Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico
The Spas
Julie Register visited this Destination Spa in December 2006

• Fitness • Food • Accommodations • Main Article •

PERSONAL REWARDS - THE SPAS AT RANCHO LA PUERTA

After a full day of hiking and fitness classes, a trip to a Health Center at Rancho La Puerta for a massage, body treatment, facial or manicure/pedicure is a real treat. It can be much more than that. Massage promotes rapid recovery from workouts with less soreness, and delivers some of the benefits of exercise. It tones muscles, increases circulation, relieves congestion that interferes with nutrition to tissues, stimulates capillaries, releases endorphins and eases tension. Body treatments date back to 1940 at Rancho La Puerta. Edmond Szekely, anxious to find an aid for the aches and muscle spasms that afflicted guests unaccustomed to exercise, adapted a favorite technique of Father Sebastian Kneipp, the "father of hydrotherapy." Herbal and aromatherapy "wraps" help reduce muscle spasms, decrease lactic acid build-up, intensify circulation, and relax overly tense muscles. Body and mind ease into the deepest form of relaxation.

Area Near the Women's and Men's Health Centers and Beauty Salon

Waiting Area at the Women's Health Center

Spa treatments at The Ranch are available at an additional charge. My husband and I each had three during our visit spaced about every other day. While I enjoyed my first - an Ayurvedic Massage at the Women's Health Center, a 5,825 square-foot facility with lounge, locker room, showers, steam, sauna, outdoor hot tub, nude sunbathing and treatment rooms, Jeff was having the same at the nearby Men's Health Center, a 5,390 square-foot facility with lounge with TV, locker room, showers, steam, sauna, outdoor hot tub, nude sunbathing and treatment rooms.

I checked in at the Women's Health Center at 3:30, leaving plenty of time to steam and shower before my 4:00 appointment. The receptionist gave me a short form to fill out to determine the state of my doshas, three life energy forces: vata, the energy of movement; pitta, the energy of digestion; and kapha, the energy of structure. Herbs would be selected based on the information on the form to balance these energy forces with the purpose of enhancing vitality and relaxation and reducing stress.

The receptionist gave me a robe and locker key and told me that I could keep them during my entire stay. Then she pointed to the door. I wandered around a bit before finding my locker, changed, took a steam bath and returned to the waiting area by the reception desk.

My therapist collected me at 4:10 pm, led me to a treatment room and instructed me to hang my robe on a towel heater (nice touch!). She left the room, and I got on the table. She returned and started the massage. She massaged my body with warm oil then massaged the oil in using hot linen packs filled with herbs. The heat felt especially good since this was early in my visit, and I was still not feeling 100%. The massage felt similar to a hot stone massage except the linen packs were used instead of stones.

At 4:45, my therapist said the massage was done and held my robe out for me. As I was tying the belt, she started to take the sheets off the treatment table. I assumed I was supposed to find my way out from there and left. It was odd not to have been offered or instructed to drink water after the massage, be escorted out and to be in the room as she was cleaning it. The massage was also about 15 minutes shorter than the 50 minutes it was supposed to be.

My other two treatments were provided at the Villas Health and Skin Care Center, a 3,372 square-foot facility with lockers, co-ed lounge and treatment rooms on the first floor and women's steam, sauna, private outdoor whirlpool and nude sunbathing on the second floor. The second floor is open to men only on Wednesday evenings.

Locker Room in the Villas Health Center

*Stairway that Leads to the Villas Health Center Second Floor - Lounge, Steam, Sauna, Private Outdoor Whirlpool, and Nude Sunbathing

My second spa treatment was a 75-minute Hydralessence body treatment. The tiled room was equipped with a Vichy shower. After we entered, I was asked if I would like a relaxing, detoxifying or invigorating treatment. I chose relaxing. The products used in the treatment were Yon-Ka. I was instructed to take my robe off and get on the treatment table. The therapist stayed in the room. I laid on the table completely exposed. There was nothing to cover me. The therapist then put a small towel over my groin. She started with a dry brush exfoliation followed by a second exfoliation with a grainy cream. This was followed by warm seaweed body mask fragranced with flower essences applied with a brush. The therapist wrapped me up, put a bolster under my knees and asked how long I would like to stay wrapped up. I replied as long as I could. She dimmed the lights and left for about 15-20 minutes. I dozed. When she returned, she unwrapped me. It was a bit chilly until the Vichy shower came on, and then nice, warm water rinsed all the seaweed from my skin. In a maneuver I don't quite remember, she managed to remove the wet sheets and have me lie on dry sheets without getting off the table. She then massaged moisturizer into my skin. She said the treatment was done and not to shower for at least 20 minutes to get the best results - deep hydration, firming and reconditioning of the body. She pointed the direction to the locker room. I did not shower until the next morning and my skin felt very soft, smooth and moist.

At the same time as my Hydralessence treatment, Jeff was enjoying a Relaxation Massage, a classic Swedish-style massage. Another day he enjoyed a 90-minute Energy Balance Massage which is intended to the body's own healing mechanisms by inducing relaxation, clearing negative energy, balancing the chakras and restoring overall energy.

My last treatment was an 80-minute Optimizer Facial, another treatment using Yon-Ka products. The facial was a series of applications - cleansing, hot towels scented with rosemary, lavender and geranium (wonderful!), peel, steam, deep exfoliation, firming mask massage, lifting mask, lifting double mask, lip and eye treatments, and lifting massage. A nice hand and arm massage was given during one of the masks. The facial's purpose was to firm and lift - plump fine lines and tone. My skin looked great afterwards. This time, the esthetician stepped out of the room while I got off the table and put on my robe.

In addition to the treatments we experienced, Rancho La Puerta offers the following:

The Beauty Salon is located near both the Women's and Men's Health Centers. This 2,590 square-foot facility offers hair and nail services to men and women.

Behind the Founder's House, there are two of the Sumerian Baths that were used over a half century ago at the ranch. One would lie in the shallow baths and be covered with about 3 gallons of salt or mineral water. Here the guest could enjoy the therapeutic combination of the sun and water. Another unique feature are three large white containers on legs near the vineyard which are Sun Bins for private sunbathing.

Sumerian Baths were used many years ago at The Ranch

Sun Bins for Private Sunbathing

FITNESS at RANCHO LA PUERTA	THE FOOD at RANCHO LA PUERTA
OUR CASITA at RANCHO LA PUERTA	BACK TO THE MAIN ARTICLE about RANCH LA PUERTA

A Talk with Rancho La Puerta Founder, Deborah Szekely