Spa Gaucin Offers Orange County A-Peel

Anyone who knows me is well aware of my lifelong love affair with Spain, but short of finagling two weeks of vacation time to jump on a plane bound for Madrid or Málaga, a return trip to the country I call my second homeland is unlikely in the near future.

So last weekend, I settled for the next best thing: a jaunt to Spa Gaucin at the deluxe St. Regis Monarch Beach. Gaucín is one of Andalusia’s famed white villages, perched on a clifftop overlooking the sea, where artists have congregated over the years to capture the light and sweeping panoramas. And though this Gaucin is nearly 6,000 miles away from its namesake, there’s a theme that connects the two. According to its website, the spa “marries the village of Gaucin’s love of sun, sea, fresh ingredients and seasons with the style, quality and trendsetting elements of the Spanish culture. Our tenured artisans showcase age-old spa traditions blended with modern techniques.” Hence a service menu that encompasses everything from wellness facials to detox rituals and, my chosen experience, the signature Costa del Sol retreat, which promises to “let the essences of the beautiful Mediterranean Coast captivate [guests] from head to toe”.

Arriving late for my appointment—thanks, L.A. traffic!—I was frazzled before I’d even set foot in the door. Luckily, I had called ahead, and the spa’s lovely reception staff had managed to move the schedule around to accommodate me.

I requested a quick tour of the facility, which boasts separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, each with a whirlpool, steam and sauna, as well as a three-lane pool. Then, eager to be pampered, I changed into my robe and slippers and headed for the women’s relaxation lounge, just as my therapist, Trish, arrived to greet me.

She whisked me down the softly carpeted hallways to a dimly lit treatment room (one of 24), where a warm bed and a heated herbal pillow beckoned. Wasting no time, I slipped under the sheets, ready for my two hours of captivation.

The service started with a gentle scalp massage and hair treatment using warm Argan oil, followed by a light face massage (Trish lingered on my permanent frown lines, not surprisingly).

Next came scrubs of the hands and feet, which were then treated to light reflexology before being wrapped in warm towels. Relaxing as this was, I couldn’t wait for the main course: a full body massage utilizing oil from the spa’s Serenity collection, containing green tea, white tea and lemongrass. Trish had asked me if I had any particular areas of tension (I gave my usual response: “not really, but I’m probably holding a lot of general tension in my shoulders and neck”), and Trish didn’t disappoint as she deftly kneaded those two deeply knotted areas.

The time seemed to fly by as I was massaged to an eclectic soundtrack of Asian Zen tunes and ocean-inspired sounds (sadly, no flamenco music), and though I didn’t quite drift off to sleep, I came pretty close.

Afterward, despite Trish cautioning me to get up slowly off the bed, I didn’t—and felt a little woozy as a result. However, I took this as a good sign: I was clearly in a state of deep relaxation.

This being luxury-with-everything O.C., every treatment begins or ends with a complimentary glass of wine or champagne. Instead, I sipped cool water and retreated to a plush chaise by the fireplace in the co-ed tranquility lounge, just in time to catch a glimpse of a wedding taking place on the resort’s terrace.

I wasn’t quite transported to Spain, but I was reminded of the importance of slipping away from the craziness of Los Angeles, if only for an afternoon.—Lesley McCave