With Mother’s Day approaching, you may be searching for a great girlfriend getaway with the special lady in your life.
Marjorie Hope Rothstein scoped out some of the top spas for mother-daughter bonding (or in many cases, a son who is very self-assured).
Sure, it’s an indulgence, but doesn’t mom deserve the very best?
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa, located in northern San Diego County, is currently offering a deal where daughters pay half price when sharing a room with mom. The Mother & Daughter package is available for three-, four- and seven-night stays beginning May 10, July 26 or September 13.
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Rates start at $3,795 for mom and $1,898 for daughter, and includes all meals, cooking demonstrations, nutrition classes, and four spa treatments each. Other amenities include exercise classes and a new Olympic-sized saline lap pool (so you don’t have to worry about your highlights).
The food is first-class gourmet-inspired spa cuisine, with breakfast in bed in your private suite with a French Country flair that feels like you’re in an old provincial hilltop village. 866-772-4283, www.calavie.com
Instead of indulging in the traditional box of See’s candies watching Oprah, try spending a mother/daughter week at Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in South Florida. Dive into spa living for a week of fun, relaxation, and life-long lessons in lifelong weight control and healthy living.
Although the Pritikin Center has been around since 1975, it’s definitely not just for old folks. Re-educate yourselves to your health choices and meet other health-minded ladies with activities such as anti-cellulite seminars, breast cancer awareness workshop, customized workout sessions, and various massage and facial spa packages.
A Mother’s Day promotion is running from May 9-22 starting at $7,720 with double occupancy. 800-327-4914, www.pritikin.com
Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa is located in Pennsylvania’s quiet Cumberland Valley. You and you mom can shop till you drop in the town of Bedford, take a hike on the property’s 25 miles of trails, and follow it up with a treatment at the aptly named Springs Eternal Spa.
On Sunday morning, stuff yourselves at the Mother’s Day brunch, which starts at $55 per adult. Weekend rates start at $289, double occupancy. 814-623-8100, www.bedfordspringsresort.com
For East Coast day-trippers, there are some sweet deals for yo’mama. Caesars Atlantic City is offering a lucky break at Qua Baths & Spa. The new spa is modeled after its Vegas counterpart, so there’s no need to schlep west to get a good deal.
A Supermama Package starts at $250 per person and includes a 50-minute body exfoliation, a 50-minute Swedish massage and a 25-minute reflexology session. So instead of gambling your money away at the casino, you’ll get more bang for your buck.
Other treatments include lavish Roman Baths, chakra balancing and crystal body art. And—if you have a spare $5,000—opt for the to-die-for Dieci Mani—a 10-hand treatment that treatment includes a Roman bath ritual, Vichy showers and facial and massage. 609-343-2400, www.quabathsandspa.com
Old-fashioned traditions are still happening at the Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Dallas. The newly renovated legendary hotel has updated its offerings to include holistic organic therapies at the spa and fine dining at Bolla, celebrity chef David Bull’s modern Italian restaurant.
Share one night in a studio suite starting at $495, which includes Champagne and strawberries, breakfast in bed from Bolla, and a manicure and pedicure for two. A similar package, starting at $595 a night, includes dinner for two. 800-921-8498, www.stoneleighhotel.com
If you want to travel far from the maddening crowds, escape to the ocean retreat at Las Ventanas Al Pariaso in Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico.
The signature massage is a side-by-side, mother/daughter treatment using warm, indigenous “bules” from the Baja desert. The bule—a calabash gourd that traditionally was dried, hollowed out and used to carry water in rural Mexico—has been discovered to have beneficial powers.
The treatment begins with dry brushing to increase circulation and drain toxins, followed by two hot herbal poultices pressed on the body on the meridian lines to balance and soothe muscles.
Then, after applying Four Elements oil, two large bules are glided over the body in combination with full body, foot, hand and arm massages, while two smaller bules are applied simultaneously for facial and scalp massages. A facial cleansing and moisturizing completes the treatment.
And here’s a tip: An ongoing promotion offers three nights with the fourth night free. 888-767-3966, www.lasventanas.com
For the ladies who lunch, the Golden Door in Escondido, California is a highly refined, Asian-influenced, all inclusive luxury spa where all guests are treated like celebrities. Actually, many of the guests are celebrities, as well as regulars who think they’re divas of the first degree.
Not to worry, you and your mom can play the role or just indulge without the pretense. Yes, it’s very pricey, but the experience is worth at least a one-time splurge.
Plus, an ongoing “bring a friend” discount knocks off an additional $500 each. Your best bet is to book during summer special-rate weeks (May 17-24, May 24-31), which starts from $6,995 including the discount.
Only 40 guests are allowed at one time, and there is an astonishing amount of services available. Both mom and daughter can take advantage of a tailor-made program that includes a daily massage in your room, beauty and spa treatments, and a great selection of fitness and hiking regimens. 760-744-5777, www.goldendoor.com/escondido
By Marjorie Hope Rothstein for PeterGreenberg.com.
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