goes past pampering into the realm of rejuvenation and therapeutic. Among the signature spa therapies embody: Vinotherapy therapeutic massage, grape pores and skin wraps and Vichy scrubs. An unlimited assortment of therapeutic massage therapies can be found as effectively, together with thermal remedy again mud therapy, bamboo therapeutic massage, poolside massages, natural poultice therapeutic massage and lots of extra. Wrap therapies included lavender honey, thalassotherapy seaweed, CBD Himalaya Espresso and algae jam. Further physique therapies had been available on the in depth menu providers.
A number of instructional packages, in addition to diagnostic laboratory well being and wellness panels, are supplied by the dietitians and numerous specialty weeks all year long have notable presenters. The evenings after dinner are very quiet and peaceable, with actions restricted to the weekly astronomy observatory program. Whereas we’d have loved an academic program every night, or extra frequent observatory periods, we readily agree that getting refreshing relaxation and a very good evening’s sleep is equally essential to well being and wellness.
Concentrate on a Extra Holistic Method to Wellness Past Bodily Health
General, the bodily grounds, ambiance and ambiance are excellent. The health services and instructors are world class with a workers to visitor ratio of 5 to 1. There are 32 gorgeously designed French nation villas and the utmost capability is 64 very lucky company. There are a large number of courses to pick out from and the eye and stage of instruction are constantly glorious. The Havens have elevated the services and high quality of programming to the best ranges with just about limitless assist. Their dedication has offered a tremendous return on investment for the company by offering a remarkably restorative and revitalizing expertise.
Certainly, Cal-a-Vie has advanced from what was as soon as referred to as only a pampering boutique retreat targeted on weight reduction. It has been remodeled into the top world class vacation spot well being resort and spa with a holistic method to well being, wellness and vitality. Those that are lucky sufficient to expertise this life enhancing vacation spot resort will probably return many instances. To the Havens, we provide a grateful Merci Beaucoup for making their imaginative and prescient a actuality, and for permitting all of us the chance to reap the advantages.
