What's making news: At first glance, it seems like many other luxury spas. There's yoga, meditation, vigorous hiking, and lots of blissful body treatments. But Cal-a-Vie is nestled within a profoundly different setting. Owners John and Terri Havens of Houston have made antiques the star of their wellness camp, dispersing a collection of 17th- and 18th-century French and Italian furnishings among the public rooms and guest cottages. What sort of furnishings? Well, there's a tapestry commissioned by Louis XIV. A 17th-century Italian chandelier hangs in the gym. The meditation center was the chapel of a 16th-century Carmelite convent in Dijon, France. That's right: The Havenses haven't just imported countless antiques but whole buildings, including an orangerie, which houses the cooking school, and a French parish house for their antiques store. "I can't help myself," says Terri, admittedly a frustrated decorator. "It's a passion. I love Italy and France. I love the hunt for fabrics and furniture."
Accommodations: I arrive to a storybook welcome: Cascading flowers and a gurgling brook lead me to my cottage. The scene resembles a tiny village in the French countryside. The spa's 200 acres are in a national wildlife habitat, and there are thousands of plant species in the natural chaparral. Jasmine and bougainvillea bloom up, down, and around my entrance; inside are antique furnishings and Italian linens. Flinging open the shutters, I gaze out on a tangled thicket of rosebushes, olive trees, and orange trees; my background music is birdsong and a trickling waterfall. Too perfect.
The food: Guests can eat, and I mean really eat. I savor chocolate cream pie, drink caffeinated coffee, and jelly my toast. Chef Jason Graham is a master of deception, especially with his huevos rancheros, ravioli, and onion rings. One of Cal-a-Vie's best features is its nonpreachy way of delivering wellness help, so don't skip the cooking classes and nutrition lectures.
The atmosphere: The whole place is unpretentiously put-your-feet-up comfortable. We are encouraged to trade in our city clothes for the spa-issued uniform known as "the Cal-a-Vie grays" (gray T-shirts, shorts, and sweats). What a relief not to dress for dinner. With a staff more than five times the size of the guest list, I enjoy the sort of individual attention that one can only dream about.
Who you'll see: I meet wonderful guests, 30 in all. Sisters, friends, mothers, and daughters, an 84-year-old grandmother, two brides-to-be, and a mother of four celebrating an anniversary with her husband. Oprah has been a guest, and Michelle Pfeiffer, Brooke Shields, and Paula Abdul all adore the place.
Getting fit: During my four-day stay, I huff and puff through a crack-of-dawn mountain hike -- and feel better than I have in years. Hikes are followed by breakfast, where each guest receives a schedule with fitness options for every hour: cardio, yoga, weight training, kickboxing, Pilates, or water volleyball. I even put on a cowboy hat for some country line dancing. Some guests take a no-sweat approach -- are downright slothful, in fact -- and that works too. There are no drill sergeants on the premises.
The spa: Thalassotherapy (a three-part seaweed wrap treatment) and hydrotherapy are administered in special tubs imported from France, and there are 70 stress-cure treatments. Favorites include the blissful hair-and-scalp treatment and the 90-minute hot stone massage. Daily, a masseuse soothes my tired muscles with oil, after which I half-roll off the table and head back to my room for a nap. "Enjoy yourself," they say. I obey.
For men: Men enjoy the spa too, especially the golfers (the Havens recently bought the 18-hole Ted Robinson course next door). The guys, it turns out, are eager for pampering, and they compliment each other on their post-treatment glow. "Wow, that was just amazing," says a mussy-haired executive emerging from a Thai massage. Men in meditation class? Not a one.
29402 Spa Havens Way, Vista, CA; 866/772-4283; www.cal-a-vie.com.
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