Perched above the Pacific, the new Spa at La Valencia offers serene signature experiences and results-driven skincare alongside mindfulness practices for the ultimate coastal California retreat.
From Palm Beach to Waikiki, landmark pink hotels are synonymous with vintage glamour, but few capture that level of sun-kissed elegance quite like La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla—known affectionately as “The Pink Lady.” With its pastel-hued stucco façade, Spanish-tiled tower and pretty courtyard gardens, the Mediterranean Revival masterpiece has charmed travelers since 1926. Once a favored coastal retreat for Old Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner and Ginger Rogers, the iconic hotel begins a new chapter in wellness with the debut of Spa at La Valencia.
Tucked inside a restored 1904 cottage steps from the hotel—naturally painted in signature ‘La Valencia Pink’—the three-story spa makes a serene hideaway with an aesthetic that balances quiet Riviera romance with classic California cool. Soft and sunlit interiors reveal six treatment rooms adorned with teak and wicker furniture, healing crystals like selenite, and original seascape oil paintings by local artist Krista Schumacher. At the helm is Spa Director Lisa Price, a San Diego native and luxury wellness veteran whose holistic philosophy was shaped by her early years as a yoga instructor at the legendary Golden Door. “My intention was to create a space where hotel guests and local visitors alike feel they’ve experienced something truly extraordinary,” says Price. “But I also wanted to offer treatments that deliver real results.”
To that end, the menu goes well beyond the basics. Cutting-edge facials include 111SKIN’s Black Diamond Non-Surgical Lift and Valmont’s De-Puffing Energy Facial, while La Valencia is the only spa south of Los Angeles to offer the new collagen-stimulating Glo2Facial with radio frequency. Bodywork spans massages and scrubs to hydrating wraps. Price also created four Signature Experiences, including the standout Rose Quartz Radiance—a top-to-toe ritual incorporating rose quartz crystals, colloidal gold, and dreamy Damask rose extract to leave skin luminous and red carpet-ready. For the ultimate spa day, The Pink Lady Indulgence is the crown jewel of the Retreat Collection—a restorative four-hour escape featuring a body polish or wrap, massage, and facial, each paired with a complimentary enhancement (think CBD balm and dry brushing), all topped off with a spa food-and-beverage credit. Price shares that a dedicated spa menu of healthy bites and a zero-proof version of La Valencia’s signature Pink Lady cocktail is currently in development with the hotel’s chef and his team.
Price also carved out space for Reiki, breathwork, tai chi and guided meditation, with intimate small group skincare workshops on the horizon. For now, a Friday morning yoga class in the ocean-view garden provides a perfect pre-treatment moment of mindfulness. Spa guests also enjoy access to the scene-stealing swimming pool at La Valencia, but if floating into a post-massage haze with a pot of flowering tea in the spa’s lovely relaxation lounge or adjacent banana palm-framed sun deck sounds more your speed, that’s highly encouraged, too.
Whether stopping in for a facial or making a weekend of it, Spa at La Valencia is an enticing reason to revisit this coastal classic—and experience “The Pink Lady” in a whole new light.
