A National Historic Landmark and member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America, guests experience the romance of a European castle with architecture designed by some of California’s most famous architects. Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Supreme Court justices and world leaders were all glamorous guests at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, Calif. an old world landmark long noted as a place of refuge and seclusion 60 miles from Los Angeles.
The Mission Inn is a hotel, a museum, an arts center and living history that’s draped in eccentricities. Grand archways and flying buttresses lead to secluded gardens and patios, while wrought-iron staircases lead to the region’s only hotel chapel in town, St. Francis of Assisi.
That chapel saw a lot of action as a mid-way point between Hollywood and Palm Springs back in the Hollywood heydey.
On a recent rainy Southern California weekend, my family went shopping for antiques all morning, a past-time that keeps Riverside County throbbing with art and business. The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (238 rooms and suites), the cornerstone of downtown Riverside since 1876, is near art galleries, chic boutiques and the historic Fox Theater.
Back at Kelley’s Spa, the afternoon morphs into autumnal decadence. Next time you’re in Riverside, Calif., stop in for my favorite fall signature treatments:
Cinnamon Apple & Spices
$310 for 3 hours
Boost circulation and awaken your senses with the comforting aromas of ginger, cinnamon and apple. Your treatment begins with a Gingerbread-infused spicy bath and includes an uplifting facial and a cup of mulled cider with Gingerbread Cookies. The Cinnamon Apple manicure and spa pedicure that follows feels wickedly indulgent.
Kelly’s Delicious Berry Package
$240 for 2.5 hours
Antioxidant-rich fresh cranberries and pomegranates take center stage with a 50-minute Cranberry Pomegranate Renewal Facial, that’s followed with a pungent Cranberry Sugar Scrub known for its healing properties with urinary tract infections and immunity function. Finally the spa pedicure features a thin-but-granular foot scrub, perfectly accompanied by a glass of Pomegranate Champagne.
What feels like Fall to you? Join our bloggers at Organic Spa Magazine.