“Los Angeles is like a beauty parlour at the end of the universe,” said British actress Emily Mortimer. In the City of Angels, I love to breathe the healthy lifestyle, the relaxation air, the bright climate with the cool ocean breeze and all its temptations of beauty care, from the Californian massage, to the American cult of nails care, to the practice of outdoor sports, to keep fit, to raw food, to the consumption of avocado, powerfully antioxidant, rich in Vit A, B1, B2, D, E, K, H and folic acid and all the meditative approaches yoga. Although Americans don’t have much time to spend on holiday and the distances are boundless, California has a number and variety of breathtaking natural spectacles and “Stars & Striped Wellness”, not just in American style. In the desert area, near Joshua Tree and Palm Springs, there are simple holistic wellness & healing sanctuaries, with mineral waters and natural mud for detoxification. In the city, a few kilometers from Beverly Hills, the absolute destination to enjoy a few hours of 5-star wellness is The Spa, at the Bel Air Hotel, Dorchester Collection. an excellent secret paradise.

There is no comparison. Let me tell you about my unforgettable experience, thanks to the Director of the Spa, Nichole Hester, who allowed me to experience a ritual of quintessenze, abandonment and elegance, like the swans of the romantic pond of her botanical garden. The prestige and luxury of Bel Air Spa are directly proportional to the staff and the quality of the products. And this is not always obvious! At the beginning, I tried an exfoliation of the whole body, thanks to the therapist Michelle, with a smooth silk scrub, to eliminate dead cells and toxins, called “Bisses Purity Ritual“, of 45min; the treatment ended with a celestial Swedish massage, combining very professional techniques of muscle tension release, in depth, finding the right trigger points. Then, the magical therapist Suzanne customized the Valmont “Source des Bisses” treatment, for the needs of my face, cleaning, detoxifying, smearing a cellular hydration mask for face-eyes-neck-décolleté, to renew and restore my skin. For more ocean wellness, I spent a day at the Montage Resort Spa, in Laguna Beach, in the beautiful Orange County Riviera, just south of Los Angeles. To stimulate the purification and tone of the whole body, I tried the “Laguna Glow Spa“, thanks to the unforgettable Elsa Therapist, who used thin sea salt crystals, enriched with silica, zinc, selenium and iodine and flavored with flowers of Neroli, to invigorate the senses, fight free radicals and increase cell metabolism. The salts come from the four corners of the Earth: Jordanian salt from the Dead Sea, French salt from Maris, American salt from the Utah desert and pink bolivian salt. Incredibly, I felt my skin immediately soft and silky, my muscles relaxed, my body re-mineralized and my pains melted away.

Still on the Pacific Ocean, where we witness a spectacular sunset every evening, I experienced another experience of marine well-being, at the Ritz Carlton Spa Laguna Niguel, located on the top of a cliff, near Laguna Beach, where used elements of the ocean, such as sea salt, plankton, minerals and salt water, to restore balance and nourish the mind, body and spirit. The Laguna Wellness Experience, suggested by the historic Spa Manager, Miss Jill, is a personalized massage based on effective techniques and oceanic ingredients, including a body wrap with algae and a marine collagen facial mask, powerful antioxidants that restore hydration of the skin. The Californian wellness centers offer much more than just a massage or treatment, since, to free your mind from everyday worries or hours spent driving, you can immerse yourself in the wild ocean waves or between the rocky trails in the Canyons behind Beverly Hills or wake up with a yoga session on the beach, under the guidance of an expert teacher or let yourself be tempted by a few miles by bike, along the beautiful Pacific Coast. Moreover, the stars & striped wellness is also this: to contemplate a generous five-star nature! Raphaella Dallarda (INSPATIMEBLOG)