FALL 2008

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Pg 16 - Sustainable

The Sound of the Sea

Capable of being; of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged; of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods. - Merriam-Webster's

When it first opened in 1888, the grand Hotel Del Coronado (or the Del, as it's affectionately known), near San Diego, was the ultimate therapeutic luxury vacation destination. Pale, wan, wealthy Victorians ventured across the country on a seven-day train ride to decamp at the edge of the Pacific, where the bracing salt water, sandy beach, and soft sea breeze provided an exotic and welcome tonic to the stresses of Nineteenth-century life. Over a century later, the Spa at the Del is still uniquely suited for that role.

The Spa-recently part of a $150 million renovation-features 21 treatment rooms, a vanishing-edge pool, an outdoor terrace overlooking the Pacific, and an innovative new spa menu that draws on local sustainable resources like sand, seashells, and the restorative sound of the sea itself. "We wanted our signature treatments to incorporate the sea," says spa manager Tim Johnson. The signature Shell Coronado massage is inspired by hot stone massage, but the stones are swapped out for tiger clam shells and giant cowry shells, which, due to a special warming technique, can hold heat for up to an hour.

The divinely relaxing treatment begins with an application of a light citrus custom-blended "ocean oil." The massage is a mix of traditional Swedish and Hawaiian Lomi-Lomi technique-long, flowing, circular strokes that evoke the rolling of the ocean waves and the swaying of palm trees. No detail is overlooked: ocean sounds fill the room, and a shadow box has been placed on the floor beneath your line of vision so that as you lie on the massage table, face down, you look at a beautiful diaroma of tiny shells set in white sand garnished with sea brush. At the end of the 50-minute treatment, the massage therapist places cowry shells by your ears, so that you can melt into the sound of the sea.

"Our guests expect indulgence and complete relaxation," according to Johnson. As the Victorians might have said, the Spa is the perfect restorative for those seeking an oasis of calm in a sea of luxury. www.hoteldel.com. - Rona Berg