By Marie Bargas
LA Brides-to-be beware. The road to the altar is fraught with peril. The romance of the proposal is a high that can leave you with a very, very long way down. I’ve seen the nuts and bolts of planning a wedding destroy better women than myself. So, I’m here to confess that I almost joined the many who have been tragically transformed, like writhing werewolves under the full moon, into womankind’s most feared and venerated predator — Bridezilla.
The best advice I can give to any fellow LA bride-to-be is a little pampering goes a long way. And so, if you can walk, run, or crawl, take yourself and your bridesmaids to Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa before it’s too late. The life you may be saving is your own… because if you don’t relax and start behaving like a reasonable human being, you’re bound to drive yourself and all of your bridesmaids crazy.
Glen Ivy is situated at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains in a lush subtropical Garden of Eden. Majestic palms, lavender, exotic flowers and gorgeous cascading bougainvilleas decorate an 11-acre uber-spa that boasts a variety of different outdoor pools, spas. That morning we arrived with a mission in mind — destroy Bridezilla before she destroyed us all.
The girls wanted the sweet gentle little “me” back. I was tired and half-ashamed of snapping and snarling, but I couldn’t help myself. So, with a little help and a lot of love from my best friends and family, I let the magic of “Nature’s Day Spa” take the Beast of out this Beauty.
Here’s how we did it:
1. We came prepared.
Wearing a light colored bathing suit to Club Mud is a disaster. The red mud stains anything and everything. We wore dark suits or old suits that we didn’t care about staining. I brought a special suit for Club Mud and a cute little spa suit with a matching sarong to change into later. Two of my girls wore really warm and fuzzy terry cloth robes. Each of us had a waterproof spa bag to carry the 4 S’s: sunglasses, sunscreen, sandals and snacks. I left my wallet in the locker room, but some girls carried their cash and credit cards with them in little waterproof coin purses. Since mineral waters stain silver, all silver jewelry was left behind in LA. And finally, we all brought our cell phones so that we could call each other in case we got separated.
2. We had an agenda.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything that Glen Ivy has to offer. I would suggest that a Glen Ivy “virgin” come for the weekend and take two days to really savor the sun, the pools and the treatments. But this time we had only one day, so we all agreed to do a fabulous lunch at Cafe Sole and the Glen’s two signature treatments: Club Mud and the Grotto together as a group. In between we agreed that we would split up, make appointments for treatments and come back together at the scheduled times. Right after changing into our spa gear we all headed straight to the Spa Salon to book our treatments and massages. It’s best to book a treatment days in advance if you can, especially if you’re coming on a weekend.
From left to right. Bridesmaids: Frances, Alicia, Rita (Maid of Honor), Titiziana and Agnes (Mother-in-Law-to-be)
3. We had a blast.
First and foremost on everyone’s mind was food. Cafe Sole offered a sumptuous menu of spa food that was both tasty and plentiful. Nothing disappoints more than a nouvelle micro-portion. Thankfully, there was good food and plenty of it. 3 of my girls were doing Atkins and were thrilled with a yummy steak and arugula salad. I had it myself and I’m not counting carbs. My mother-in-law-to-be had the free-range herb roasted chicken breast. There was also grilled chicken fettuccini and a chicken salad wrap on the table. We all had bites of everything as is tradition with the ladies who lunch and iced tea all around. Everything was fresh and delicious.
Club Mud is my personal Holy Grail of spa treatments. Nothing delights me more than smearing myself from head to foot with that warm, mushy red mud and baking in the sun like a lazy California lizard. Gathered around the island of mud in the center of a warm shallow pool, we painted the mud on ourselves and on each other. The mud made us giggle and laugh out loud. We were suddenly little girls again, making mud pies, clay ashtrays and playing in the dirt. I could feel the toxins, anxieties and the dreaded Bridezilla being sucked right out of my soul, through my pores and into that red mud. When the sun finally baked it into a hard crackly crust, we all shed our second skins by sloughing it off with our hands and towels. What we found underneath was incredibly soft skin.
A new feature of this area is the Wafa. It is named for long-time Glen Ivy guest and friend, “Wafa Yazigi,” who made the original suggestion to build a mud-drying alternative for when weather is cool or wet. The Wafa is a warm drying room for guests who have just soaked in the red clay mud bath. Even on bright summer days it can take forever to dry if you’ve put on a thick coat of mud, so the Wafa is a welcome time saver. This cozy little cave is well lit and often a good place to sit, chat and meet some new people.
The Grotto
The Grotto is a surreal, man-made subterranean cavern that guests access on a slow elevator. After checking in my spa bag, I followed the girls into an area where an attendant brushed a warm buttery moisturizer all over my body. Next, we all met up in the Hydrating Chamber — a serene underground habitat softly lit by heat lamps. Each of us sat directly underneath a heat lamp and rubbed the moisturizer in for at least 15 minutes. The whole process was so soothing that we barely talked.
Afterwards, we literally glided into a shower room filled with the strongest showers any of us had ever felt. Multiple showerheads in every stall treated each of us to an invigorating shower massage while we washed off the moisturizer. We emerged from our showers in an adjacent cool mist chamber where we helped ourselves to herb tea and crisp green apples. Conversation was light and frivolous next to a bubbling underground waterfall.
3. We went shopping.
THE CLAY TRIO: Do not allow yourself to leave Glen Ivy without picking the spa’s Clay Trio. You won’t regret going home with Glen Ivy’s creamy Hydrating Moisturizer (6 oz) with special “moisture lock” that helps prevent skin dehydration and leaves skin feeling silky; Lavender Soothing Body Cleansing Gel (6 oz), enriched with natural moisturizers and botanicals to gently cleanse and protect your skin; and your choice of one of Red Clay, Rose Clay or Sea Kelp Masks (6 oz). Formulated with natural aromatherapy essences.
SHEA BUTTER with GLOVES and SOCKS: At last, a simple and pleasurable way to remedy rough, dry hands and keep them feeling softer, and looking healthy. Put on these gloves after applying Glen Ivy Spa’s Shea Butter to hands for a deep hydration that will leave your hands feeling softer than ever. Reflex-Ahh-logy socks make locating reflex points easy, so you can get started right away. Reflexology is an ancient healing art based on the theory that all body parts have corresponding reflex areas in the hands and feet. Each foot has over 6,000 nerve endings (reflexes). By applying pressure to particular areas, it serves to relax tension, improve circulation and normalize natural function of the related organ of the body. Includes 2 oz Cocoa Mango Shea Butter, Moisture Gloves and Reflexology Socks.
SPA GIRL TRAVEL BAG: Just $45 with any $100 Gift Card purchase, this fabulously fun travel bag comes filled with these Glen Ivy products: - (1) 8 oz. Lavender Body Cleanser - (1) 8 oz. Lavender Body Lotion - (1) 2 oz. Rose Clay Shampoo - (1) 2 oz. Mineral Water Conditioner - (1) Me! Bath Ice Cream Ball - (1) Bath Puff - Travel toiletry trio Offer available while supplies last. Spa Girl Travel Bag and contents valued at $75, available at $45 promotional price only with $100 Glen Ivy Gift Card purchase. Limit one per purchase. Price includes taxes, handling charges and gift card.
4. We are going to come back!
Everyone who goes to the Glen returns again and again. I regularly check the website for seasonal specials and promotions. Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa was featured as one of the “Top 24 Spas in North America” by National Geographic Traveler. And, as the recipient of the “Distinguished Day Spa of the Year 2002″ Glen Ivy has received a national award from The Day Spa Association. For more information log on to: http://www.glenivy.com
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