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The Golden Door Spaat The Bouldersby Valerie SummersBack in the 50’s when Hollywood stars would not dare to be seen in public sans full make up and stylish ensembles, a special spa hideaway was born in Escondido, California. From its modest inception, it would have been difficult to imagine the emergence of one of the most luxurious spas in the country, The Golden Door. And now, this oasis for the pampered set has spawned a new and beautiful offspring situated in the high Sonoran desert at the five star Boulders hideaway in Scottsdale, Arizona. Just what the doctor ordered for a stressed out journalist. Although I’ve lived in Los Angeles for more than 30 years, I’ve never ventured past Palm Springs by car. After making a reservation at the Golden Door at The Boulders, I took this opportunity to explore further afield. Wishing to travel in an appropriate vehicle, one that would carry my golf clubs, tennis gear, fully loaded picnic basket and tons of clothes I rented a 3,000 mile old Ford Explorer with all the gadgets and I was on my way. The drive was easy…a straight shot on Interstate 10 through the beauty of the desert with very little traffic.
After five glorious days of pampering at The Golden Door and enjoying The Boulders extraordinary facilities, I was relaxed, restored and re-energized. During my half day drive back to Los Angeles, I drank in the peaceful desert scenery and prepared for re-entry. For information:The Boulders Resort &
Golden Door Spa Budget of Beverly Hills, its name possibly giving the wrong impression, offers an outstanding collection of upscale and exotic rental cars. Its specialty vehicles include the world’s largest fleet of exotic sports cars, luxury sedans, and sport utilities. The ever-changing fleet of more than 1,600 vehicles, featuring more than 100 different makes and models, also includes van, trucks and economy through premium model cars. They offer their clients a special curbside meet and greet service at both Los Angeles International and Burbank airports. This VIP door-to-door service allows busy travelers the added convenience of eliminating the wait at a busy airport rental locations and avoiding crowded airport shuttles. They offer a selection of accessories including cellular phones, portable faxes and child car seats. Multi-lingual agents who speak French, Italian, German, Spanish, Arabic Farsi and Japanese are available to assist non-English speaking visitors. It’s a full-service car rental agency. 9815 Wilshire Bl., (at
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Six ½ hours later, I
pulled in to The Boulders, where, like the TV show, Cheers, everyone knows
your name. The friendliness of the staff, all who addressed me by name
starting with the gatekeeper, made me feel very taken care of. After
checking in, I was escorted to my casita via a golf cart. The evening sky
filled with clouds lit by a full moon gave the impression of a negative
buttermilk sky. Spotlights shone on the gigantic granite boulders backing
my stand-alone Southwestern-style casita. Entering, I found it smartly
decorated and comfortably furnished in earth tones, divided into a living
area with two cozy leather arm chairs facing a roaring fireplace and a
deliciously inviting king sized bed, balcony, walk in closet with enough
space and drawers to accommodate the ridiculous amount of luggage I had
brought with plenty of room for even more. The bathroom housed a mirrored,
lighted dressing table, two sinks and oversized tub stocked with Golden Door
amenities.
After unpacking, I
dressed for dinner and headed for Latilla, the resort’s signature award
winning restaurant in the main lodge, for an evening of fine dining. I was
seated in a romantic booth in front of a curved glass wall overlooking a
waterfall. Through the center of the room, a huge Engelman Spruce tree
trunk reached up through the latilla ceiling. A flickering candle set in a
Nambe candle holder and small matching vase with a single flower graced each
table. Teepee shaped lanterns set on beds of smooth river stones and
several unique American Indian wall hangings completed the decor. I glanced
through the 20 page wine list ranging from a $6,000 bottle of 1988 Chateau
Mouton Rothchild Bordeaux to a $28 Beringer White Zinfandel. I began my
meal with a cup of spicy sweet pepper soup, moved on to a perfect pink
centered garlic and herb crusted rack of lamb served over creamy polenta,
concluding with a just right demitasse cup of espresso.
Guests at The Boulders
are transported around its vast 1,300 acres via mini buses and golf carts,
but my casita was just a five minute stroll to the Golden Door Spa, my
ultimate destination. The building housing the spa was all curves and glass
featuring a fully equipped gym with state of the art equipment. The serene
mind-body studio serves yoga. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, stretching and mediation
gatherings and the movement room offers aerobic classes, pilates, spinning,
and kick boxing classes. A small café features smoothies, health drinks,
sandwiches and salads inside or outside at umbrella covered tables
overlooking the pool and the boulders. In the spacious locker room I
decided that a male designer must have been responsible for the tiny lockers
and clear glass shower doors offering no privacy, my only disappointment.
Outside were lots of places to relax by the pool or to walk the meditation
labyrinth.
Best of all, The Golden
Door’s outstanding therapists did not disappoint! My first massage
therapist, Sharon, provided the most intelligent massage I have ever had,
seeming to have the knowledge of a medical doctor. She identified problems
which in prior years, a medical back pain specialist was not able to
properly diagnose. I made sure to book her again before I left. My sense of
adventure called for a taste of the exotic, so I signed on for the 80 minute
Turquoise wrap, a sensual multi sensory combination of reflexology, cranial
massage, clay, water and scrubs, the sounds of a native American rain stick
and flute music and the scent of lavender. My schedule of treatments
continued with a Thai massage, facials, and the super sensual Healing Hands
duo massage with two therapists working at one time. Between treatments I
relaxed in the soothing, tepid Japanese o’furo, the spiral-shaped steam
room or sauna or sipped iced tea while thumbing through magazines in the
resting room.
My visit to The
Boulders was topped off with a round of golf played on one of the two world
famous championship courses, a couple of games of tennis on plexi-cushioned
courts and a visit to the nearby el Pedregal, a festival-style upscale
marketplace.