City: Palm Springs, CA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (760) 777-4800, (800) 598-3828

Address: 49-499 Eisenhower Dr.

Description: The doyen of the desert resorts, La Quinta Resort & Club opened in 1926 and has grown into a true destination, with sprawling, beautifully manicured grounds that contain both hotel rooms and plush casita-style lodging, five golf courses, 23 tennis courts, 41 swimming pools, and 53 hot tubs, plus three full-service restaurants, a fitness center, and the 23,000-square-foot Spa La Quinta, which was added in 2002. The Yamaguchi Salon (760–777–4800; www.yamaguchibeauty.com) and the WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine (800–621–5263; www.wellmax.com) are both part of the spa facility (see below).One of the highlights of the spa is its outdoor Sanctuary Courtyard, a lushly landscaped extension of the spa itself. Here, guests can sign up for the Celestial Shower, a private open-air Swiss shower treatment with sprays of varying strength; soak in a private tub; or have a massage alfresco before or after a delicious health-conscious lunch. The soaking baths include the Seawater Soak, Citrus Soak, and Desert Rose Bath, all nice by themselves or as a prelude to a massage or one of the exotic body treatments, such as the cleansing/moisturizing Orange Blossom Special Body Facial. Men’s facials and sports massages that target the specific muscles used in golf or tennis are also a specialty.Adjacent to the spa is the Yamaguchi Salon, a top-notch hair and makeup spot, featuring hair and nail treatments based on each person’s feng shui, as well as makeup applications and lessons. The WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine, located off the resort plaza, is a one-stop medical testing and evaluation office that offers extensive physical examinations, including such components as CT scans of the lungs, conventional or virtual colonoscopy, hormone level testing, and on and on. Staff physicians are also available at Eisenhower Medical Center, the desert’s largest and most respected hospital and research facility.WellMax clients can spend as little as a half day and as much as four days getting all the tests and evaluations, and that’s where the benefit of a spa next door is really seen. Somehow, having your blood drawn is a little more palatable when it’s followed by a massage and facial.